Exam 2 American Revolution Essay The American Revolution affected every corner of society in both the American colonies and the rest of the English Empire. The Americans, who now saw themselves as independent, sought to rebel against what they perceived to be the unfair and unjust rule of an empire across the ocean. They wanted to be free of British rule and exempt from paying taxes to the British empire. The British sought to squash this rebellion, and quickly reestablish control over the colonies. Finally cementing its status over the colonists would ensure that such a revolution would never happen again. The British army was well-trained and well-equipped compared the ragtag group of farmers and volunteers of which the colonist army was …show more content…
The fact that the war took place on American soil provided the colonists the advantage of familiarity with the terrain. Unlike the British, the war saw considerable support from the American people, who unified under the idea of liberty from the English rule. However, their inability to produce firearms en masse and their dwindling financial resources still left the Americans at a tremendous disadvantage. They needed allies, and they found them in the Spanish, Dutch, and French. The Spanish and Dutch offered financial support as well as firearms, but the French quickly became an invaluable ally. The Americans had yet to establish a navy of their own, and because of this the British had complete dominance over the east coast of the colonies. The British navy too control of ports, impacting trade for Americans and allowed the British to maneuver troops and supplies to strategic points during the war. If the Americans were going to push the British back, they needed to build a navy, but they lacked the money and industry to build one, as well as the time required to achieve such a task. So, they allied themselves with the French, who were keen on revenge against the British after an enormous loss of territory to them during the French and Indian War. The French allowed the colonists use of their navy, marking a turning point in the …show more content…
But the impact of years of war greatly hurt the already weak and relatively new country. They was suffering from growing financial burdens with no solution in sight. The rich were impacted financially due to this crisis, farmers who were already poor were underpaid, and veterans of the war never saw their promised payment. Merchants had extended their credit due to overuse of imports during the war. The wealthy landowners had borrowed heavily during the war to gain loyalist lands that were confiscated. Most of this land was in the currently unsettled Northwest territories. The South was financially devastated when the demand for staple crops dropped. By the end of the war, fishers were only able to sell half of what they caught. Although the British were defeated, the lasting effects of the war continued to negatively impact the lives of