Why did Britain loose?

Question 1

When was William Howe general?

Answer 1

1775-1778

Question 2

What did William Howe do as general?

Answer 2

Hoped to lure Washington and have a decisive victory and peaceful end
He had a chance but bad weather made him withdrawal

Question 3

How many men did the British have?

Answer 3

32,000

Question 4

How many men did the colonists have?

Answer 4

20,000

Question 5

What happened to John Burgoyne as general?

Answer 5

Defeated at Saratoga
Could not communicate with How
Overconfident

Question 6

When was Henry Clinton general?

Answer 6

1778-1781

Question 7

What did Henry Clinton do?

Answer 7

Successfully lay seige at Charleston
Captured American Southern army

Question 8

Why was Henry Clinton a bad general?

Answer 8

Had poor supply lines
Clashed with cornwalis
Slow and Timid

Question 9

Why was Charles Cornwallis a bad general?

Answer 9

19 October 1781 defeated at Yorktown with a 8000 strong army

Question 10

Why was Washington a great leader?

Answer 10

Confident in the continental congress
Regrouped and retrained troops
Responsible for the formation
Avoided large scale conflicts
Won by not loosing

Question 11

What is guerilla warfare?

Answer 11

Hit and run tactics
Setting traps
Ambushing

Question 12

How did the colonists use gurellia warfare to their advantage?

Answer 12

Hid in the dense forest that they were familiar with
Wore ordinary clothes to blend in
British lost supply lines

Question 13

When did Spain declare war?

Answer 13

June 1779

Question 14

Why was foreign intervention so crucial?

Answer 14

America probably would have lost without help
Supplied America with naval help

Question 15

Was there support in America?

Answer 15

Ordinary farmers, artisans and labourers
Women and men boycotted British goods
400,000 volunteers

Question 16

What was the nature of the geography in America?

Answer 16

430,000 square miles impossible to occupy
Lacked a single national capital
British were not used to the land

Question 17

What % of America supported Britain?

Answer 17

20%

Question 18

How did the British not take advantage of loyalist support in America?

Answer 18

Difficult to protect
Overestimated support
Failed to win over the neutral people

Question 19

What happened after America won?

Answer 19

City of London ad parliament put pressure on the King to end the war
British commons resolved to end military presence

Question 20

What happened at the peace of Paris?

Answer 20

Recognition of America and its boundaries

Question 21

When was the Peace of Paris?

Answer 21

3 September 1783

Question 22

Who signed the peace of Paris?

Answer 22

Britain, USA, France, Spain and the Netherlands

Question 23

What did Spain gain after the war?

Answer 23

West and East Florida
Minorca

Question 24

What did France gain after the war?

Answer 24

St Lucia
Goree
Pondicherry
Tobago

Question 25

What did Britain regain after the war?

Answer 25

Negapatsm Behama

Question 26

What did the Netherlands regain after the war?

Answer 26

Trincomalee

Question 27

What happened to the government in Britain after the war?

Answer 27

Coalition government Political power remained with the landed gentry and monarchy

Question 28

How was Britain affected economically after the war?

Answer 28

Trade was disrupted National debt was at £232 million

Question 29

When did trade reach pre-war levels?

Answer 29

1785

Question 30

What was the social impact of the war on Britain?

Answer 30

No revolution Population grew Consumer goods Still rich and powerful

Question 31

What happened to Ireland after the war?

Answer 31

Granted effective legislative independence Could trade directly with British colonies in 1780