Uprising of a New Nation: The American Revolution
Taryn Lindsey
Mr. Willman
HY135-107
18 February 2013
Uprising of a New Nation The American Revolution was a result of growing discontent between the thirteen colonies and Britain. The war began in April of 1775, when shots were fired in Lexington, Massachusetts. Eight years later, the war was put to an end with the signing of the Treaty of Paris in 1783. A major conflict surrounding the war was “no taxation without representation”. The colonist believed in actual representation (the people) versus virtual representation (Parliament), “Distance weakens authority; great distance weakens authority greatly” (114). As Britain established a powerful military during the Seven Year’s War, the neglected colonies established a desire for independence. The colonies had many advantages during the American Revolutionary War. The most important of those were that they had home field advantage and they were fighting for a cause. Unlike the colonists who were fighting in their own “backyards”, Britain had to ship their military supplies, orders, and troops across the Atlantic which sometimes took months. Along with home field advantage, the colonists used wilderness fighting. Wilderness fighting was when the colonist hid or snuck up on the British; consequently, this technique greatly aided the colonist because the British used the technique of standing in straight lines or traditional tactics. The colonist were hard to distinguish during wilderness fighting considering they had no uniform; whereas, the British wore bright red uniforms.
The colonists were fighting for the right to be free and independent. “The Americans also enjoyed the moral advantage that came from belief in a just cause”, a just cause that the British could not simply talk their way around (125). Although Britain had an established army and navy, the generals were second-rate and the soldiers were brutally treated (125). Due to the fighting conditions and resilience of the militiamen, the British
Mr. Willman
HY135-107
18 February 2013
Uprising of a New Nation The American Revolution was a result of growing discontent between the thirteen colonies and Britain. The war began in April of 1775, when shots were fired in Lexington, Massachusetts. Eight years later, the war was put to an end with the signing of the Treaty of Paris in 1783. A major conflict surrounding the war was “no taxation without representation”. The colonist believed in actual representation (the people) versus virtual representation (Parliament), “Distance weakens authority; great distance weakens authority greatly” (114). As Britain established a powerful military during the Seven Year’s War, the neglected colonies established a desire for independence. The colonies had many advantages during the American Revolutionary War. The most important of those were that they had home field advantage and they were fighting for a cause. Unlike the colonists who were fighting in their own “backyards”, Britain had to ship their military supplies, orders, and troops across the Atlantic which sometimes took months. Along with home field advantage, the colonists used wilderness fighting. Wilderness fighting was when the colonist hid or snuck up on the British; consequently, this technique greatly aided the colonist because the British used the technique of standing in straight lines or traditional tactics. The colonist were hard to distinguish during wilderness fighting considering they had no uniform; whereas, the British wore bright red uniforms.
The colonists were fighting for the right to be free and independent. “The Americans also enjoyed the moral advantage that came from belief in a just cause”, a just cause that the British could not simply talk their way around (125). Although Britain had an established army and navy, the generals were second-rate and the soldiers were brutally treated (125). Due to the fighting conditions and resilience of the militiamen, the British
Cited: Kennedy, David M, Lizabeth Cohen, and Thomas A. Bailey. The American Pageant: A History of the American People. Boston: Wadsworth Cengage Learning, 2010. Print.