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Advantages And Disadvantages Of The Revolutionary War

Decent Essays

SOL 4 Essay

Compare and contrast the major advantages and disadvantages of the British and the colonists as the Revolutionary War began. (strengths/weaknesses) As the Revolutionary War began, the British and the American colonists had many different and similar advantages/strengths and disadvantages/weaknesses that impacted their nations. The British had several advantages/strengths. They were seemed undefeated had a winning tradition. They outnumbered the Americans in most battles. They were successful against powerful nations such as France and Spain. Their military was the best and strongest army and navy in the world. They were very wealthy which allowed them to provide supplies and hire soldiers (such as Hessian mercenaries). Their soldiers and military leaders were well experienced, well trained, well equipped, well disciplined, well paid, and well fed. They had more ammunitions than the Americans too. Several Indian tribes became allies with Britain, who promised protection of their tribal lands in return. Also, many colonist were still loyal to Britain. The British had very few, but significant disadvantages/weaknesses. Since America was large and unfamiliar territory for them, it was troublesome to conquer and to hold territory. The British were 3,000 miles from home so it often took months for military orders, troops, and supplies to arrive from Britain after it was is sent out. And also due to distance, they couldn’t communicate with their leaders, reinforcements, and supply lines. They didn’t send their top military leaders, which caused problems. Their Red Coats and militant style made them easy targets to identify in the wilderness or on open fields. Their soldiers were fighting for a King, not for their own cause. They lacked motivation to crush the opposition from the onset of the war. They were also over-confident and cocky. Their goal was persuade the Americans to give up their claims of independence, which was an extremely rigorous objective. Also, the country had been at war for years and citizens were tired of war and war taxes. The American colonists had very few, but significant advantages/strengths. The Americans obviously knew the land better so they knew where all the

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