How did the Patriots Win the American Revolutionary War? (College Board AP® US History)

Timeline

Summary

The Patriots should not have won the American Revolutionary War. From the outset, the British were better funded, better equipped, and had better soldiers. Some of their soldiers were even colonists themselves.

The Continental Army, as untrained and poorly funded as it was, had its own strengths. Military leadership, surprising battle tactics, support from foreign governments, and a commitment to the idea of independence propelled the Patriots to victory and freedom from British rule.

Great Britain’s Advantages Are Not Enough

• Great Britain had many advantages over the Patriots and the Continental Army, including:

  • American colonists who opposed independence

    • These Loyalists made up between one-fifth and one-third of the colonial population

    • Many joined the British Army

  • a professional military

    • Great Britain’s soldiers were well-trained and equipped with good weapons

    • British soldiers were paid for military service

    • German mercenaries the British government hired to help defeat the colonists were also paid for military service

    • Great Britain had a strong navy that could attack anywhere along the American coastline

  • money

    • Great Britain’s tax system provided money to fund its side of the war

      • The Continental Congress did not have the power to levy taxes or regulate commerce in the colonies

• Despite these advantages, the British Army failed to defeat the colonists

  • Great Britain withdrew from the colonies, which officially gained their independence under the Treaty of Paris in 1783

Factors Contributing to a Patriot Victory

• There were several factors which led to the Patriots winning the American Revolutionary War:

Military leadership

• Patriot military leaders, including George Washington, kept troops together and tried to keep morale high even when they knew their odds of beating the British were low

• Washington also brought in foreign experts to train Continental soldiers in the winter of 1778

• Throughout the war, Patriot military leaders kept troops focused on challenging Britain’s large and well-armed military force and wearing them down over time

Army and militia tactics

• Continental soldiers and local militia had one great advantage over the British: they knew the terrain of the colonies

• They deployed successful sneak attacks in the North and engaged in guerrilla warfare in the South

• These tactics usually caught the British when they were unprepared for battle, which meant wins for the Patriots

Ideological commitment

• Patriots who were fighting for independence (and those who supported them) strongly believed in their cause

• Unlike the British, most men in the Continental Army were fighting because they believed in freedom and self-rule

• Having a sense of purpose lifted morale and kept soldiers going when they wanted to give up

Foreign support

• The Patriots’ victory at Saratoga in October 1777 convinced France to assist the colonies

• France declared war on Great Britain in February 1778 and sent money, troops, and supplies to the Patriots

• Spain did not help fund the colonies, but it did declare war on Great Britain in 1779

• Great Britain redirected troops and supplies from the American colonies into Spain’s North American territories. 

• The extra money, men, and supplies from France, plus the distraction from Spain, helped the Patriots win the war