As a New Jersey native, Atkinson wanted to focus on local events.

The Battles of Princeton and Trenton felt like a natural breaking point of the story, when the Continental and British armies went into winter quarters.

Many of the founders, including Alexander Hamilton and George Washington, regarded the battles as effectively ending the Revolutionary War.

The Battles of Princeton and Trenton were the most pivotal battles of the Revolutionary War, and changed the tide of the war.