In this blog post, we will examine whether the American War of Independence was an inevitable consequence of the colonial expansion and foreign strategy failures of the European powers in the 18th century, along with the historical background.
In the 18th century, European powers were reaching the height of imperialism as they gradually expanded their colonies. At this time, the 13 colonies on the east coast of England became independent from the United Kingdom and founded the United States of America in the wake of the American Revolutionary War. The independence of the United States brought about major changes not only at the time but also in today’s international affairs.
The reasons for the American War of Independence can be divided into two main categories. First, the problem was the excessive taxation policy of the British. At the time, the American colonies did not bring much economic benefit to the British, and the British, facing financial limitations after the Seven Years’ War, decided to increase the financial burden on the United States. As a result, the Sugar Act was enacted in 1764 to impose tariffs, but since this was an indirect tax that was also in effect in mainland Britain, there was no major backlash. However, the Stamp Duty Act enacted in 1765 became a problem. This law imposed an internal tax on all publications, which caused a major backlash from the colonists. At the time, the American colonies could not send representatives to the British Parliament, so they protested by shouting, “No taxation without representation!” In the end, the Stamp Act was repealed because it did not conform to British tax principles. However, tariffs were imposed on glass, lead, paper, paint, and tea imported from the American colonies under the Townshend Act of 1767.
Another cause of the American War of Independence was the establishment of Indian Country. The colonists expected to expand into the fertile Midwest, but the British established Indian Country, which prohibited expansion west of the Appalachian Mountains and restricted trade with the Indians. This was because they were concerned that if the colonists advanced into the area, friction with the Indians would occur, the dispatch of troops would be unavoidable, and there would be a problem with military expenses. However, when the Indian territory was not properly protected, in 1769, the British implemented the Quartering Act, which required the dispatch of troops and the payment of the cost of stationing them by the colonists. The backlash against this was great, and when the British troops marched through the city on March 1, 1770, the citizens jeered and threw stones at them, and the situation escalated into a shootout that resulted in the death of a citizen. This incident became known as the Boston Massacre in the United States.
The UK subsequently repealed the Townshend Acts, but kept the tax on tea, which led to the Boston Tea Party and became the spark for the American Revolutionary War. During the Seven Years’ War, the East India Company was granted the right to sell tea in America in exchange for purchasing government bonds, and as a result, tea wholesalers were established, which caused damage to existing tea merchants. They staged an incident in which they dressed up as Indians and threw tea into the sea to provoke conflict between the British and the Indians. In response, the British closed the port of Boston in 1774 and demanded compensation.
To respond to this incident, 12 states, excluding Georgia, gathered in Philadelphia in September to hold the First Continental Congress. In 1775, the colonial militia raided the British military arsenal in Lexington, which started the Revolutionary War, and on July 4, 1776, the Declaration of Independence was announced. Benjamin Franklin’s activities during the war were prominent, and he was fluent in French and attracted French support. At the time, France, which was in a poor financial situation, only sent a militia, but with the victory at the Battle of Saratoga in 1778, an alliance between France and the United States was formed, and France joined the war with naval support. In 1781, the American army won the Battle of Yorktown, taking advantage of the French navy’s blockade of the Virginia main force. In the end, the British were forced to recognize American independence through the Treaty of Versailles in 1783, which was the first defeat for the British since the Hundred Years’ War.
Twenty years earlier, in 1763, the Seven Years’ War between Austria and Prussia over Silesia saw Britain support Prussia to defeat France, which supported Austria, and gain dominance in North America. However, twenty years later, Britain’s defeat in the American War of Independence in 1783 can be seen as a failure of foreign policy. In 1763, Britain was able to win the war thanks to its superior war command and financial advantage, but by 1783, there was no one to check France. At the time, Russia and Prussia were focused on the partition of Poland and could not be involved in the war between the United States and Britain. This allowed France to avenge its defeat in 1763 and restore the balance of power in preparation for future challenges in the struggle for supremacy between Great Britain and France.
