1. disguised themselves as Indians and threw 342 chests of British Tea into the Boston Harbor, paving the way for the American Revolution. December 16 also marks other historical landmarks in America. 2. In October 1781, the war virtually came to an end when General Cornwallis was surrounded and forced to surrender the British position at Yorktown, Virginia. Two years later, the Treaty of Paris made it official: America was independent. 3. The Revolution also unleashed powerful political, social, and economic forces that would transform the post-Revolution politics and society, including increased participation in politics and governance