American Revolution and its historical significance

American Revolution

How did the patriots win the American Revolution?

First of all, the Second Continental Congress showed a great deal of vision when meeting in 1775; even though many members were still loyal to England, within two months the Congress had "…created an army, declared war, and issued its own currency" (Roark, 158). The seeds were thus sown for officially recognized revolution. Secondly, General George Washington's leadership was vitally important to the discipline of the Continental Army. "Discipline is the soul of the army," Washington stated (Roark, 158). Moreover, the colonies' motivation to revolt against the British was hastened by Thomas Paine's Common Sense and by the Declaration of Independence. The Americans were out-numbered but they were well organized. Committees "…of correspondence" were organized in each patriot community, and they "…enforced boycotts, picked army draftees," and even invaded private homes looking for "contraband goods" like British tea or textiles (Roark, 163). Also, women were very supportive of the revolution; they directly raised funds to support the Continental Army, they ran the farms and businesses while their husbands were away fighting, and some traveled with the army. Also, importantly, the French Navy and French military took sides with the American patriots; Roark asserted (172) that the Americans "…could not have defeated Britain" without the French.

What did each side have to fight with?

Roark describes the muskets that were used in the Revolutionary War as the weapon of choice. They were long-barreled rifles that were more accurate than previously produced muskets because they had "spiral grooves inside the barrel," which spun the lead ball to stabilize it and "lengthened its flight" as well as making it accurate at even 200 yards (157).

What Strategies were employed?

The strategy for the Americans was straight forward: "to repulse and defeat an invading army" (Roark, 161). For the British, it wasn't so simple; they needed to "put down a rebellion" in thirteen distinctly different colonies and they had a huge land area to cover, Roark writes (161). The British were trying to restore their old governmental system. They were not there to "ravage the countryside" or steal food from citizens and burn their villages. The British wanted to "capture, pacify, [and] then restore to the crown" the colonies. And because they didn't just maraud into towns and take food, the British had to count on "…hundreds of supply ships" to bring the troops food. The British were good at seizing the ports, but most Americans didn't live on the coast, they lived in the countryside.

Major battles and campaigns in the Revolutionary War

The Battle of Bunker Hill was the first big clash between the patriots and the British. The Americans had taken and fortified the hills above Charlestown, north of Boston, on June 16, 1775, and the British marched up the hill with 2,500 soldiers and were turned back by musket volleys from 1,400 patriots. But the British came up again, and were turned back; but the third time the Americans ran out of ammunition and the British took the hill, killing 140 Americans. The Battle of Saratoga ended with the British thinking they had a victory but as Roark notes on page 171, General Burgoyne lost 1,200 men and surrendered to the Americans on October 17, 1777. Native Americans were caught between two colliding forces and while some Indian tribes supported the patriots, others supported England. In 1779, after pro-British colonists and Indians loyal to the British had raided patriot villages and killed residents, Washington ordered the "total destruction and devastation" of Iroquoian villages in New York State. Some 40 Indian communities were "met with total obliteration"; women and children were slaughtered and crops and towns were burned to the ground by 4,500 troops Washington sent into New York State. In fact, the decisive battle to end the war involved the French navy beating back the British navy in Chesapeake Bay, Roark writes on page 175. Thanks to the French navy's attack, Cornwallis's land-based army was trapped, and on October 19, 1781, Cornwallis surrendered.