Between 1775 and 1783, a war broke out in America between the colonial government and the 13 North American colonies of Great Britain. The colonial government represented British crown. The American Revolutionary War as it is commonly referred to was characterised by deadly skirmished between the Lexington and Concord based militiamen and the British troops. The war started in April 1775 when the two sides engaged in armed conflict and it escalated so fast that by the summer of the same years, it had become a full scale war. The desire of the rebels in this conflict was emancipation from what was perceived as unjust colonisation and regaining their independence remained the sole objective. As the conflict escalated, France joined the war in 1778 and sided with colonialist, further blowing the scale of the war into international scope. Due to the involvement of French in this war, the British gave up Yorktown in 1781 and effect the Americans had secured their independence. Notwithstanding the defeat of British troops by the Continental army, truce could not be realised until after 1783 ( Weigley, 1977) . Outlined here below are the key events associated with the 1775-83 Revolutionary War.
War Build Up
Prior to the outbreak of the revolution in 1775, there had been growing tension and suspicion between the British administration and the colonialists. These tensions were occasioned by the infamous decision by the British government on taxation of colonies to raise its revenue. The attempt as evident in 1765 Stamp Act, 1767 Townshend Tariffs and 1773 Tea Act were met with strong opposition, sometimes characterised by violent protests. The protests were founded on the premise that the parliament where these acts were passed did not have the representation of the colonialists. The highlight of these protests was the Boston Massacre in 1770 where the British forces shot and killed five protesters. The residents of Boston responded to these killings by dumping 342 chest of tea while disguised as Mohawk Indians. This action infuriated the parliament enacted Coercive and Intolerable Acts which were meant to reaffirm the British authority over Massachusetts.
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Despite the intervention of colonial delegates who included New York’s John Jay, Massachusetts’s Samuel Adams, and Virginia’s Patrick Henry in 1774, as a response to the lack representation claims, the violent protests were witnessed in May 1775. The position of the colonial delegates remained that they were not well represented in the formulation of tax regime and occupancy of British army in the land was without their consent. The standoff between these delegates and the British government only served to create a room for violence with the biggest one being April 19 clash in Concord and Lexington between the British soldiers and militiamen. This even marked the start of the war that would escalate and last for another 8 years.
Independence Declaration
The second Congress met in Phildelphia and voted for the formation of Continental Army . With Washington the commander-in-chief, the army rose up to occasion and caused major casislties in the British Forces. However, the british were able to overcome the resistance and reclaimed its position. this major event served to encaurage the Continental army which started believing in itself. The Continental Army attempted to restrict the British forces within Boston leading to their evacuation of the city in 1776. The retreat was a preparation for reinvasion of the New York City.
The war grew into full swing in 1776 with most of colonists supporting the search for independence from the Britons. The growing resistance caused the Continental Congress to adopt Independence declaration in July 4, 1776. This declaration was written by Jefferson with the support of a five-member committee comprising of John Adams and Franklin. While this was happening the British government continued with deployment of troops to repulse Continental Army in the New York City, which the succeeded. As the conflict grew in intensity, civilians started getting involved, a move which complicated the strategy by the British army further ( Royster, 1979) .
The French Army weighed in their support in 1781 alongside Greene’s American forces. Under the command of General Jean Baptiste, a total of 14,000 soldiers and French war ships in excess of 36 served to prevent evacuation and reinforcement of the British. The entrapment meted on British soldiers by the Continental Army served them a major blow forced Cornwallis to surrender. The message of surrender was delivered by Charles O’Hara claiming that he was unwell. A symbol to the surrender, O’Hara handed over the sword to French Army commander, Rochambeau and later to Washington who accepted it through Benjamin Lincoln, his deputy.
Although the independence of America was witnessed in New York and neighbouring towns, the same feeling of freedom was not replicated in other regions of America. The British forces was still stationed in Charleston until 1782, a years which marked the end of the conflict. Through a negotiation on September 3, 1783, the Americana and British negotiators converged in Paris and signed an agreement popularly known as The Treaty of Paris. The 8-year conflict was finally brought to a close in 1779 when a parallel peace treaty was signed between Spain and France.
References
Royster, C. (1979). A Revolutionary People at War: The Continental Army and American
Character, 1775-1783 . New York: UNC Press Books.
Weigley, R. F. (1977). The American way of war: A History of United States Military
Strategy and Policy . New York: Indiana University Press.
