Editing American Revolution (section)

===British return: 1776–1777===
{{Further|New York and New Jersey campaign|Staten Island Peace Conference|Saratoga campaign|Philadelphia campaign}}
[[File:The British fleet in the lower bay 1876.jpg|left|thumb|The British fleet amassed off [[Staten Island]] in [[New York Harbor]] in the summer of 1776, as depicted in ''[[Harper's Magazine]]'' in 1876]]

According to British historian [[Jeremy Black (historian)|Jeremy Black]], the British had significant advantages, including a highly trained army, the world's largest navy, and an efficient system of public finance that could easily fund the war. However, they seriously misunderstood the depth of support for the American Patriot position, misinterpreting the situation as merely a large-scale riot. The British government believed that they could overawe the Americans by sending a large military and naval force:

{{blockquote|Convinced that the Revolution was the work of a full few miscreants who had rallied an armed rabble to their cause, they expected that the revolutionaries would be intimidated&nbsp;.... Then the vast majority of Americans, who were loyal but cowed by the terroristic tactics&nbsp;... would rise up, kick out the rebels, and restore loyal government in each colony.<ref>Jeremy Black, ''Crisis of Empire: Britain and America in the Eighteenth Century'' (2008) p. 140</ref>}}

In the [[Siege of Boston]], Washington forced the British out of the city in the spring of 1776, and neither the British nor the Loyalists controlled any significant areas. The British, however, were amassing forces at their naval base at [[Halifax Regional Municipality|Halifax, Nova Scotia]]. They returned in force in July 1776, landing in New York and defeating Washington's Continental Army in August at the [[Battle of Long Island|Battle of Brooklyn]]. This gave the British control of New York City and its strategic [[New York Harbor|harbor]]. Following that victory, they requested a meeting with representatives from Congress to negotiate an end to hostilities.<ref name="Schecter, Barnet 2002">Schecter, Barnet. ''The Battle for New York: The City at the Heart of the American Revolution''. (2002)</ref><ref name="McCullough, 1776 2005">McCullough, ''1776'' (2005)</ref>

A delegation including [[John Adams]] and [[Benjamin Franklin]] met British admiral [[Richard Howe, 1st Earl Howe|Richard Howe]] on [[Staten Island]] in [[New York Harbor]] on September 11 in what became known as the [[Staten Island Peace Conference]]. Howe demanded that the Americans retract the [[United States Declaration of Independence|Declaration of Independence]], which they refused to do, and negotiations ended. The British then [[Battle of Kip's Bay|seized New York City]] and nearly captured Washington's army. They made the city their main political and military base of operations, holding it until [[Evacuation Day (New York)|November 1783]]. The city became the destination for Loyalist refugees and a focal point of Washington's [[Intelligence in the American Revolutionary War|intelligence network]].<ref name="Schecter, Barnet 2002" /><ref name="McCullough, 1776 2005" />

[[File:Washington Crossing the Delaware by Emanuel Leutze, MMA-NYC, 1851.jpg|thumb|[[George Washington's crossing of the Delaware River|Washington crossing the Delaware]] on December 25–26, 1776, depicted in [[Emanuel Leutze]]'s [[Washington Crossing the Delaware (1851 paintings)|1851 painting]]]]
The British also took New Jersey, pushing the Continental Army into Pennsylvania. Washington [[George Washington's crossing of the Delaware River|crossed the Delaware River]] back into New Jersey in a surprise attack in late December 1776 and defeated the [[Hessian (soldier)|Hessian]] and British armies at [[Battle of Trenton|Trenton]] and [[Battle of Princeton|Princeton]], thereby regaining control of most of New Jersey. The victories gave an important boost to Patriots at a time when morale was flagging, and they have become iconic events of the war.

In September 1777, in anticipation of a [[Philadelphia campaign|coordinated attack]] by the British Army on the revolutionary capital of Philadelphia, the Continental Congress was forced to depart Philadelphia temporarily for [[Baltimore]], where they continued deliberations.

In 1777, the British sent Burgoyne's invasion force from Canada south to New York to seal off New England. Their aim was to isolate New England, which the British perceived as the primary source of agitation. Rather than move north to support Burgoyne, the British army in New York City went to Philadelphia in a major case of mis-coordination, capturing it from Washington. The invasion army under [[John Burgoyne|Burgoyne]] was much too slow and became trapped in northern New York state. It surrendered after the [[Battles of Saratoga]] in October 1777. From early October 1777 until November 15, a siege distracted British troops at [[Fort Mifflin]], Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and allowed Washington time to preserve the Continental Army by safely leading his troops to harsh winter quarters at [[Valley Forge]].