In 1776, the lights went out in New York City as foreign boots marched down Broadway.

By 1783, the city was ready to explode with fireworks, freedom, and a final act of defiance.

It was November 25, 1783.

The date is largely forgotten now, but for over a century, it was as sacred as the Fourth of July.

For seven brutal years, New York City had been the main stronghold of the British Army. It was a time of misery, martial law, and occupation.

While the Treaty of Paris had been signed months earlier, the British troops still held the city.

But the time had finally come for them to leave.

As the British soldiers boarded their ships in the harbor, General George Washington prepared for his triumphant entry into the city.

It was supposed to be a clean transfer of power. A moment of dignity.

But the departing British soldiers decided to leave one last insult behind.

At Fort George, at the tip of Manhattan, they nailed the Union Jack to the top of the flagpole.

Then, they greased the entire pole with thick, slippery tallow and removed the halyards so the flag could not be lowered.

It was a petty prank designed to humiliate the Americans. They wanted Washington to ride into a city that was still flying the enemy's colors.

The American troops stared at the pole in frustration. The grease made it impossible to climb.

But an American sailor named John Van Arsdale refused to let the insult stand.

He didn't have a plan, but he had grit. He grabbed a set of cleats and a hammer.

Step by agonizing step, he began to scale the slippery wood.

He nailed cleats into the pole as he went, fighting against gravity and the grease.

The crowd watched in silence, holding their breath as he inched toward the top.

When he finally reached the summit, he tore down the British flag and replaced it with the Stars and Stripes.

Cannon fire erupted in celebration. The crowds cheered until their throats were raw.

Washington rode into the city not as a conqueror, but as a liberator.

The people saw the ships disappear over the horizon.

The people saw the American flag snapping in the wind.

The people saw that the long nightmare of occupation was finally over.

This day, celebrated for generations as "Evacuation Day," marked the true end of the American Revolution on our soil.

It reminds us that freedom is not just declared on parchment, but secured by the determination of ordinary men willing to climb the difficult heights.

The last British ship faded into the mist, and America officially belonged to Americans once again.

Sources: History / Smithsonian Mag

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