American Revolution is an outstanding event in whole world history. This war proved that all people, no matter their religion and nationality, are equal and have the rights to be respected. The premise of the war was for economic, political, territorial, and ideological reasons. British crown strived to take the colonies over control and become more powerful. The government discriminated against Americans by exercising different laws, fines, and restrictions on the colonies. The point of no return was the tea act of 1773, and the followed Boston Tea Party protest. The war that lasted more than ten years included many bloody battles that were decisive in gaining independence by the North American colonies.
The battle of Bunker Hill, 1775, is one of the first American battles with the British for independence. The initial cause of the battle is the desire of the British to take over the harbors in Massachusetts (Grant 507). The British forces were twice as strong as American ones. Thus, the British were confident that they could win and underestimated Americans. Even though the British army had better equipment and weapons, Americans defended the territory with dignity (Grant 512). Thus, even though the battle ended with the British victory, their army had severe losses. The battle of Bunker Hill marked the end of the peaceful rebellions and protests and became the first armed conflict of the American Revolution.
The Battle of Saratoga, 1777, is one of the turnings points of the American Revolution. Two significant battles lasted eighteen days and helped the Continental army to establish its positions (Montanus 10). The first battle near Freeman’s farm ended with the win of the British soldiers under John Burgoyne’s command (Montanus 23). However, the British witnessed huge losses, and the colonial generals took advantage out of it. Thus, later during the Battle of Bemis Heights, the American reinforcements appeared, and, as a result, Burgoyne was cornered and surrendered his army (Montanus 11). Therefore, the battle of Saratoga was a crucial win for the Americans and ensured the subsequent communications with France.
The Battle of Monmouth in 1778 was the first success of the colonial forces in the war of independence. Jorge Washington using the withdrawal of the British forces for his benefit, deployed American troops to intercept enemies (Timpanaro 220). The main point of Washington was to avoid the battle first to make British forces underestimate the American army. Thus, the American troops under Lee’s command dealt several blows and withdrew. Therefore, they were trying to weaken the enemy (Timpanaro 221). Thanks to this strategy, the British thought that they can defeat Americans without calling the reinforcements. However, Clinton figured out the American’s tactics and tried to confront the enemy (Timpanaro 221). As a result, the battle was a draw, but the Americans’ advantage was that they could confront the British forces that were much larger than American ones.
There were many essential for the American Revolution battles in the history of the Americans’ claim for independence. The three mentioned battles were crucial turning points for the revolution. Even though The British had military superiority, colonialists managed to achieve their goal. The sorely planned military strategies of Americans and their fighting spirit helped them to achieve their goal. The Battle of Saratoga, Monmouth, and Bunker Hill demonstrated that the American colonialist often used the fact that The British underestimated Americans. Thus, the British were distracted by the Americans’ morale, strategy and, as a result, cornered or left with huge losses. The number of other battles contributed to the gaining the independence by the American colonialists.
Works Cited
Grant, Larry. “Men of War: The American Soldier in Combat at Bunker Hill.” New York History, Fenimore Art Museum, 2017, pp. 509–513.
Montanus, Paul. The Saratoga Campaign: Maneuver Warfare, the Continental Army, and the Birth of the American Way of War. Papamoa Press, 2017.
Timpanaro, Michael. “Fatal Sunday: George Washington, the Monmouth Campaign, and the Politics of Battle”. NJS: An Interdisciplinary Journal, vol. 4, no. 1, 2018, pp. 219-223.