Well hey there and welcome back to Heimler’s
History. We’ve been going through Unit 3 of the AP U.S. History curriculum, and in this
video we come, at long last, to the American Revolution. So, baby, if you’re ready to high
five some bald eagles, then let’s get to it. So, the main question we’re going to
focus on in this video is as follows: what factors contributed to the American
victory in the Revolutionary War? Ugh, I just spoiled the ending. The narrative
is broken, all the tension is gone. Yeah, America won the war. If you didn’t
already know that… you know, sorry. But here’s the thing: by all accounts, America
should not have won this war against Britain, who happened to be the most powerful nation in all
the dang world at that point, not to mention, that by declaring independence it had massive economic
consequences because the colonists just went to war with their most significant trading partner.
So how did we win? Ooh, tension reestablished. First, it’s going to be important for you
to know that not everyone was on board with independence from Britain. I mentioned in the
last video that the patriot cause was embodied by the Continental Congress and was encouraged by
the widespread reading of Thomas Paine’s Common Sense. But despite what we may think, probably
no more than half of the colonists actively supported the patriots. Some just wanted to stay
neutral. Others flat out opposed independence, and they were called the loyalists, because
they wanted to remain loyal to the British crown. And the resistance of the loyalists
was no small thing to overcome. So not only was there opposition from without,
there was also opposition from within. Okay, so the stage is set, let’s get into the
war. The Continental Congress appointed George Washington, of French and Indian War fame, as the
general of the Continental Army. And if you think the American Revolution was somehow this glorious
conflict bathed in the glow of the rising sun, then, you’re wrong. It was ROUGH. For the first
six months, the Continental Army didn’t win a single conflict. Partly it was because the
soldiers were poorly armed, poorly trained, and in some cases, coerced into service by local
authorities. Not only that, you’ve got to get out of your mind the current manifestation of the
U.S. Army which is a national organization that acts on behalf of us all. That is not how it was.
People were much more regionally minded back then. So in 1776 when Washington tried to lead his army
out of Boston to go engage in battle in New York they were like, “George, we’re from Boston, we
ain’t going to New York..” And many of those soldiers deserted when he pulled rank. Like,
you know that line from the Hamilton musical where Washington says in disgust, “are these the
men with which I am to defend America?” That’s an actual line from one of Washington’s
letters. It was an actual dumpster fire. Anyway, while all of that is happening the British
General William Howe landed in New York with ten thousand experienced, well-trained troops. Also,
about 60,000 American Loyalists joined their ranks as well. So back to our question: how on earth
did the Americans end up winning this war? Well, Washington soon realized that the only
way to win was to wage a war of attrition, which is to say, keep the battle going
as long as possible so that the British would eventually tire out.
And that’s what they did. Now, side note, it’ll also be important
to mention that black Americans fought in this war too. At first, Washington
was hesitant to integrate his ranks, but when the British offered freedom to any
enslaved person who fought for the British, Washington went ahead and made the same offer.
And so over the course of the war, something like 5000 black men fought for the patriot cause.
Mostly they were free blacks from the North, but some were liberated from the South
and fought right alongside white soldiers. So the tide of the war began to turn
when Washington led his troops across the Delaware River on Christmas Eve 1776, and
attacked a group of Hessian soldiers—these were Germans whom the British paid to fight
for them—and actually won. But the most important victory for the patriots came in
September of 1777 at the Battle of Saratoga. Now it’s not that important that you know the
ins and outs of how the battle played out, but what you do need to know is why
this battle was a big turning point. Benjamin Franklin had been in France trying
to convince them to join the patriot cause, but France was hesitant to do so because up
till this point it really looked like the British would win. But after this stunning
victory at Saratoga, Franklin was able to persuade the French to ally with the Americans.
And it wasn’t because Louis XVI was all misty eyed over the revolutionary cause. No, he
saw it as an opportunity to weaken Britain, and so he brought France in. A year later Spain
and Holland also entered the war against Britain and this had the effect of spreading out their
resources and increasing the cost of the conflict. And with the aid of French guns and ships, the
final battle of the war was played out in Yorktown (Battle of Yorktown), Virginia in 1781. Supported
by French naval and military forces, Washington and the Continental Army dealt the British
a decisive blow and forced their surrender. In 1783 the Paris Peace Treaty was
signed by all parties in Paris, and the war was over. In that treaty,
Britain officially recognized America as an independent nation whose western boundary would
be established at the Mississippi River. And so, ladies and gentlemen, that’s how
Americans won the Revolutionary War. Alright, that’s what you need to know about Unit
3 topic 5 of the AP U.S. History curriculum. If you want to join the patriot cause here at
Heimler’s History to support my work here, while simultaneously getting a resource that will
help you get an A in your class and a five keep making these videos for you, then go ahead
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