On July 4, 1776, the Declaration of Independence was sent in to be printed. The Declaration of Independence, written by Thomas Jefferson, alerted the king and the colonists that the thirteen colonies were going to split from Great Britain. Not long after this, the Revolutionary War began. People across the world were ready to watch as Great Britain easily and quickly defeated the Patriots in the war. Little did anyone know at the time, this idea was very wrong. The war was won by the colonists and proved that the previous beliefs that Great Britain was sure to win very wrong. Instead of being short, the Revolutionary War was a long, bloody, and fierce affair. Despite that the rest of the world believed that the colonists could be easily conquered, the Patriots won the Revolutionary War by the outstanding leadership of George Washington, an American alliance with the French, and the determination that the Patriots had throughout the war.
After the American's triumphant victory at the Battle of Saratoga, the world knew that the Patriots had not yet given up on their chance for liberty. At this time in the Revolutionary War, the French joined the Americans as an ally. Having the French as a reliable ally turned the war around completely. With the French's assistance, the Americans gained many key elements that they needed to win the war. The first thing the French gave the Americans was a navy. The British had had the reputation of having the best navy in the entire world, and before the French became an American ally the Americans did not even have a navy. To fight off British ships, some Patriots who owned boats fought the British on the water. This was the closest to having a navy that the Americans were. The French's navy brought the Americans a sophisticated and well-trained navy. Another vital reason that
the alliance with the French brought America victory was because that they provided the Americans with money to help finance the war. The Patriots did not have any money because in the past, all of the colonies' money came from Great Britain. The French also provided the Patriots with proper training for the American soldiers and brilliant military leaders. Most of the American soldiers who fought in the war were just ordinary men who never fought a battle in their lives. The French trained these soldiers to fight properly. Lastly, the French provided the Americans with brilliant military leaders such as Francis de Lafayette. Leaders such as Lafayette brought the Americans strategy and dependable leadership. The French alliance with the Americans was an essential part of the American victory in the Revolutionary War.
George Washington is credited as a huge part of the American victory of the Revolutionary War. He was the general of the Continental army and led his army courageously through battles, starvation, and defeats. However, George Washington's motivation towards the sometimes crippled Continental Army kept them hopeful and provoked. Washington never gave up hope in his army and he almost died many times while fighting with them. In hard times, such as Valley Forge (when it was freezing cold, soldiers starved, and the morale within the army had sunken to an ultimate low). George Washington pushed the army through with his inspirational beliefs and actions, and he learned from his mistakes of past fighting to make the army stronger and smarter for fighting in the future. George Washington also helped get allies from other countries to help the Americans fight in the war which was a key element in the American over-all victory. A final reason that George Washington helped the Americans win the Revolutionary War was that he knew British fighting tactics and styles from the past French and Indian War. This was valuable because he was able to prepare his army for some of the strategies that the
British used in the past. George Washington was a key resource to the Americans in their victory of the Revolutionary War.
The Revolutionary War was not won in one single battle or with one single person as a leader. One of the most important aspects to the American victory of the Revolutionary War was simply that the Patriots knew what was at stake. They knew that if they lost the war they would still have to be subjects of Great Britain. They wanted their independence. Perhaps this alone, was the key element to their inspiration. The Patriots were willing to freeze, starve, and risk their lives for the chance to have liberty. The soldiers were fighting for their homes and for their families on their home land. For this reason, the soldiers were very motivated to do anything possible to not lose the war. On the contrary, the British soldiers were not fighting with the same inspiration. They were fighting simply because the king told them to fight. The British soldiers were not fighting for their freedom or their homes. It is for this reason that the British finally surrendered to the Americans. The British were tired of fighting and had lost their desire to be in America. They wanted to go home. The Americans won because of the passion they had in what was being fought for.
The Revolutionary War was a vicious and bloody war. 30,000 Americans who fought for independence died, and more then 50,000 British soldiers died. The world was left in awe as they heard the news that the Americans had defeated the most powerful army that existed. At this point, independence was no longer a dream to the colonists; it was a reality. Coming into the war, few people believed that the Americans could win, and without several vital factors they probably could not have.
With the help of the outstanding leadership of George Washington, the alliance with the French, and the determination that the Americans had to win the war, the American victory could not have happened.
