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Who Won the American War of Independence?
Our ancestors fought to free us from the domination of Great Britain. They were very brave to take on a superpower like that, and they succeeded, achieving our constitution and bringing democracy and freedom to the world.
But did we, meaning Americans, really win that war? Some say General Washington was holed up in up-state New York with his army deserting, waiting for the British to come and wipe him out when the weather warmed up.
Did the French Navy succeed in breaking a British blockade and getting into the Chesapeake carrying a French army? Did this army then lay siege to Yorktown and without much help from our Continental army force the British to surrender? Did the British government then give up the war because it could not afford the cost of another war with France? Do we owe our independence to France, and if so, what are the implications?
What would America look like now if we had lost?
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The French by Anonymous
Owe us! The topo would be the same and culture would resemble England. Point is, they didn’t win. Re-write the history anyway you want, Wasington is dead. What Hudson river?
the implications by DrunkGunToter
What about Spain and the Netherlands? They all jumped on the screw Britan band wagon after the battle of Saratoga. Don’t make the French out to be something they are not. They were more interested in punishing the British than helping us. If they would not have helped…. we would have eventually broken away… and things would be much like they are now; However, If we would not have entered a couple of minor scuffles called WWI and WWII… The French would be speaking German right now. So…. who owes whom?
Stupid- better questions to ask by jmarkdavison
This is stupid. Whatever the French did was in their interest. They didn’t help us to be good guys.
Americans defeated the Brits because just like in Iraq and Vietnam, a big superpower can’t win on foreign soil if it can’t convince every single person to give up.
If you want to talk about who really won what war, look at our ethnocentricity regarding WWII, where for every German killed by the Allies, eight were killed by our "allies" the Soviets (who were, again, acting in their own interest).
The US definitely made the difference for Western Europe, not to mention Japan, but Nazi Germany would have had much more success without Stalin throwing Russkie men at his eastern border.
>What would America look like now if we had lost?
A much better question is what would America look like if the North had lost or not fought the Civil War?
Well Europe didn't win by Anonymous
There are many questions to answer on this topic, I will try to be concise. First of Britain at the time was a country will a Madman on the throne, who still had a lot of constitutional clout. Therefore we were not a true democracy. That aside, we were at war or being threatened with war by a number of European states namely France and Spain. Plus trying to hold onto a number of foreign interests in other countries. Oh plus the Jacobites and Irish were also playing up at this point. The British were spread incredibly thin on the ground.
Also the British army at the time had not adopted or learnt modern warfare tactics and still preferred to walk up to the enemy and fire. However as successfully used against them time and again the Americans and Boars in South Africa used strong firepoints concealed ambush and guerilla tactics to enourmous success. The main officer core of the Redcoats had also bought commisions and not risen up via experience and intelligence therefore they had no notion of how to fight a concerted campaign in the US. Now that is not to say we did not have any officers of merit, we did and this would prove our saving grace in France against Napoleon. But we still did not improve on our tactics.
So could the war have been prevented…? Well I think so by rights the US should of had their own parliament to dictate laws and set taxes. Money gained from commerce should have by rights helped to increase the new nation, building schools, roads etc. However self interest won out and money was funneled to the UK coffers.
Australia is a prime example they set their own laws and are by rights still subject the british crown albiet in name only.
I feel that the lessons learnt from the War of Independance have not been taken on board. Iraq is all about Oil the US and Europe are pulling the resources out of these countries just the same as the Uk did to the US.
Maybe if we all pulled together and sorted out the Isreali and Palastine conflict we would not have the hell that our boys are in at the moment.
Anyhow I digress I believe that the winners were the British, why because we got Australia and that is by far the better prize. Mind you I am biased I live there…..!!!
Dave by Anonymous
The french played no part in the Independence in the end Britain only retreated and gave up because if you actualy look at the wars Britain was involved in at the time, They were in no more that 11 wars. Now if that was today that would cripple any army!! So count yourselfs lucky you have a great country but a pathetic outlook at the rest of the world.
RE: Dave by Occams
Not true at all.
The American War of Independence was decided at the siege of Yorktown. Up until then Britain was more or less in control and would eventually have cornered the fragmented Continental army and wiped it out.
Yorktown was a very European style of battle. No brave militia or heroic frontiersmen. No hiding in the forests or walking up in lines. It was a text-book professional fortress siege supported by a naval blockade to isolate the besieged from external support. Then it was artillery that forced the surrender. The artillery and naval blockade were all French, and a Frenchman made all the decisions.
You are quite correct about all the other pressures on the British army. For that reason the PM Lord North and Parliament thought it wiser to abandon the 13 colonies to the French. No doubt the Brits thought that the French would be a much worse colonial master, so the rebels would be punished in the long run.
However, France gave the USA its freedom.
Suck it up. Its true.
RE: Dave by Occams
The french played no part in the Independence in the end Britain only retreated and gave up because if you actualy look at the wars Britain was involved in at the time, They were in no more that 11 wars. Now if that was today that would cripple any army!!
That is a popular view, but it is mostly a myth – not at all true. For some months after the siege of Norfolk was won, entirely through a brilliant combined army and navy operation of the French, neither side knew that the war was over. That was decided by British PM Lord North after a debate in Parliament which decided that the 13 Colonies were just not worth the cost of a continued war.
I suspect tat the British felt that the colonies would be taken over by the French, and that would be a well-deserved punishment for the American traitors.
I am making this point only because of the modern tendency of Americans for disparaging the French as cowards and “surrender monkeys”. There is a sound basis in fact for the view that the French gave the USA its independence. This idea is totally abhorrent to Americans brought up on a diet of proud myths about the War of Independence.
It was incredibly brave for those colonial rebels (mostly merchants and lawyers rather than soldiers who would have known better) to challenge the British with a Declaration of Independence, and the new country certainly would not have achieved its independence without their courage, but the actual war was decided by a predominantly artillery siege battle between professional British and French troops in which Americans hardly participated at all on either side. In a real way this was an extension of the long-running Anglo-French war in Europe. If the Battle of Yorktown had not taken place it is highly likely that Washington and his deserting rag bag army would have been mopped up during the following summer.
If you want to learn about some genuine worthy defeats of the British by Americans, look at the War of 1812, but be careful about which battles you choose, because overall they came out about 50/50. Even though the British objective then was not to win back the colonies, I suggest that the War of Independence should include that period, so it did not end until 1814.
The British by Anonymous
I think that not enough people appreashiate how much the British had in WW1 and WW2, they were right in there every single time fighting againest supreshion and dictatorship, dying to defend freedom, a right that they invented and spread across the world. they took the full force of the nazi’s, and they stood tall againest it. And after the war, no-one rebiuld there economie, yet they got back on there feet and continued to burn through the ages as one of the true superpowers of the world.
as for the american war of indipendence, i don’t think anyone can blaim them for defending there land, hte general idea of democracy was already invented years befor hand, and the war only really came around because the Americans realised that it would make more economic sence to become indipendent from Britain. The French didn’t have any vested interest in freeing the american collonies from British rule, only for getting back at the British after they defeated them countless times in the wars that had been going on between them for hundreds of years.
the americans won by Anonymous
it is evidently that the amricans won no doubt about it even though i am not american however if you would look at the american culture you would see that it rerely resembles britain so i think that americans got what the wanted and that is INDEPENDENCE
Britain WON!! by Anonymous
Without a doubt Britain won the war, not actually winning it (Why fight a war so far from home and waste money) but getting rid of America as a colony. America is the BIGGEST!! mistake Britain has ever made. One thing, HOW? is America Independent, they still use British culture and the English language.
The “Commonwealth”, created to oppose American threat, greed and occupation