Why did Britain loose? Flashcards
When was William Howe general?
1775-1778
What did William Howe do as general?
Hoped to lure Washington and have a decisive victory and peaceful end
He had a chance but bad weather made him withdrawal
How many men did the British have?
32,000
How many men did the colonists have?
20,000
What happened to John Burgoyne as general?
Defeated at Saratoga
Could not communicate with How
Overconfident
When was Henry Clinton general?
1778-1781
What did Henry Clinton do?
Successfully lay seige at Charleston
Captured American Southern army
Why was Henry Clinton a bad general?
Had poor supply lines
Clashed with cornwalis
Slow and Timid
Why was Charles Cornwallis a bad general?
19 October 1781 defeated at Yorktown with a 8000 strong army
Why was Washington a great leader?
Confident in the continental congress
Regrouped and retrained troops
Responsible for the formation
Avoided large scale conflicts
Won by not loosing
What is guerilla warfare?
Hit and run tactics
Setting traps
Ambushing
How did the colonists use gurellia warfare to their advantage?
Hid in the dense forest that they were familiar with
Wore ordinary clothes to blend in
British lost supply lines
When did Spain declare war?
June 1779
Why was foreign intervention so crucial?
America probably would have lost without help
Supplied America with naval help
Was there support in America?
Ordinary farmers, artisans and labourers
Women and men boycotted British goods
400,000 volunteers
What was the nature of the geography in America?
430,000 square miles impossible to occupy
Lacked a single national capital
British were not used to the land
What % of America supported Britain?
20%
How did the British not take advantage of loyalist support in America?
Difficult to protect
Overestimated support
Failed to win over the neutral people
What happened after America won?
City of London ad parliament put pressure on the King to end the war
British commons resolved to end military presence
What happened at the peace of Paris?
Recognition of America and its boundaries
When was the Peace of Paris?
3 September 1783
Who signed the peace of Paris?
Britain, USA, France, Spain and the Netherlands
What did Spain gain after the war?
West and East Florida
Minorca
What did France gain after the war?
St Lucia
Goree
Pondicherry
Tobago
What did Britain regain after the war?
Negapatsm
Behama
What did the Netherlands regain after the war?
Trincomalee
What happened to the government in Britain after the war?
Coalition government
Political power remained with the landed gentry and monarchy
How was Britain affected economically after the war?
Trade was disrupted
National debt was at £232 million
When did trade reach pre-war levels?
1785
What was the social impact of the war on Britain?
No revolution
Population grew
Consumer goods
Still rich and powerful
What happened to Ireland after the war?
Granted effective legislative independence
Could trade directly with British colonies in 1780
