The Revolutionary War

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The Revolutionary War
In the year of 1763, the Seven Years’ war ended with the British gaining all land on the North American continent east of the Mississippi River and significant debt accumulated during the war. Prior to the Seven Years’ War, the British had little interest in the affairs of the colonies and accepted soldiers and economic resources during the war (Foner, 2012). However, the British would look to the colonies as a source of revenue generation to pay their substantial debt and fund the newly acquired land.
After the war, the British enforced previously ignored restrictions and taxes, implemented new taxes, and further limited the colonies’ ability to trade with other countries. The colonist saw this as an encroachment on their freedom and tensions between the colonist and the British began to rise. Several small conflicts occurred between the two groups leading up to the signing of The Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, by which the Second Continental Congress formally declared the United States independent from Britain rule and the war officially began. The Revolutionary War was fought on many battlefields and the cost was substantial to all groups involved. The outcome was American independence and the birth of a nation. The purpose of this paper is to review how The Revolutionary War differed from European wars, the American allies, and the cost of the war.
Characteristics of The Revolutionary War
The British boasted the most powerful navy in the world and a strong, established army. Overcoming the British would not be easy and to many appeared impossible. However, many factors contributed to the success of the colonies including the training received by during the Seven Years’ War an...

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...l cost with the federal and state governments contributing a combined £151 million, but excess distribution of paper money and a high debt level caused significant economic concerns. Great Britain’s cost of £80 million was easily financed, but the cost to France of £56 million added to an already astronomical debt. (American Revolutionary War.net). These world powers would continue to pay the financial costs of war for years after the Treaty of Paris was signed.
Conclusion
More than seven years of war, £151 million, and 50,000 casualties were significant costs for American independence. The Declaration of Independence and defeating the British in The Revolutionary War established that Americans and all men had the God given rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. For the Patriots then and now, there is no cost too great to protect these rights.

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