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Analyze the political,
diplomatic, and military reasons for the United States victory in the
Revolutionary War.
Confine your answer to the period 1775-1783.
At
the outbreak of the Revolutionary War the British appeared unbeatable. Not only
because of their successful one hundred year triumph over other European
nations such as France and Spain but because the American Colonists were at a
disadvantage due to their lack of supplies, troops, and political unity. However,
due to foreign aid, British tactical disadvantages, and most important of all –
the British’s underestimation of the American’s commitment to republican
values, the Americans emerged victorious. Politically, the uniting of the thirteen
colonies through assemblies such as the First and Second Continental Congress
created a force to be reckoned with. Diplomatically, European assistance proved
invaluable not only because of their military and economic support but because
of their military advisers who transformed the colonial army from a ragtag
force into a true military capable of facing the British. Militarily, the
Americans were victorious because of their unconventional Guerrilla warfare
tactics optimized by generals like Francis "Swamp Fox" Marion, their
familiarity to the terrain, and their rifle which had an advantage over the
British musket. Clearly, because of a combination of factors in these three
categories, the Americans were able to win independence from their mother
country.
Following
the French and Indian War, Colonists began to feel alienated due to the
imposition of taxes such as the Sugar, Stamp, and Townsend Acts, which were
implemented to raise revenue to compensate for Britain’s massive national debt,
and Legislative barriers such as the Proclamation of 1763 which prohibited
colonists from settling on their newly earned lands. Protest arouse in forms of
riots, boycotts, and pamphlets. Thomas Paine’s Common Sense, for example, appealed to the masses in a clear and
simple language. Slogans such as “no taxation without representation” and “give
me liberty or give me death” spread rapidly throughout the colonies and inspired
the people to fight for independence. Furthermore, examples of independent
governing such as the Stamp Act, Albany, and First and Second Congresses arose
which proved that America was a separate country rather than a colony. These
are all examples that showed the Colonies were transitioning away from what was
portrayed in Benjamin Franklin’s earlier Join
or Die cartoon which depicted thirteen separate colonies, into a united
nation. The Second Continental Congress in particular was responsible for
managing the initial colonial war effort, moving incrementally towards
independence, and finally after the failure of the Olive Branch Petition, adopting
the Declaration of Independence which announced the grievances and feelings of
alienation to Britain and announced that the thirteen American colonies
regarded themselves as independent states, and were no longer a part of the
British Empire. The Articles of Confederation, the first document of
government, assisted in uniting the colonies because it provided a structured
government capable of printing money to pay for the revolution, a post office
which was essential for interstate communication, and a congress capable of
negotiating treaties, resolving interstate disputes, and maintaining an Army
and a Navy.
International
support is often undermined when analyzing the American Revolution; however in actuality,
it is the most important factor because without French intervention, the thirteen
colonies would have never won independence. The entire battle for American
independence was essentially a proxy war between Britain and France. This
support can be attributed as an attempt to prevent Britain from becoming too
powerful and to avenge France’s bitter defeat in the prior Seven Years War
which essentially eliminated France from the North American continent. France’s
support began as early as 1776 with the arms and ammunition. Benjamin Franklin,
the United States’ first French Ambassador dispatched late that year and was
well received by Louis XVI. The signing of the Treaty of Amity and Commerce
established a commercial alliance between the two nations. The French, who had
almost no finical restraint, provided the colonists as early as 1777,
months before Saratoga, with twenty-five thousand uniforms and pairs of boots,
hundreds of cannons, and thousands of muskets – key assets what were essential
to fighting a war. Yet,
the most important and least visible contribution was France’s naval strength
which prohibited a majority of British reinforcement from even reaching
America. Following the Battle of Saratoga which convinced France that the
Americans had a chance at winning the war, France formally introduced itself
into the war with
the Treaty of Alliance which guaranteed military support until the Americans
had won their independence. This also encouraged other European powers such as
Spain and Denmark to contribute to the war on the American side. The presence of the French Navy in America
not only demoralized the British, but it provided constant maritime bombardment
which assisted Washington’s inland support and resulted in Lord Cornwallis’
surrender at Yorktown and the end of the war. Yet, European powers not only
assisted in means of troops and supplies, but by means of military advisers as
well. Prussian-born Baron von Steuben is often credited as the father of the
Continental Army because he transformed the ragtag colonial army into a true
military through the teachings of military drills, tactics, and disciplines. Without
the help of mentors such as von Steuben, it can be inferred that colonial
militia would not have been as successful. Britain, on the other hand, had no
allies to help fight a war to protect its overseas empire. After the Seven
Years’ war, no one would support it and with the exception of hiring troops
from Germany, Britain had to fight entirely alone. Clearly, it can be seen that
often undermined diplomatic assistance via finical, personal, supply, and naval
support was vital to American success. However, the Americans possessed
military advantages that assisted as well.
Although
the British were the dominate force, the Americans held a military advantage
because of their use of irregular Guerrilla warfare tactics which was superior
to the traditional warfare the British. This was aided by their familiarity to
the terrain and leadership from Generals such as George Washington. However,
the most important factor that led to American victory was that the British
underestimated the power of the Americans. The Revolutionary war was
unconventional in many ways. The British, who were used to “traditional”
European warfare, had crown officers who were gentleman rather than soldiers.
These generals attempted to maintain the comforts of English life at all times
– even on the march to and on the battlefield. They furthermore believed that
war itself was “gentlemanly,” and therefore, officers were not to be targeted.
Colonists, who suffered and learned from early Powhatan “hit and run” attacks
believed otherwise. These gruella warfare tactics were utilized by generals
such as Francis “Swamp Fox” Marion, but perfected with the rifle which allowed
competent marksmen to accurately hit a target from several hundred yards away when
a musket ball would barely travel more than forty or fifty yards. This razor
sharp precision, due to the spiraling grooves or rifling on the inside of the
barrel, would allow an experienced marksman to shoot a British general off his
horse from hundreds of yards away in a tree. The Revolutionary War was also
unconventional in that there was no center of the enemy that Britain could
capture to end the war. The Continental Congress moved from city to city and each Continental army fought almost as an
independent army. Thus, there was no landmark that the British army could
capture and bring about the surrender of the entire colonial opposition.
Distance also created a difficulty for the British to effectively move men,
supplies, news and orders because the communication and transportation systems
were slow and ineffective. Not only did the French Navy and sailing conditions
create a treacherous voyage for British ships which were old and battered, but
troops often arrived exhausted and ill. This made it difficult for Britain to
sustain a prolonged war. Other hindrances included supply shortages and a lack
of roads which necessitated creating paths through the wilderness and harsh
climate extremes in the Northeast. The most important factor that caused
victory is that the British underestimated the power of the Americans. When the
war began, the British expected the people to give up their resistance once
thousands of troops landed in America. They expected colonial support for their
leaders to crumble, especially because none of the colonial leaders had had any
previous experience in leading a national government, much less during a major
war. Only after the Battle of Bunker Hill did Britain begin to think of the
American Revolution as a war rather than a mere rebellion.
It
can be seen that although the British initially appeared unbeatable due to
their dominance over other European nations, the Americans were able to win due
to their political, diplomatic, and military support. Political unity arose
from organizations such as the Committees of Correspondence and the First and
Second Continental Congress. This unity which was aided by literature such as
Thomas Paine’s Common Sense and the colonist’s commitment to
republican values as displayed in slogans such as “Give me liberty or give my death” as said by Patrick Henry helped the
thirteen colonies bind together to break away from the imperialistic British
empire. Furthermore, the diplomatic assistance from European powers by means of
military or economic support to the colonists which is often undermined or
dismissed altogether was in actuality the most important factor that led to
American victory. Finally, the Americans held military advantages because they
utilized tactics such as irregular Guerilla warfare aided by the long rifle and
their familiarity to the terrain. Moreover, the British were at a disadvantage
due to their commitment to traditional warfare tactics, the distance from their
homeland, and finally their underestimation of the power of America. Clearly,
because of a combination of factors in these three categories, the Americans
were able to win independence from their mother country.
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