Reflection 1 Re-Upload

The American Revolution is arguably the most important revolution in history, and in my opinion it is. Throughout this essay I will explain the happenings before, during, and after the revolution. These are events that directly lead to the formation of the most powerful nation on Earth. 

All the way back in the 17th Century the British Empire was in dire need of more colonies to expand it’s empire (This was well before the British Empire was at it’s peak.) At this time the Netherlands was the world’s most powerful nation. The desire to expand the reach of King James the First was what led to the first British Colonists to permanently settle in Jamestown, Virginia. On May 14, 1607 the first British American Town was founded. With the help of Native American tribes the colonists thrived. Newly discovered corn kept the settlers from starving while the tobacco found in Virginia proved to be quite valuable. 

However, in 1754 due to a conflict between French and English colonists over the control of the Ohio River Valley the French and Indian war(Also known as the Seven Years War) was sparked. This series of battles pitted French and British Colonists against each other, both sides supported by their Native American Allies. At first the French began winning battle after battle over a span of approximately 4 years. However the new British Leader James Pitt saw this conflict as an opportunity to greatly expand England’s reach throughout North America. Sometime in July of 1758 the British had their first major victory in the war at the Battle of Louisburg. Only a month later they took Fort Frontenac at the Western end of the Saint Lawrence River. The British continued pushing forward in their campaign and captured Fort Duquesne. After closing into Quebec the Battle of Quebec was fought on the Plains of Abraham on September 13th,1759. During this battle both commanding officers (General James Wolfe of Britain and Louis-Joseph de Montcal,) died from injuries sustained during the battle. Despite the large casualties experienced by both sides the Battle of Quebec is widely regarded as a huge victory for the British Forces. In 1760 after the fall of Montreal the French had lost their entire handle on modern-day Canada, and the British had won the Seven Years War.  

In order to fund the war efforts the British crown borrowed large sums of money from English and Dutch bankers and this doubled the nation’s debt. King George The Third said that since the war had greatly benefited American Colonists by securing their borders they should contribute to paying off this deficit. To defend these borders the King sent British Troops to permanently defend Britain’s colonies. This of course required more funding. In 1765 parliament passed the Stamp Act. This was a tax which was levied to American Colonists directly. All paper documents in the colonies were taxed. Following this the British Parliament also released the Townshend Acts and the Tea Act, these taxed goods being imported to the colonists. Of course these series of acts proved to be very unpopular. The colonists argued that these abuses of power were unconstitutional. They were also upset that they had no representation within parliament. These bills caused mass outrage and also sparked mob violence. In 1770 during the Boston massacre British soldiers opened fire on a mob of colonists, killing five men. In the winter of 1773, during the Boston Tea Party, a group of Bostonians disguised as members of the Mohawk tribe boarded multiple British Ships dumping 342 chests of tea into the water. Furious, parliament passed the Coercive Acts. The contents included the law that stated a British Official could no longer be criminally persecuted in Massachusetts. The Port of Boston was also to be closed until the damages of the Boston Tea Party were payed. These tea shipments were valued at approximately one million American dollars. In response to this a group of delegates which included George Washington met and voiced their complaints. However violence continued to breakout and on the night of April 18th, 1775 hundreds of British Soldiers marched on Concord. Colonial Militants engaged the British Forces and the with the crack of the first shot the Revolutionary War began. 

Meeting in Philadelphia the group of delegates (now including Benjamin Franklin) voted to form a Continental Army to better fight for American Independence. On June 17th during one of the first major battles Washington’s forces though “Losing” the battle colonial forces inflicted huge amounts of damage on British Forces, this greatly increased confidence in the revolutionary cause. Throughout Autumn and Winter colonial forces struggled but continued to keep the British in Boston. In late winter Washington’s forces impressively managed to drive British forces out of New York, forcing them to retreat into Canada. Unknown by the Americans this was to prepare for a major invasion of New York. By early June the number of colonists who wished for independence was growing rapidly. On July 4th 1776 the Continental Congress voted to Adopt the Declaration of Independence. The Declaration of Independence was written by a panel of men, but was spearheaded by Thomas Jefferson. Part of this document read quote, All men are created equal and there are certain unalienable rights that governments should never violate. These rights include the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. When a government fails to protect those rights, it is not only the right, but also the duty of the people to overthrow that government. In its place, the people should establish a government that is designed to protect those rights. 

 That same July, outraged by the rebellion the British crown sent a large fleet with over 34,000 troops to extinguish the uprising. British forces forced the American Freedom fighters out of New York City and past the Delaware River, over 70 miles away. Washington’s troops fought back with a surprise attack on Christmas Eve, winning another major battle at Princeton re-instilling hope in the rebels. Wishing to separate deeply rebel sympathetic New England from other colonies British forces led by commanders Howe and Burgoyne planned to meet by the banks of the Hudson River. However Burgoyne’s men suffered tremendous losses at the hands of the Americans while retaking Fort Ticonderoga. Howe decided to march his troops to confront George Washington’s soldiers at Chesapeake Bay. Both sides continued to win battles throughout Pennsylvania, and Philadelphia. At the first battle of Saratoga British forces again, suffered a crushing defeat. At the second battle of Saratoga they suffered the same fate. By the third conflict British Forces surrendered. This proved to be a pivotal point in the revolution as this inspired the French to openly enter the war on America’s side. The French had secretly been aiding the rebellion since 1776. Despite this, the French wouldn’t declare war of Great Britain until 1778. From 1779-1781 the war slowed greatly. However, this is not to say it came to a halt. Throughout this time battles did go on with British forces gaining the advantage in the South. In 1781, however American Forces scored a victory against British Forces led by Colonel Tarlteon. By the Autumn of 1781 American troops had managed to force British Forces onto the Peninsula of Yorktown. George Washington moved against Yorktown, with 14,000 American and French troops at his command, while French ships prevented British escape or reinforcement. Commander Cornwall of the British Army surrendered, and the battle was won. Though this was widely regarded as the triumph of American’s fight for Independence, British troops were still stationed in Charleston as well as in New York. Neither side wished to take action and in 1782 the British removed their troops from the United States bringing an end to the war. On September 3rd, 1783 Britain formally recognized America’s Independence. Both sides signed the Treaty of Paris bringing an official end to the war.