Essay: Analyze the political, diplomatic, and military reasons for the United States victory in the Revolutionary War. Confine your answer to the period 1775–1783. How the United States Won the Revolutionary War The Revolutionary War was the United States of America’s fight for independence from Great Britain. Although seemingly outnumbered and outgunned, America was able to emerge victorious. This victory was attributed to many political, diplomatic, and military factors. Many men advocated for a war and sparked revolution in the colonists, and to further unite the colonies, the Articles of Confederation was formed.
While the congressmen were busy in America, men like Ben Franklin were petitioning the European governments for aid in the Revolution and eventually partaking in the signing of the Treaty of Paris, which ended the war. Finally, General Washington led the American militia to victory through his great leadership and training. The Revolutionary War was won through great political, diplomatic and military efforts.
Even before the Declaration of Independence, in 1775, Patrick Henry was one of several men who advocated for military action against the British.
Through his leadership, many were driven towards the goal of freedom, leading to the Declaration of Independence in 1776. This secession from Britain began the Revolutionary War and ignited the colonists’ want for independence. This common goal united the colonies and inspired many to join the American militia, but as the war neared its end, the congressmen feared the unity of the colonies was fading and once more needed to be strengthened. Thus, the Articles of Confederation were created.
The Articles were America’s first true government and written law, loosely connecting the colonies. The Articles did as intended, reunited the colonists and gave the militia a new drive to fight for their country, allowing the United States to emerge triumphant.
While the congressmen dealt with creating unity throughout the colonies, men like Benjamin Franklin and John Adams were hard at work in European countries asking for foreign aid and resources. Through their diplomatic actions, several countries, like France, assisted by sending numerous soldiers and supplies. Meanwhile, in England, several Britons sympathized with America, including the Whigs, a powerful British a faction, who helped orchestrate the Treaty of Paris. The Treaty of Paris was formed because of Great Britain’s fear of being attacked by France and/or Spain while fighting America. To eliminate one of the threats, Britain quickly signed a preliminary treaty in 1782, and in 1783 the Treaty of Paris was signed and ceased the fighting.
Finally, the military was a major component for America’s victory in the war. Initially, the American militia was a small band of untrained men whose only hold over the British military was their better marksmanship. England could afford to pay for 30,000 Hessiains plus their 50,000 man army, 50,000 American loyalists, several Indian fighters and about 300 slaves who hoped for emancipation. Despite the large amount of troops, the generals were second-rate, the soldiers brutally treated, shortage of provisions, and, due to a 3,000 mile distance, every command sent from Britain was several months late and no longer relevant to the current problems. This communication problem was a key factor in the loss of the British. Moreover, the Americans were able to fight defensively, and were tough, self-reliant people.
Although Washington never had over 20,000 troops at a time, and only seven or eight thousand regular soldiers, as they gained experience they became very well trained and by the end of the war were almost equally matched to the British troop’s skills. Overall, there were many contributing factors to the victory of the Americans in the Revolutionary War. The colonists were united and inspired by many different political documents and speeches, and many fought for independence. While unity reform was happening in America, foreign countries were sending supplies and troops to help support the American militia and Great Britain eventually signed the Treaty of Paris out of fear of an attack from France/ Spain. Finally, while the British army had many difficulties, the great leadership of George Washington impacted the American militias’ performance and helped them become trained soldiers. These political, diplomatic, and military aspects greatly impacted America’s victory of the Revolutionary War.
US Revolutionary War Victory: Reasons Analyzed. (2021, Dec 27). Retrieved from https://paperap.com/an-analysis-of-the-reasons-how-and-why-the-united-states-won-the-revolutionary-war/