The United States declared independence from Britain on July 4, 1776. This marked the official beginning of the Revolutionary War, although some major battles had broken out in the previous year. Initially, the British believed that they could crush their opposition. In the past century, they had been very successful in military endeavors and their army was considered to be the best in the world. They had well-equipped, disciplined, and trained soldiers, and a very powerful navy. As well as that, the British had a large amount of money which they used to hire German mercenaries called Hessians.
Despite the fact that most Americans agreed that they should separate from Britain, thousands of people opposed the war. The people in this group called
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This, however, was no simple task. The British were superior in many aspects, so how exactly did the colonists win the war? Firstly, Britain was extremely overconfident in themselves. They didn’t expect the colonists to put up much of a fight, and though that taking Boston would halt their efforts and end the rebellion. However, once that strategy failed, they were forced to take a new approach and decided to try to isolate Boston and New England by conquering the surrounding colonies including New York. Yet again, the British failed to do this, and during that time, the colonists received help from European countries like France. After defeat they tried one more strategy which was to take the South and use the loyalists who lived there. The colonists then fought them using guerilla tactics, in which they launched small hit and run attacks, and targeted the weak points in the British army. This strategy ultimately led to the colonial victory. Besides just the military tactics used by the rebels, there were some other factors that helped in their victory. Firstly, the British mostly ignored the loyalists who could have been very useful to them in battles. Secondly, although it may not seem like much, the United States generals, including George Washington were good at keeping the soldiers’ morale high, despite even a series of losses. Because of this, the army never gave up until they were victorious. Lastly, because the British were fighting in unfamiliar land which was separated from their home country by an ocean, they were faced with many disadvantages. They also had to hold control of a colony when they overtook it, meaning that some troops would have to be left behind. Overall, even though the British were much better equipped than the Americans, the colonists played to their strengths and Britain’s weakness, which proved to be
How did the colonists manage to triumph in their battle for independence despite Great Britain’s military might? If any of these factors had been different, how might it have affected the outcome of the war?
Massacres in the streets, abuse from English Parliament, and acts oppressing colonists; All of these were evident in events leading up to the American Revolution. The Revolutionary War was a display of colonist patriotism, and the reason for American independence today. Leading up to it, Britain tightened their hold on the colonies by restricting them and passing unfair laws and taxes. The American Revolution began after the colonists sent the Declaration of Independence to King George III in July, 1775, in which the colonies claimed independence from Britain. After the Battle of Yorktown in 1781, General Charles Cornwallis of the British army surrendered to the colonists, and they had officially gained independence. Though, were the colonists right to wage war and gain independence from Britain? Yes, they were justified in revolting against England because the acts were unfair, the British occupation in colonists territory, and the violation of rights taking place.
During the American Revolution, The British and the American colonists had many difficulties and challenges to overcome. Both sides had great disadvantages and advantages, but the in the end the colonists had the most advantages and won their independence from the British. Some of the most important reasons the colonists won was that they were fighting on their own continent and knew the land better than the British, they received help from other European countries such as France and they had a well-experienced General; George Washington.
On october 19, 1781 the British army surrendered at Yorktown, Virginia. Although the treaty had yet to be signed, American independence had been accomplished. The Patriots had pulled off the most improvable upset by defeating the most powerful military of the day. Although the British had more troops, were highly trained, had more supplies, and a strong navy, the Patriots prevailed. Under the leadership of George Washington along with technological advancements in weaponry, aid from foreign allies, new fighting techniques, coupled with medical innovations and an extensive spy ring, a new nation is born.
Introduction: Why did the Patriots win the revolutionary war? Afterall, they did not have an army half as big as the British did. It was through the support of the citizens, the supplies sent to them, the strength of the soldiers. In other words, the three main reasons for their victory were popular support, leadership, and group motivation. If the Patriots did not have these things factored in, they may not have won. Sebby
The British were over confident and made poor decisions, whereas George Washington carefully thought out his tactics. The colonists used Guerilla Warfare, and militia were quick and often popped out from behind trees to attack. Using this type of warfare was very beneficial to the Colonists, as it did not give the British enough time to shoot the colonists before they were killed. Guerrilla Warfare was known to “weaken the enemy” (McDougal,210). By focusing on winning small battles, in their own land, the colonists were able to keep enough supplies, food and men to eventually win the war. In the battle of Yorktown, “British general Cornwallis set up his base, located on a peninsula” (McDougal, 209), which was a bad move on their part. Washington saw the opportunity and made the smart decision to block the one land entrance, so that the British could no longer get any supplies that they needed. Washington’s plans along with the Colonists motivation were the were the reason they won the
The topic of revolution is extremely subjective. What may appear as an insurrection to some might not be as extreme to others. When talking about the American Revolutionary War, however, the answer is clear. While the War certainly brought about change within the United States, it wasn’t necessarily very revolutionary. The most important aspects of the colonies, such as ideas about government, various types of societal equality, slavery and freed blacks, and the rights of women remained for the most part, unaffected.
After the Americans had enough of their rights being violated, and the British would not come to an agreement of peace, the American people went to war with the British in the American Revolution. The Americans fought against the British to gain their independence, and they won for many reasons. One of the reasons why the Americans won their independence, was that they had a logistical advantage(Hedtke, et al., The American Saga). The American people did not have to send letters and wait to receive orders from across the Atlantic Ocean, and they had a better understanding of the terrain in America(Hedtke, et al., The American Saga). The delay in British communication gave the Americans the advantage of creating and executing plans quicker than the British expected. One of the most important reasons why the Americans were successful in fighting, was because George Washington, broke every rule and guideline to warfare to attack the British(Hedtke, et al., The American Saga). On December 26, 1776, George Washington in desperation surprise attacks the British army across the Delaware river, and kill the commander
In 1763, the Kingdom of Great Britain had just become victorious over France in the French and Indian War. This victory had come at a great cost, severely straining Britain’s economy and banks. Britain felt that the American Colonists should have to pay some on its debts since most of the war was fought to protect the colonists. Britain soon began passing new taxes such as the Stamp Act of 1765. Colonist thought that it was unfair that they were being taxed since they were not allowed representation in British Parliament. For the following ten years, colonists began to realize that they wanted complete independence from Britain. They issued the Declaration of Independence in July of 1776 declaring themselves independent of Britain. The Colonies were now at full scale war with the mother country of Britain. America did not have grand army like Britain in the beginning and would often employ guerrilla tactics. These tactics often involved ambushing the British soldiers, and then quickly retreating to safety before the British soldiers could inflict too many casualties. Eventually America’s army would grow and train. They would be able to stand toe to toe with Britain, which was considered to have the strongest army in the world at the time. In October of 1781, Britain would surrender after losing the siege of Yorktown. By 1783, Britain and the American Colonies would sign the Treaty of Paris, ending the American Revolution and recognizing America as a country on
The American Revolutionary War, also known as the American War of Independence, started from 1775 and ended in 1783. This turning event in history was caused by Great Britain governing the 13 colonies and taxing goods without consent. After the French and Indian War, King George the 3rd needed to pay off war debt. His solution was to tax the colonies, which made them agitated and revolt against Great Britain and their soldiers called the redcoats. There were some people who wanted to stay loyal to Britain and were called Loyalists. On the other hand, colonists who fought for their freedom and supported independence from the British were called Patriots. The colonists and British both believed that the war would be over quickly.Unfortunantly, the colonists didn’t have an experienced and well-trained army unlike the British. Thanks to the France, Spain, and Netherlands, who affiliated with the American patriots the colonists were able to win the war against Britain. Gaining allies was a prominent event because the American colonies needed support from other countries in order
While there are numerous contributing factors to America’s success in achieving independence, the most critical factor can be attributed to the series of British mistakes throughout the conflict. Prior to the onset of the Revolutionary War, the British government faced serious challenges, both politically and fiscally. The conclusion of the French and Indian War coupled with the fighting in Europe, India and the West Indies, left Britain with considerable debt and with few to little allies. The British government saw America as a way
The saying “Be careful what you wish for, you might just get it” really applies to the colonists situation during the revolutionary war. The colonists wanted freedom so badly and just wanted to get away from the Brits and the King. When they eventually get what they wanted though, there were more problems than they thought of. They had their independence, but didn’t know what to do with it. After the war they were left with many problems including: Debt, no system of government, and overall not knowing what they were doing. The country had nothing before and during the war without the British, so they had to get things some way. They got loans from other countries in money, goods, and assistance in the war. They were left with debt from these loans in money and
The American Revolution, which occurred approximately from 1765 to 1786, is also known as the American Revolutionary War and the U.S. War of Independence, for good reason. The conflict rose from rising tensions amid the people of Great Britain’s thirteen American colonies and the colonial government, which represented the British crown. Clashes between Britain’s troops and colonial militiamen in Lexington and Concord in April 1775 kicked off the armed conflict, and by the following summer, the rebels were waging a full-scale war for their independence. The American Revolution had tremendous consequences, and was not simply a victory of arms on the battlefield, but also a feat of economic and political ideals, and vital societal changes. This huge period of history set into motion greater changes in American life and created a country, demonstrating just how this revolutionary age in time more than earned its name. This battle of independence waged by the American colonies against Britain influenced political ideas and revolutions around the globe, as a young, largely divided nation won its freedom from the greatest military force of its time.
Many factors contributed to the British losing the American Revolutionary War. By the 1770’s the American colonists were not socially, religiously, or culturally connected to Britain. The colonists has their own ways of life and thus were not British by culture. The majority of the colonists had immigrated to America to escape the rigid class structures of Britain and Europe.
The irregular and disorganized British rule of the American colonies in the previous years led to the outbreak of the Revolutionary War. Most Americans did not originally want to separate from mother England. They wanted to stay loyal to the crown. England’s unwillingness to compromise, mismanagement of the colonies, heavy taxation of the colonists that violated their rights, the distractions of foreign affairs and politics in England and the strict trading policies that England tried to enforce together made the revolution inevitable. The British were definitely expected to win the dispute because they significantly over powered the Colonists in most areas. They had more money, weapons, people, etc. However the American’s prevailed with