What key military factors led to the american victory during the revolutionary war?

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American Revolution, also called United States War of Independence or American Revolutionary War, (1775–83), insurrection by which 13 of Great Britain’s North American colonies won political independence and went on to form the United States of America. The war followed more than a decade of growing estrangement between the British crown and a large and influential segment of its North American colonies that was caused by British attempts to assert greater control over colonial affairs after having long adhered to a policy of salutary neglect. Until early in 1778 the conflict was a civil war within the British Empire, but afterward it became an international war as France (in 1778) and Spain (in 1779) joined the colonies against Britain. Meanwhile, the Netherlands, which provided both official recognition of the United States and financial support for it, was engaged in its own war against Britain. From the beginning, sea power was vital in determining the course of the war, lending to British strategy a flexibility that helped compensate for the comparatively small numbers of troops sent to America and ultimately enabling the French to help bring about the final British surrender at Yorktown.

Explore highlights of the Revolutionary War, which won 13 American colonies their political independence from Great Britain

Learn about major events of the Revolutionary War (1775–83), which won 13 American colonies their political independence from Great Britain.

Americans fought the war on land with essentially two types of organization: the Continental (national) Army and the state militias. The total number of the former provided by quotas from the states throughout the conflict was 231,771 men, and the militias totaled 164,087. At any given time, however, the American forces seldom numbered over 20,000; in 1781 there were only about 29,000 insurgents under arms throughout the country. The war was therefore one fought by small field armies. Militias, poorly disciplined and with elected officers, were summoned for periods usually not exceeding three months. The terms of Continental Army service were only gradually increased from one to three years, and not even bounties and the offer of land kept the army up to strength. Reasons for the difficulty in maintaining an adequate Continental force included the colonists’ traditional antipathy toward regular armies, the objections of farmers to being away from their fields, the competition of the states with the Continental Congress to keep men in the militia, and the wretched and uncertain pay in a period of inflation.

Understanding the American Revolution

You may be familiar with the road to the Declaration of Independence, but how much do you know about the war that delivered on its promise? This quiz will test your knowledge of the U.S. War of Independence. (Every question can be answered by Britannica’s article about the American Revolution.)

By contrast, the British army was a reliable steady force of professionals. Since it numbered only about 42,000, heavy recruiting programs were introduced. Many of the enlisted men were farm boys, as were most of the Americans. Others were unemployed persons from the urban slums. Still others joined the army to escape fines or imprisonment. The great majority became efficient soldiers as a result of sound training and ferocious discipline. The officers were drawn largely from the gentry and the aristocracy and obtained their commissions and promotions by purchase. Though they received no formal training, they were not so dependent on a book knowledge of military tactics as were many of the Americans. British generals, however, tended toward a lack of imagination and initiative, while those who demonstrated such qualities often were rash.

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Because troops were few and conscription unknown, the British government, following a traditional policy, purchased about 30,000 troops from various German princes. The Lensgreve (landgrave) of Hesse furnished approximately three-fifths of that total. Few acts by the crown roused so much antagonism in America as that use of foreign mercenaries.

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The Revolutionary War was a war between the Thirteen Colonies and Great Britain from 1775-1783 during the American Revolution. The American colonists fought the British in hope of freedom and separation from Great Britain. “This was the completion stage of the political American Revolution whereas the colonists had denied the rights of the Parliament of Great Britain in governing them without any representation,” ("American Revolutionary War."). The Revolutionary War consisted of many different bloody battles on American soil. The war resulted in an American victory because of many historical reasons. The factors that contributed to an American victory of the Revolutionary War are British debt, distance between America and Great Britain, war tactics, French involvement, and important battles.

There were many causes leading up to the Revolutionary War. Great Britain helped the American colonies during the French and Indian War. The French and Indian War resulted in a large debt the British needed to repay. In order to produce enough money to repay the debt, Great Britain placed The Sugar Act, The Stamp Act, and The Townshend Act on American colonists. “Parliament said it had

Franco-American Treaty of Amity and Commerce Dual Language Manuscript February 6, 1778
From the General Records of the United States Government

In 1778 France officially recognized the United States and entered into a Treaty of Alliance. France then supplied the United States with much needed troops, supplies, and military - especially naval support. The 1778 Treaty of Alliance would last until 1800 officially despite being unofficially ended by the Neutrality Act of 1794.

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Washington Reviews Troops at Fort Cumberland Attributed to Frederick Kemmelmeyer

The Whiskey Rebellion was a 1791 protest against a tax on alcohol that had been passed to generate revenue and pay down the national debt. Farmers in western Pennsylvania objected to the tax and in response the federal government sent the army to enforce the tax. The "Rebellion" was bloodless as the protesters went home before the military got to the area but the message behind sending an armed force to the region was to show that the new government, operating under the new Constitution, was not the same weak force as the old one. The whiskey tax was repealled when Thomas Jefferson became the third President in 1800.

, or Whiskey Insurrection, was a tax protest in the United States beginning in 1791, during the presidency of George Washington. The so-called "whiskey tax" was the first tax imposed on a domestic product by the newly formed federal government. It became law in 1791, and was intended to generate revenue to help reduce the national debt