What Are The Causes Of American Rebellion

The drive for independence by the American colonies faced a slim chance of success without outside assistance. The French, who were the most likely ally in this cause was recently the enemy of both the English and Americans. This would present a challenge for the American colonists as France’s finances had been depleted just as Britain’s had over the course of the Seven Year’s War. This however, was not the whole story. The French, regardless of their financial difficulties had a grudge against Britain that worked in the American’s favor. The French had already explored the possibility of an American rebellion as early as the 1760’s but realized that the time was not yet right for one to occur. As a result, France was hesitant to join into a conflict on the side of the colonies too soon as they were afraid that an early intervention might result in the French facing off against both the British and the Americans (Middlekauff, 2005).

The colonist realizing that they would need allies in the fight against Britain approached France and other European powers as early as 1775 seeking trade and support. The colonists found few interested in intervening in what was still seen as an internal matter at that time. This did not mean the powers were not interested in trade and other diplomatic interaction, but they feared the
naval power of Britain while the colonies were still formally aligned with Britain. The Colonial representatives were not able to achieve their goals during this time of achieving support and recognition, but were able to obtain some trade. These negotiators were outclassed by their European counterparts who operated on a different level of political intrigue and complexity (Hartsoe, n.d.).

This situation did not change until matters on the ground began to be more favorable to the colonists.
The French, while interested were hesitant to commit to a treaty and the Spanish outright refused to entertain the colonial representative’s proposals. The turning point in negotiations occurred in 1777 after the capture of General Burgoyne by colonial forces. This gave the colonists a measure of credibility that resulted in France taking their case more seriously. France agreed to recognize and enter into and alliance with the Americans French support increased from that point on, and eventually included support from Spain as well (Middlekauff,
2005).

The British, on the other hand, were not so fortunate diplomatically. The Seven Year’s War left the British with two powerful enemies in Spain and France. While the British were ascending into the height of their power, they had become isolated from other nations to include their former allies. The Prussians had no desire to expand themselves overseas as France and England had. This, and the rebellion by her colonies left Britain alone in Europe and the Americas (British Empire chronological history and timeline, n.d.).

The American success in obtaining support from France and Spain resulted in a change in the dynamic of the war as the British were not able to leverage their Naval Power to overcome the colonial land forces. The British also took significant naval loses as a result of the combined efforts against them (The English Navy 1649-1815, 2006).

These naval losses were echoed on land as French naval forces worked with the colonial army to isolate and neutralize British forces. Once the British realized they could not win the conflict, they were forced to negotiate with the colonists, the French and the Spanish to end the hostilities. Due to these interconnected treaties, the colonies were able to achieve many of their objectives to include gaining formal recognition from Britain (Middlekauff, 2005).