Benjamin Franklin
CHAPTER 6
Securing Independence, Defining Nationhood, 1776–1788
0Chapter Themes
The British had two main advantages over the United States in the Revolution. They greatly outnumbered the 2.5 million Americans, one-third of whom were either slaves or loyalists, and they possessed superior naval and military forces. But British resources were severely strained. The United States mobilized its people more effectively and created an army of 220,000 troops, compared to 162,000 British troops. The U.S. naval vessels and privateers seriously hampered the Royal Navy.
The United States faced a variety of problems. One-fifth of its free population openly favored the British. Sentiment among African-Americans tended to support the British in the hope of freedom from slavery. And although the state militias sometimes performed well in guerrilla skirmishes, they lacked the training to fight in the formal fashion that could attract foreign loans and diplomatic recognition.
The Americans experienced a number of serious defeats in the war’s early years, but they needed only to prolong the rebellion until Britain’s taxpayers lost patience. After Continental victories in New Jersey, the turning point of the war came with the defeat of the British at Saratoga in 1777. Seeing the possibility of an ultimate American victory, France formally recognized the United States and declared war on Great Britain. The British were forced to send thousands of soldiers to Ireland and the West Indies to guard against French invasion. Although envisioned by many as a purely American victory, the American Revolution could not have been won without both aid from foreign powers and a variety of global pressures on the armies of Great Britain. For a further discussion of these global factors, see the feature “Beyond America – Global Interactions: The American Revolution as an International War.”
In 1778 the war’s focus turned to the South and eventually the Americans pinned the British near
Securing Independence, Defining Nationhood, 1776–1788
0Chapter Themes
The British had two main advantages over the United States in the Revolution. They greatly outnumbered the 2.5 million Americans, one-third of whom were either slaves or loyalists, and they possessed superior naval and military forces. But British resources were severely strained. The United States mobilized its people more effectively and created an army of 220,000 troops, compared to 162,000 British troops. The U.S. naval vessels and privateers seriously hampered the Royal Navy.
The United States faced a variety of problems. One-fifth of its free population openly favored the British. Sentiment among African-Americans tended to support the British in the hope of freedom from slavery. And although the state militias sometimes performed well in guerrilla skirmishes, they lacked the training to fight in the formal fashion that could attract foreign loans and diplomatic recognition.
The Americans experienced a number of serious defeats in the war’s early years, but they needed only to prolong the rebellion until Britain’s taxpayers lost patience. After Continental victories in New Jersey, the turning point of the war came with the defeat of the British at Saratoga in 1777. Seeing the possibility of an ultimate American victory, France formally recognized the United States and declared war on Great Britain. The British were forced to send thousands of soldiers to Ireland and the West Indies to guard against French invasion. Although envisioned by many as a purely American victory, the American Revolution could not have been won without both aid from foreign powers and a variety of global pressures on the armies of Great Britain. For a further discussion of these global factors, see the feature “Beyond America – Global Interactions: The American Revolution as an International War.”
In 1778 the war’s focus turned to the South and eventually the Americans pinned the British near