Land of the Free Because of the Brave

What would the oddsmaker have given to anyone crazy enough to bet, back in 1775, that the Continental Army would defeat the Brits? 

Sloan Oliver | June 30, 2026

When we read history books, the outcome of an event is obvious because it has already happened. That leads to thoughts such as, “Of course the British were going to defeat the Germans and win the Battle of Britain” (which took place in the summer of 1940 in the months immediately after Dunkirk); everyone knew that the Union army would decisively defeat Gen. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia at the Battle of Gettysburg (July 1-3, 1863). However, while the event/battle/war is unfolding and is being contested, the outcome is far from certain.

It makes me wonder what the oddsmaker would have given to anyone crazy enough to bet, back in 1775, that the Colonial Army would defeat the Brits. The odds certainly weren’t very good. When one considers the huge challenges facing the United Colonies in 1775 and 1776, Divine Providence is the only answer that explains how, in 2026, we are celebrating America-250. (The opening of the Declaration of Independence calls the country “the thirteen united States of America,” lower case “u,” first time that name was used.) 

The impulse to declare independence didn’t suddenly appear in 1776. The King and Parliament had imposed ever harsher tyranny on the Colonies by maintaining a large standing army, quartering troops in people’s homes, and creating taxes designed, not only to raise revenue, but to punish the people. The Declaration spelled out the “long train of abuses........

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