Volumes of scholastic literature, circulated history books, and an array of multiple sources acknowledge Frances’ contributory role in the success of the American Revolution. Prior to discussing their role in the American Revolution, it is important to mention their historical past in the colonies in order to understand why they intervened on behalf of the continentals. Frances’ historical past in the 13 colonies is filled with humiliation and resentment due to their defeat against Great Britain in the Seven Years’ War from 1754-1763, which caused them to surrender their territory to England under the conditions and terms specified in the Treaty of Paris (1763). Driven by revenge, in the wake of the American Revolution, France opened their …show more content…
At that climax, the French knew then and there that the patriots actually stood a chance and decided to formally get involved in the war and support the rebels This was almost inevitable though, because Historian James Perkin claims, in his article entitled France and The American Revolution “it was natural, therefore, that the troubles in which Great Britain was involved with her American colonies should at once receive attention from France.” Through that statement, it can be interpreted that France had planned to intervene and provide auxiliary and the only thing hindering them was the correct timing to launch their military retaliation against their long, contested enemy, England.
The primary motive behind Frances’ involvement is clear: the French desired to get revenge from the Seven Years’ War. The rebel’s quest for independence opened an opportunity for France to accomplish their objective. Ingrained in attitude and on documentation in 1778, the French made it clear in the alliance that they are going to support the United States until England recognizes American Independence. Although one may argue that Count of Vergennes, the minister of French foreign affairs, enacted a medium of communication between the colonists and the French monarch solely for political reasons, the author makes it clear that the everyday French citizen had the complete opposite ideology. He states, “There is no doubt that among
It is generally agreed upon that the Revolution was guaranteed- even foretold- since the idea of settling on it was even suggested- no one can give a large group of people the idea to run themselves and still keep control from thousands of miles away. England had it, but lost that control of their child nation in 1766 when they revoked the Stamp Act and gave the colonists the notion that they had the power and authority to independently run the budding country. After being allowed this minute freedom, the colonists were not pleased with Parliament 's taxes and attempts of an iron fist hold on the Americas- and along with their opposing views on nearly everything, decided that they were no longer pleased with being considered British. Salutary neglect also contributed to the colonists ' inflated sense of pride- aptly named because at this time England 'neglected ' the colonies, giving them room for individual theories, politics, beliefs, and the abilities to run their own lives for a while. The freedom was too much for them to go back to how things were before when England decided to tighten their grip. At this time, the colonists started a war to free themselves.
The American Revolution had many more causes than the French Revolution. Both Revolutions were generally caused by taxation without representation; meaning the colonist and the third estate did not have a voice of opinion in these new laws. The stamp act and smuggling passed parliament, and those laws were placed on the colonist. Everything was being taxed; that money paying off the debt of the French and Indian War, also being sent to England. King Louis XVI raised the third estates taxes to pay off the debt of wars and deficit spending. Both the third estates and the colonist didn't have a say in the new laws or work they were now having to follow. The French and the Americans had a rebellion that lead them into the revolution. The colonist had the Boston tea party where the colonist dressed as Native Americans to board ship that help the highly
In American history everyone believes that the American Revolution would begin in 1775. But many would argue that the American Revolution had started even earlier than that. As the American Revolution would not spring up overnight, but throughout a series of events that would build tension caused by different views on government, and conflicting interests between the British and their colonies on the western hemisphere.
In regards to the American Revolution, the point that armed rebellion became inevitable arrived when after nearly five constant years of American colonist protesting. American 's had enough and needed to take a stand for the numerous inequalities they were forced to deal with. It was foreseeable that the American Revolution took place due to the unfair taxes that the British were giving Americans. Also, England was not allowing Americans their freedom, along with violence and the political dominance by the Parliament over the colonies by announcing the Stamp Act in 1765, which happened to nearly affect all Americans tremendously.
It was the first revolution to majorly succeed and change how people saw their countries, it was the American Revolution. The American Revolution was the first successful revolution against a European empire that provided a model for many other colonial peoples who realized that they too could break away and become self-governing nations (New world Encyclopedia, 1).The American Revolution was vital to history because ideas seen by other countries started a chain reaction. Many ideas were taken into account when the Americans revolted against Europe and all of these played important factors throughout history. Ideas about liberty, equality, representation, and natural rights were first seen as properly put into action to change old systems in the American Revolution. As the American Revolution was the first to succeed and earn freedom, it greatly affected countries all around the world on how they made freedom and equality a part of their government
Many colonists were loyal supporters of the French and Indian War and when the war came to the forefront, they wanted nothing more than to fight alongside the British Army. The two shared many of the same ideals and values
Between 1770 and 1776, resistance to imperial change turned into a full-on revolution. The American Revolution, also known as the Revolutionary War, was a time of revolting and political uprising, in which the 13 colonies separated from the British Empire, forming the independent nation known as the United States of America. Though the American Revolution began because the colonies wanted independence from Britain, many important historical events and revolts also lead to the tensions and resistance to what resulted in freedom and independence for the colonies from British rule. Events such as the Stamp and Sugar Acts, the Boston Massacre, Boston Tea Party, Intolerable Acts, and the Continental Congress led to expanding tensions and soon to the outbreak of the American Revolution.
“The revolution was effected before the war commenced. The revolution was in the minds and hearts of the people.” - John Adams, 1818
When the American Revolution first broke out, many countries did not give the colonies more than a passing thought; most assumed that this rebellion would quickly be quelled by the world renowned British army and the colonies would once again be under their control. However, under the leadership of military officers and the guidance of laws and proclamations set forth by the Founding Fathers, America succeeded in their revolution against the control of Britain. Textbooks and teachers have praised America for years, stating that the revolution was a major turning point in world history, setting precedence for future revolutions, such as the French Revolution just a decade after the American Revolution ended. However, in later years, historians have begun to argue that the American Revolution was not the first of its kind, or unique in the way researchers previously stated. The Declaration of Independence, though groundbreaking in its own right, was influenced by documents and declarations in the English Civil War, such as the Petition of Rights and the English Bill of Rights. The Declaration of Independence, in turn, was a base for the authors and contributors of France’s Declaration of Rights of Man and Citizen. Furthermore, for all the connections in the chain of antecedents for these documents and the documents themselves, such as philosophical and religious writings, they did not build off of each other in terms of giving rights to more and more people; women and other
The American Revolution was undeniably the most pivotal time period in respect to United States History, but who was really to blame for initiating the conflict? While both the British politicians and American colonists shared the blame for the kindling of the revolution, one party was certainly more at fault than the other: the British. Through short-term causes of taxation and incommodious trade acts, and long-term causes of salutary neglect and involvement in the burdensome French & Indian War, the British politicians proved to ultimately be the most responsible for igniting the Revolutionary War.
This alliance had helped the Americans greatly by providing firearms, gunpowder, a naval force, more military strength, and most importantly, financial aid. America, at the time, had already been suffering from debt and did not have enough gold to back up the less important paper money. This financial aid from France had been essential in the United States' victory in the war overall with battles following Saratoga. To continue with the previous statement, the official formation of French-American alliance in 1778 that had offered the colonists everything Britain was asking for but with freedom. The alliance might have created a shaky bond between America and France but it had made the fight for independence fairer between the the two and
Comte de Vergennes, the French Foreign Minister, rejected the endeavor. Vergennes was formidable that the catastrophe would be settled down and Britain would attack the French, which they wouldn't be ready for. America would have to declare their independence from Britain and demonstrate that they, the patriots, can defend themselves from the redcoats. The Battle of Saratoga was a turning point of the American Revolutionary war because patriots have won against the british army and convinced the French to aid and support the patriots. Although France have been secretly sending military supplies and financial aid to the Americans back in early 1776, they were still hesitant about being a factor of the war.
The French and Indian War altered the political, economic, and ideological relations between Britain and its American colonies in many ways. These changes helped the colonies by unifying the colonists and this led to further exploration. Although Britain didn’t want to lose its hold over the colonies the rise of a revolution was soon approaching.
The French and Indian War, a colonial manifestation of the same forces and tensions that erupted in the European Seven Years' War, was, quite simply, a war about imperialism. The French and the English were competing for land and trading rights in North America; these strivings resulted in a great deal of disputed land, particularly that of the rich Ohio Valley. Each nation saw this territory as vital in its effort to increase its own power and wealth while simultaneously limiting the strength of its rival. Although the war itself therefore stemmed from a fairly simple motivation, its consequences were far- reaching. The English victory in the war decided the colonial fate of North America, and yet at the same time sowed the seeds of the eventual colonial revolution. After the war, the British ended their century-long policy of salutary neglect, attempting to keep the colonials under a more watchful eye. The British also raised taxes in an effort to pay for the war. Both of these postwar policies resulted in massive colonial discontent and added to the budding nationalism that eventually exploded in the Revolutionary War.
Over the course of history different revolutions have come and gone, bringing along promises of social, economic, and political change. However, the price of change isn 't always smooth and effortless. Revolution doesn 't bring change at the blink of an eye, it takes time for the achievements of a revolution to come to full fruition. It is almost inevitable that a revolution will have its failures along the way, but these failures don 't overshadow the success of a revolution. It is not until the common good is met that a revolution is deemed successful. When I talk about the common good, I mean that which benefits society as a whole rather than an individual or a minority. The waves of revolution and presidents in Mexico from 1910 to 1946 aimed at achieving the common good, and some presidents succeeded more than others. This can be anything from social services such as free health care and education, to freedom of speech and free elections. When it comes to quantifying the success of a revolution, one must keep in mind the larger scope, not whether a revolution brings immediate change but rather change felt down the road. The most important outcome of a revolution is identifying whether or not it brings forth change. Did the waves of revolution bring change to Mexico or was this change just a mere illusion?