As aforementioned, one of the factors that contributed to the astounding success …show more content…
Without assistance from the French, it would have proved more arduous to acquire independence. Even before the Treaty of Alliance was signed by France and by America in 1778, France secretly traded military supplies. They would not formally enter into an alliance until America proved that their success was a possibility. This occurred once the patriots won in the Battle of Saratoga which took place in Autumn of 1777. France, in 1778, eager to avenge the Seven Year’s War which they had lost to Britain prior to America’s revolution, quickly signed the Treaty of Amity and Commerce which recognized America’s newfound sense of independence and created a trade relationship between the two nations. France also signed the Treaty of Alliance which formalized the Franco-American alliance. France provided assistance to America in the form of troops, naval ships, military supplies, and other necessary materials. Not only did the French help in this way, but their participation in the war split Britain’s troops since some were forced to cease fighting on American mainland and fight against French ships in the Caribbean. This weakened Britain’s military power in the colonies. Because France was fighting in the war, Spain also decided to join. However, they only allied themselves with France, not with America. They fought for the same reason as …show more content…
The British fought with traditional war tactics, did not attempt to change their style of fighting, and were even reluctant to fight in a costly war involving multiple nations whereas America was determined to do whatever it would take to become an independent country and be liberated from British jurisdiction. Britain expected a quick, inexpensive war that would stomp out the flames of the revolution and place America once again firmly under British control. When they realized this was not able to happen, their attitudes changed. The morale of the British soldiers went down. The British only fought to crush the rebellion and return home and when this proved more difficult than they originally imagined, they debated whether or not to give up and even kept fighting only to maintain their dignity. America was fighting for independence, something long sought after and a cause very dear to their hearts. George Washington’s ragtag army could not be crushed. After every victory they regained balance and stood back up. They adapted their war tactics to do whatever was necessary to win, such as guerilla warfare, while the British continued to use very traditional European war tactics. British troops did not have enough motivation to continue to fight back against an army that would not back