THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION

There’s nothing like a good bromance – and while the term itself is pretty new, history has loads of them. Just think about it; Holmes and Watson, Alexander and Hephaestion, Wallace and Gromit – the list is positively endless. Of course most of these pale into oblivion against the now famously ‘special relationship’ of Great Britain and the United States. These two nations have proved to be quite the dynamic duo in recent times, sharing a language, a diverse culture and the ability to form an allied mega-zord whenever those wretched world wars come knocking around. Yes indeed, the great tag team of the Atlantic are quite the standard bearers for brotherly love – which is pretty weird considering they once went through the break up from hell.

A few hundred years ago, relations were decidedly frostier between America and Great Britain - and this had an awful lot to do with the French-Indian War (1754-63). Upon the wars conclusion, Britain had emerged as the top colonial power in the region, ousting their French competitors from North America and gaining some valuable new territories in the process. Of course following the post war party, there was a small and slightly awkward matter of the bill. Parliament didn’t fancy paying out for an expensive overseas war, so they generously handed it over to the Thirteen Colonies of America in the form of some lovely new taxes (the Sugar Act of 1764 and Stamp Act of 1765). Needless to say the colonists weren’t overly thrilled with the idea, but struggled to make their case to parliament from roughly 3500 miles away (without so much as an MP on side). In a justified attempt to stoke change, the phrase ‘no taxation without representation’ would eventually become a mantra for the American cause. This was a fair demand to be sure, but doomed to go unheeded across the pond.

The Americans were therefore compelled to grab the attention of their colonial masters by attacking them in a way that couldn’t be ignored. In an act of complete barbarism, the mischievous colonists stormed three ships carrying British goods and dumped a shipment of precious, life assuring tea into the waters of Boston harbour. The Boston Tea Party (1773) as it is now known marked a decisive moment on the road to war, not to mention a senseless waste of innocent tea. Having successfully thrown down the gauntlet, most of the colonies gathered together at the First Continental Congress of 1774, a meeting at which the representatives of each state discussed a ban of all British goods in North America. Contrary to popular belief, reconciliation was still the aim of the game at this point, and few were seriously considering going independent (out loud).

After a suitable period of mourning for the thousands of lost tea leaves, Britain eventually resolved to send in the troops. It was hoped that by acting quickly, the rebellion could be snuffed out before it even got started - but its funny how things turn out isn’t it? Having been warned ahead of time, an armed rebel militia were waiting for the redcoats at Lexington and Concord in 1775. To this day, no one knows who fired the first shot, but afterwards it hardly mattered. The very next year, Thomas Jefferson penned a little known document called the Declaration of Independence and stated the intent of all Thirteen Colonies to break away from the Empire once and for all. We can only assume that someone from congress sent a gentle break up text to parliament.

But how could the Rebels hope to succeed? Britain at the time was the ultimate superpower of the age, able to deploy troops in all continents and dominate the seas with the finest navy the world had ever seen. Considering that the Colonies had no standing army, no navy and no weapons, the situation was comparable to attacking the Tower of London with a dessert spoon. George Washington himself would comment on the dire state of the army in the early days of the war, where poor discipline and limited resources led to rampant disease.

One thing that the Americans had in spades though, was incredible spirit. Regiments came from all over the colonies to fight for the Glorious Cause of America, fighting on home soil for their right to freedom against the ‘press-ganged’ forces of Empire. At least that was the story. In truth most of the British Army was young, professional soldiers who volunteered for service in pursuit of a wage, while German mercenaries were shipped in for a little extra European flavour. To offset this Imperial powerhouse, the colonial’s total lack of military experience actually turned out to be a blessing in disguise, as it forced the Continental Army to take chances on plucky young officers and generals instead of the nepotistic lords of British Parliament – Henry Knox making for a prime example.

Of course all the moxey in the world wasn’t realistically going to help the colonists achieve victory outright and it’s worth noting that if events had transpired differently, Britain would more than likely have had their way. Without the necessary tools to fight the war (guns and money etc) the revolution would have stood little chance against the world’s greatest contemporary war machine. But fortunately for Washington and Co, they wouldn’t have to fight alone. France has been dreaming of some sweet payback for the losses of the French-Indian War, cracking its knuckles in anticipation on the sidelines. But the gamble was a risky one; could the colonists really be worth the enormous investment? In response to these concerns, the Rebels said “watch this” and scored a crucial victory at Saratoga in 1777, convincing their prospective French allies that they had a new horse to back (not to mention a brand new way to screw over the English).

The new alliance would prove too much for Britain to bear. Already waging an unpopular war on another continent without reinforcements, the British were now facing an emboldened rebel army supported by a nation willing to throw everything plus the kitchen sink into the war effort. The killer blow eventually arrived in 1781, when the British forces under General Cornwallis were trapped and forced to surrender at Yorktown. (Officially the war would roll on until the peace treaty in 1783, but for all intents and purposes, the war was as good as over at Yorktown).

While it seems obvious that a war fought on this scale would have consequences, not many could’ve predicted what would actually happen in the long run. Britain, after losing the war, acknowledged the newly independent North American colonies and simply turned attentions elsewhere – setting the stage for the British Empire 2.0 (bigger, stronger and decidedly more tea). The victorious rebels of the Thirteen Colonies also did very well for themselves, establishing the worlds’ first democratic federal republic and beginning their gradual rise to superpower status. So after all that fuss it’s nice to see that everyone did okay in the end – except for the French that is. While their sponsorship of the American rebellion proved incredibly decisive in forging the destiny of an entire continent, frivolous spending on ammo and uniforms for their new allies didn’t do much to settle the major political turmoil back home. France’s colonial empire was now groaning under its own weight and all this talk of revolution (successful revolution at that) was starting to give its citizens some interesting new ideas.