This topic is so large that without any problems you can write more than one volume of scientific literature on it, in this article you can find out a short history American War of Independence.
American Revolutionary War - great military conflict between the forces of the Thirteen Colonies and British forces, which unfolded in North America from 1775 to 1783 gg.
Causes of the American Revolutionary War
Control over the trade and economy of the thirteen colonies, as a result of which none of the colonies had the right to conduct trade relations with other states except Great Britain;The constant presence of British troops, which caused discontent among the population of the colonies;
The English monarch's refusal of Benjamin Franklin's petition, which sought partial freedom for the colonies;
Developed industry and agriculture could fully provide the colonies with everything they needed, which made it possible to openly oppose their metropolis;
First clashes
Even before the colonists declared independence, several local skirmishes occurred between the future Americans and the British, which further upset relations between the mother country and the colonies. IN 1772 g One day, a group of colonists attacked an English ship that ran aground, wounded the captain, stole all the valuable cargo, and then burned the ship.
The following year something world-famous happened "Boston Tea Party"", as a result of which Great Britain lost a large portion of expensive tea.
Progress of the American War of Independence
The War of Independence began when the British declared the state of Massachusetts a rebellious territory. WITHBattle of Concord April 19, 1775 was the first battle in the history of the Revolutionary War. And in this first battle The rebel forces of the colonists were victorious.Soon after this battle, George Washington announced a general mobilization - so The creation of the American army began.
The British sent T. Greyju, who at that time had 4 thousand soldiers settled in Boston, to suppress this uprising. Having gathered a small army, Washington headed for Boston with the goal of recapturing it to the British. Seeing this, the British sent additional forces to counterattack, and this is what happened Battle of Bunker Hill (June 17, 1775). In its course, neither side received a solid victory, but the British suffered quite heavy losses, which is why the morale of the rebels increased.
IN March 1776 and Boston was surrendered by the British and after that Washington went to strengthen New York.
Meanwhile, rebel forces attacked British forces in Canada, winning several victories and capturing the city of Montreal. A small rebel army decided to attack Quebec, but were defeated and retreated.
IN April 177 6 years, large forces of the British (about 35 thousand people) attacked the defensive positions of Washington (a little more than 10 thousand people) in New York. Battle of Long Island began with an attack by the British, which ended in complete victory, and Washington's forces were forced to retreat. This battle is the largest during the entire War of Independence.
In September of the same year Americans have lost control of New York. The next year did not begin in the best way for the colonists. IN Battle of Brandywine The British again managed to win a landslide victory over Washington's Continental Army.
October 1777- This is a turning point in the war, as Washington wins its first significant victory over the British at the Battle of Saratoga. During 1778-1779 The British capture South Carolina and Georgia, but retreat to New York when the French join the rebel army.
The decisive battle of the Revolutionary War occurs in 1781 - the Battle of Yorktown. During this battle, the British suffered a crushing defeat. The outcome of the war was already predetermined, although significant British forces still remained on the continent.
The last battle happened at sea in 1783 y – at Cuddalore, as a result of which the British fleet was defeated. Two months later, on September 3, 1783, Great Britain recognized the independence of its colonies.
Consequences of the American Revolutionary War
And the result was creation of a new powerful state - the USA and the new American people. Great Britain lost power forever North America , which greatly undermined its economy and dominance on the Atlantic Ocean.The first president of the new state became the commander-in-chief of the colonist forces - J. Washington.
One of the consequences of the War of Independence was the beginning of the revolution in France. The French saw that it was possible to overthrow the power of the monarch, as the Americans did, which raised the revolutionary spirit of the people and gave impetus to decisive action.
The War of Independence (1775-1783) in America is generally considered a revolution or, as it is also called, the American Revolutionary War, which pursued two goals: to win national independence and to destroy the obstacles that hindered the development of American capitalism. The main issue was the question of land. It was necessary to destroy the elements of feudalism in agriculture, give the population free access to Western lands, destroy the system of plantation slavery. Geographically, revolutionary actions took place on the East Coast of the United States, Central America, the East Coast and central Canada.
Background to the war
England pursued a predatory policy on the territory of the American colonies. Thus, valuable raw materials, furs and cotton, were exported by merchants and entrepreneurs, and in exchange they were imported finished products. In the colonies, bans were introduced on the opening of enterprises, on the production of textiles, the manufacture of iron products, and it was forbidden to trade with neighboring countries. The English king issued a decree banning the resettlement of colonists to the West in 1763. This measure caused great harm to the planters, since plantations on depleted lands produced smaller harvests, and profits decreased accordingly. Small tenants, in turn, could not go to the West and establish farms. The last straw in a series of such “draconian” rules was the “Stamp Act”, introduced in 1765 by the English government. The unfairness of the stamp duty in relation to the Americans was that for the service of obtaining a notary's license in England you had to pay 2 dollars, and in America - 10 dollars. Secondly, the introduction of this tax was beneficial only to England. If the previous taxes were difficult, but at least went to the development of America's infrastructure, then the stamp duty replenished exclusively the English treasury.
The next circumstance was that the Americans did not have their own representative in the English Parliament and could not take part in the discussion of the feasibility of introducing certain taxes. When they began to levy taxes even on newspapers, newspaper owners became indignant. Thanks to Rhode Island Colony Governor Stephen Hopkins and lawyer James Otis, the legislature approved protests against these two laws. In New York, at the Anti-Stamp Congress in 1765, the Declaration of the Rights of the Colonies was adopted. Reactionary “Sons of Liberty” groups appeared in each of the colonies, burning houses and effigies of British officials. Among the founders of the Sons of Liberty was the second President of America, John Adams. All these events led to the fact that in 1766 the “stamp” duty was abolished. But at the same time, the English Parliament reserved the right to continue to introduce new laws and regulations.
"Patriots" and "Loyalists"
These events divided the heterogeneous population of the colonists into two groups: “Patriots” - supporters of independence and “Loyalists” - opponents of American independence. The patriots were primarily farmers, small traders, and blacksmiths living in New York, Pennsylvania, and Virginia, as well as planters in Virginia and South Carolina.
The ranks of the “Loyalists” included large merchants of port cities - Boston, Charleston, New York, fur traders and representatives of the administration. The "loyalists" did not accept the idea of an uprising and considered resistance to English power to be treason. They understood that under the circumstances the revolution was inevitable; they did not see it as pragmatic measures against the colonialists. They predicted chaos, mob rule and tyranny. The groups were not divided along social lines; there were both poor and rich. The Loyalists included immigrant Scottish settlers. After the war, about five hundred thousand loyalists remained in the thirteen colonies, 78 thousand fled to Canada, Britain, Florida and the West Indies.
A protest was held by American colonists in Boston Harbor. It was known in history as the Boston Tea Party. On May 10, 1773, the Tea Act was passed, which restored the full refund of the East India Company's duties on tea imports into England. This made it possible to sell tea not through an auction, but to a consignee designated by the territory for a commission, which reduced the cost of tea. The protest organizers feared that the East India Company would gain a state monopoly on the tea trade, which would later extend to other goods.
On December 16, 1773, colonists destroyed a cargo of tea that belonged to the English East India Company. This action was caused by two factors: the possible state monopolization of trade and the issue of infringement of the rights of representatives of the colonists in the Parliament of the country. The Boston Tea Party caused a political crisis.
First Continental Congress
On September 5, 1774, a congress of deputies from the 12 American colonies of Great Britain took place in Philadelphia, in Carpentas Hall. The main issue for discussion was the laws adopted by the English government, limiting the independent development of the colonists. During the meetings, it was decided to seek greater freedoms for the colonies, including self-government. As a result, the “Declaration of Rights and Grievances” was issued, the main articles of which were a statement of the rights of the American colonies to “property, liberty and life.” It also expressed protest against England's customs policy.
The result of the Continental Congress was a decision to declare a trade boycott of British missions. On December 1, 1774, the sale of American goods to the British and the purchase of British goods by Americans were prohibited. Thus, a competent political confrontation led to the fact that in 1775 the number of imported goods decreased by 97% compared to 1774. The Second Continental Congress was scheduled for May 10, 1775.
Progress of the war
The war began on April 17, 1775, when a British detachment of 700 men set out to capture the leaders of the American colonists, as well as seize the enemy's weapons. But the squad was ambushed. After some time, Congress submitted a petition to King George III of England for protection from the arbitrariness of the British authorities, and at the same time announced the mobilization of the militia, which was led by George Washington.
In 1776, George sent a fleet to suppress the uprising. As a result, he regained New York. Colonial deputies responded by adopting the Declaration of Independence on July 4 (Independence Day), 1776. For the first time, the Americans were victorious at the Battle of Saratoga.
On February 6, 1778, France entered into an alliance with the separatists. Britain responded to these actions by declaring war on France. Spain allied with France and American separatists.
The war years of 1778-1779 were marked by the victory of the British Clinton over the separatists in Georgia and South Carolina.
1780 - The Marquis of Rochambeau distracted Clinton with the battle of New York.
1780-1781 - the new British General Cornwallis operated successfully in North Carolina, but his troops were exhausted by guerrilla warfare. Therefore, he was forced to retreat to Virginia.
1781 - United American-French troops, cutting off Cornwallis's army at Yorktown in Virginia on September 5, forced the surrender of a nine-thousand-strong British army on October 19.
From the end of 1781 and throughout 1782, naval battles took place.
Results of the war
One of the main results of the war should be considered the recognition of American independence by Great Britain on September 3, 1783. Great Britain sat down at the negotiating table in Paris. During the period of hostilities, the United States received support from France, Spain, Holland, and Russia. The independent American government gave Florida to Spain, renounced rights to the west bank of the Mississippi to France, and recognized British rights to Canada. The support of the American separatist republicans turned into France’s own revolution, in which veterans – the “Americans” – took an active part.
The War of Independence destroyed all obstacles to the development of industry and trade, opening up space for free competition within the country, initiative, activity, and entrepreneurship in economic life.
A significant achievement of the struggle for independence was the Bill of Rights. It granted citizens the right to freedom of speech, assembly and choice of religion, inviolability of person and home. But many poor people, blacks, Indians, including women, did not receive the right to vote.
American Revolutionary WarXVIIIV. 1775 – 1783
Causes:
Royal decree of 1763 prohibiting American colonists from settling lands west of the Appalachian Mountains.
"Sugar Law" of 1764
Stamp Act 1765
Townshend Laws: taxes on the maintenance of British governors, British troops, high duties on tea, glass and other goods from local producers.
The British crown prohibited the import of goods from other countries into the 13 North American colonies.
Occasion:"Boston Tea Party" The British Crown's attempt to force Americans to pay the tea tax (3 pence per pound) failed. The Bostonians, disguised as Indians, captured the ships of the East India Company and threw all the boxes of tea overboard. Reaction of the British authorities: closing the port, banning rallies, depriving the Massachusetts colony of self-government (“Intolerable Laws”).
Driving forces of the revolution:“Whigs” (patriots) - farmers, factory workers, the bourgeoisie of New England (four colonies) and the Central Colonies (Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware), slave-owning planters in the southern colonies (Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia). Puritan communities supported the revolution.
Opponents of the revolution:“Tories” (loyalists) - part of the bourgeoisie focused on trade with Europe (monopolistic merchants), landlords, royal officials, Anglican clergy. Negro slaves and most Indians were against the revolution (the former hated their planters, the latter - white farmers). The people of Canada also opposed the revolution.
The most important battles and sieges of the war:
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Concord and Lexington |
The British destroyed the Minutemen's weapons depot at Concord, but were defeated at Lexington. |
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Bankershill |
The British were defeated, but they continued to hold Boston. |
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Quebec (Canada) |
American defeat. Canada remained loyal to George III. |
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Siege of Boston |
British defeat. Their garrison was evacuated to Canada. |
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On July 4, 1776, the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia adopted the Declaration of Independence of the United States. |
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New York (Long Island - Brooklyn Heights) |
Victory of the British, local Tories and Hessians (German mercenaries) over George Washington's Continental Army. |
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Trenton and Princeton (New=Jersey) |
Victory of George Washington's Continental Army over the British and Hessians. |
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Saratoga |
American victory. A turning point in the war in favor of the United States. The collapse of the British plan to cut off New England from the rest of the rebel colonies. Entry of France, Holland and Spain into the war. |
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Charleston (South Carolina) |
British victory over the Americans. Planters begin guerrilla activities in the southern states. |
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Siege of Yorktown (Virginia) |
Victory of George Washington's Continental Army and Rochambeau's French Army over the British. Surrender of the English garrison. |
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Peace of Paris 1783
Great Britain recognized the Thirteen Colonies as sovereign and independent states (states).
Canada remains a British possession.
The US gains access to the Mississippi River.
Great Britain cedes Florida to Spain.
France receives Senegal in West Africa.
Holland receives nothing and even cedes its possessions in India to Great Britain.
Key figures of the war:
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USA and its allies
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Great Britain |
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George Washington |
George III (Hanoverian Dynasty) |
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John Adams |
William Howe (Bankershill and New York) |
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Thomas Jefferson |
Gates (surrendered at Saratoga) |
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Benjamin Franklin |
Battler (Iroquois raid on Pennsylvania) |
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Gilbert de Lafayette |
Clinton (Savannah and Charleston) |
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Jean-Baptiste de Rochambeau |
Rodney (destroyed the French fleet in 1782) |
Was under British control. Until 1775, these colonies were subject to exorbitant taxes and fees, which caused discontent among the population. The American Revolutionary War became logical conclusion this part of their history and economic development. As a result of events that lasted 8 years, a state was formed, called
The British government considered the territories of North America as a source of cheap raw materials and profitable. The last straw was for all printed products. Great Britain accepted it without the consent of the colonies. Was declared law. Next, the British government decided to introduce a customs tax. When a shipment of English tea arrived at the port of Boston, the price of which was included, opponents of British policy attacked the ships and sank their cargo. Thus began the American War of Independence.
Armed detachments began to be created in the colonies to fight the colonialists. At the Continental Congress, a decision was made to ban the import of British goods. Some of the population remained on the side of the British government. They were called loyalists. It was they who provided assistance to the colonial troops.
Armed clashes between British troops and militia groups began. In April 1775, the British were attacked and were forced to retreat. The ranks of the militia were replenished with volunteers. They put up desperate resistance, as a result of which the British troops surrendered their positions. The American Revolutionary War was gaining momentum.
In Charlestown, British troops received naval support and took a more secure position. Then another major battle took place at Bunker. It was an attempt by the British to retake Boston, but they failed.
Meanwhile, the Continental Army was created, led by George Washington. Thanks to his successful command, the British abandoned the area around Boston and retreated.
On July 4, 1776, a declaration was adopted that provided for the separation of 13 colonies from Great Britain. But the Revolutionary War and the formation of the United States were not over yet. The British government did not want to give up its positions and lose the territories of North America.
Continental troops crossed the Canadian border near the province of Quebec. They wanted to attract the population of the country to their side. However, the rebels did not find support there - the Canadians were afraid of falling under the influence of their neighbor.
In 1776, a battle took place in the New York area. English troops drove the rebels out of the city. However, Washington organized a surprise attack and defeated the British, having 10 times fewer soldiers at his disposal.
For the next two years, the opponents did not take any serious action and kept their distance from each other. In 1778, France joined the rebel army to reclaim part of Canada. This allowed the Continental forces to strengthen their positions.
From 1880 to 1882 the most important battles took place. The American Revolutionary War was coming to an end. The rebel troops won several important victories. The French government stopped hostilities and withdrew its army. The bloody wars are over.
In 1782, an agreement was signed between the United States and England recognizing the independence of the colonies. A year later it was confirmed by an agreement between France and England. As a result, the American colonies became independent, and part of Canada's territories remained under the influence of the British.
At the end of 1783, there were no British troops left in the United States. The American War of Independence began a new stage in the development of this country.
American Revolutionary War(American Revolutionary War, American War of Independence), in American literature more often called the American Revolutionary War (1775-1783) - a war between Great Britain and the loyalists (adherents of the British crown) on the one hand and the revolutionaries of the 13 English colonies (patriots) on the other the other, who declared their independence from Great Britain as an independent union state in 1776. Significant political and social changes in the lives of North Americans caused by the war and the victory of independence supporters in it are called the “American Revolution” in American literature.
Background to the war
In 1765, the English government passed through Parliament the Stamp Act, under which all trade and other civil documents were subject to a stamp duty. At the same time, it was decided to station British troops in America in the amount of 10,000 people with the obligation of the Americans to provide housing, certain food products and pieces of furniture for the comfort of the soldiers. The Stamp Act was unfair to Americans. So, for example, to obtain the rights of a notary in England you had to pay 2 pounds sterling, and in America - 10. Moreover, this was the first law on taxes that were intended directly for England. Prior to this, taxes were used to develop the infrastructure of trade and industry and were largely understandable to the population.
Representatives of the Americans did not take part in the discussion of the feasibility of introducing taxes. The situation was aggravated by the introduction of a tax on newspapers, which caused discontent among the newspapers themselves. These circumstances caused extreme indignation, which found expression in rallies and the already important periodical and non-periodical press of America (by the way, the pamphlets of the Massachusetts lawyer James Otis “The Rights of the British Colonies” and the future Governor of Rhode Island Hopkins “The Rights of the Colonists” proved that the right to tax must be in connection with representation), as well as in various street riots (for example, a crowd burst into the house of the Anglophile writer Howard, who polemicized with Hopkins, and destroyed everything; Howard himself barely escaped). Solemn protests against these two laws were passed in the legislatures.
Progress of the war, 1775 - 1783
On April 17, 1775, the first armed clash occurred between British troops and American separatists. A British detachment (700 soldiers) under the command of Smith was sent to Concord (a suburb of Boston) to seize weapons from a cache belonging to American separatists. However, the detachment was ambushed and retreated. A similar incident occurred in Lexington. British troops holed up in Boston. On June 17, they launched a sortie against the Separatists on Bunker Hill, where a bloody battle took place. The Separatists retreated, but the British garrison of Boston suffered serious losses and refrained from further active action.
Meanwhile, on May 10, the Congress of the 13 Colonies met in Philadelphia, which, on the one hand, submitted a petition to King George III of England for protection from the arbitrariness of the colonial administration, and on the other, began mobilizing an armed militia, headed by George Washington. The king described the situation in the North American colonies as a rebellion.
Encouraged by inaction, American separatists launched an invasion of Canada in the fall, hoping for help from the anti-British French population of Quebec. However, British troops repelled the invasion.
In the spring of 1776, the King sent a fleet of Hessian mercenaries to suppress the uprising. British troops went on the offensive. In 1776, the British regained New York, and in 1777, as a result of the Battle of Brandywine, Philadelphia. As violence escalated, on July 4, 1776, colonial lawmakers adopted the Declaration of Independence and the Formation of the United States. At the Battle of Saratoga, American separatists defeated the royal forces for the first time. France, hoping to weaken its longtime rival, supported the American separatists and formed the Franco-American Alliance on February 6, 1778. French volunteers were sent to America. In response, Great Britain declared war on France in 1778, but France and, accordingly, the American separatists were supported by Spain.
In 1778-1779 British General Clinton successfully fought against the separatists in Georgia and South Carolina, and established complete control over them. However, after the landing of 6 thousand French troops (Marquis Rochambeau) on June 17, 1780 on Rhode Island, General Clinton hastened to New York to relieve it.
1779 - an American-French squadron under Commander John Paul Jones successfully operates off the coast of England.
1780-1781 new British General Cornwallis operated successfully in North Carolina, but his troops were exhausted by guerrilla warfare. Therefore, he was forced to retreat to Virginia.
1781 - a 20-thousand-strong American-French army (Lafayette, Marquis Rochambeau, George Washington) forced the 9-thousand-strong army of British General Cornwallis to surrender on October 19 at Yorktown in Virginia, after the French fleet of Admiral de Grasse (28 ships) cut off British troops from the mother country on September 5. The defeat at Yorktown was a severe blow for England, predetermining the outcome of the war. The Battle of Yorktown was the last major battle on land, although the 30,000-strong British army still held New York and a number of other cities (Savannah, Charleston).
Late 1781 - 1782 - several naval battles and a number of minor clashes on land took place.
Results of the war
With the loss of the main British troops in North America, the war lost support within Britain itself. On March 20, 1782, Prime Minister Frederick North resigned after a vote of no confidence was passed against him. In April 1782, the House of Commons voted to end the war.
Great Britain sat down at the negotiating table in Paris. On November 30, 1782, a truce was concluded, and on September 3, 1783, Great Britain recognized the independence of the United States. On November 25 of that year, the last British troops left New York.
The independent American government gave Florida to Spain, renounced rights to the west bank of the Mississippi to France, and recognized British rights to Canada. The support of the American separatist-republicans turned into France's own revolution, in which veterans - the “Americans” - took an active part.
Military losses
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