3.3 - America

Question 1

what were the British strengths in the war?

Answer 1

• armed forces around 49k soldiers in 1775 + could hire German mercenaries
• RN had 340 ships that were used to reinforce troops, blockade + attack American ports
• well-established + diverse economy (most sophisticated methods of public finance in the world)

Question 2

what were the British weaknesses in the war?

Answer 2

• logistically supplying + maintaining the troops in America was challenging
• British generals suffered from a lack of direction from London in terms of strategy

Question 3

what were the American strengths in the war?

Answer 3

• neutrals were becoming patriots (bc of the shared ideological dream of a democratic nation + use of German mercenaries by UK)
• terrain + extremes of climate were familiar to colonists (home advantage)
• Washington = genius of AWOI

Question 4

what were the American weaknesses in the war?

Answer 4

those of a newly formed nation:
- limited economic development
- short of weapons throughout the war
- lack of experience + organisation

Question 5

when was General Burgoyne’s defeat at Saratoga?

Answer 5

1777

Question 6

why was the General Burgoyne’s defeat at Saratoga important?

Answer 6

• 1st key turning point of the war
• 1st rebel defeat of the British
• showed France they were strong enough to win with their support

Question 7

what happened as a result of General Burgoyne’s defeat at Saratoga?

Answer 7

Burgoyne’s soldiers (6k) were kept as prisoners until end of war in 1783

Question 8

when were treaties signed between the colonies?

Answer 8

Feb 1778

Question 9

when did France declare war on Britain?

Answer 9

June 1778

Question 10

when did Spain join the AWOI?

Answer 10

June 1779

Question 11

what % of the British army was in N America in 1778 compared to 1780?

Answer 11

1778 - 65%
1780 - 20%

Question 12

what % of the British Navy were in American waters in 1778 compared to 1780?

Answer 12

1778 - 41%
1780 - 13%

Question 13

what did the French-Spanish intervention in the war lead to?

Answer 13

• redrawing of British priorities
• Britain held possessions in West Indies
• increased British presence in India
• after Yorktown, loss of American colonies came to be acceptable to the British

Question 14

when was General Cornwallis defeated at Yorktown?

Answer 14

1781

Question 15

why did Cornwallis lose at Yorktown?

Answer 15

• Washignton’s ability to lead army of 16k American + French troops into Yorktown peninsula
• population in the South wasn’t as loyal as expected
• Clinton went to NY, Cornwallis only had 4k troops, had to split + had inadequate communications + open sea lanes
• reinforcements arrived 5 days late (Lord North - “Oh god, it’s all over”)

Question 16

when was the Peace of Paris + who signed it?

Answer 16

3rd Sep 1781
Britain, USA, France, Spain, Holland

Question 17

what did the Peace of Paris include?

Answer 17

• recognition of American independence + its new boundaries
• division of imperial posessions between Britain, France + Spain

Question 18

what were the immediate impacts of the AWOI?

Answer 18

• resignation of Lord North in 1782
• national debt = £232 mil by 1783
• Britain removed trade restrictions on Ireland (1779) + granted legislative independence (1782)
• trade was disrupted

Question 19

what evidence is there to show that Britain’s loss of the colonies was not detrimental to their Empire?

Answer 19

• no revolution
• didn’t lead to a prolonged recession
• by 1785, Britain’s trade with former colonies had reached pre-war levels
• value of British exports doubled 1783-92