The Battle of Saratoga was the 1777 American victory that helped persuade France to enter the Revolutionary War, a turning point remembered by America250.
The Saratoga campaign took place in northern New York from June to October 1777. American forces first checked British advances at Freeman’s Farm on September 19, then won decisively at Bemis Heights on October 7. British General John Burgoyne surrendered his army at Saratoga on October 17.
The victory demonstrated that the American forces could defeat a major British army. France had secretly supplied the Patriots before Saratoga, but the result encouraged open diplomatic and military cooperation.
France formally recognized the United States and signed the Treaty of Alliance in February 1778. Saratoga is therefore often called a turning point, although the war continued for several more years and ended only after later campaigns and the peace treaty.