Which battle is widely regarded as the turning point of the American Revolutionary War?

The Battle of Saratoga is widely regarded as the turning point of the American Revolutionary War.

The Saratoga campaign in 1777 ended with British General John Burgoyne's army surrendering to American forces under Major General Horatio Gates. The decisive fighting centered on the battles of Freeman's Farm on September 19 and Bemis Heights on October 7, followed by Burgoyne's surrender at Saratoga on October 17.

The American victory demonstrated that the Continental forces could defeat a major British army. It also helped persuade France to enter a formal alliance with the United States. French military and financial support later became crucial to the American war effort.

Saratoga was not the final battle of the war, and the conflict continued for years afterward. The phrase “turning point” refers to its strategic and diplomatic consequences, especially the French alliance, rather than to an immediate end to fighting.