The war for Independence Serhii Zavgorodnii 11 C

The war for Independence Serhii Zavgorodnii 11 C

The war for Independence The American Revolutionary War (1775– 1783), also known as the American War of Independence and the Revolutionary War in the United States, was the armed conflict between Great Britain and thirteen of its North American colonies, which had declared themselves the independent United States of America. Early fighting took place primarily on the North American continent. France, eager for revenge after its defeat in the Seven Years' War, signed an alliance with the new nation in 1778 that proved decisive in the ultimate victory. The conflict gradually expanded into a world war with Britain combating France, Spain, and the Netherlands.

Cause In 1767 Parliament passed the Townshend Act in order to demonstrate its supremacy. It imposed duties on various British goods exported to the colonies. The Americans quickly denounced this as illegal as well, since the intent of the act was to raise revenue and not regulate trade. In 1768 violence broke out in Boston over attempts to suppress smuggling and 4000 British troops were sent to occupy the city. Parliament threatened to try Massachusetts residents for treason in England. In 1700 Parliament agreed to repeal all taxes except the on tea. The landing of this tea was resisted in all the colonies and, when the royal governor of Massachusetts refused to send back the tea ships in Boston, Patriots destroyed the tea chests.

Costs The British spent about £ 80 million and ended with a national debt of £ 250 million, which it easily financed at about £ 9. 5 million a year in interest. The French spent 1. 3 billion livres (about £ 56 million). Their total national debt was £ 187 million, which they could not easily finance; over half the French national revenue went to debt service in the 1780 s. The debt crisis became a major factor of the French Revolution as the government could not raise taxes without public approval. The United States spent $37 million at the national level plus $114 million by the states. This was mostly covered by loans from France and the Netherlands, loans from Americans, and issuance of an increasing amount of paper money (which became "not worth a continental"). The U. S. finally solved its debt and currency problems in the 1790 s when Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton secured legislation by which the national government assumed all of the state debts, and in addition created a national bank and a funding system based on tariffs and bond issues that paid off the foreign debts.