Why Did Britain Lose the American War of Independence?

Comments · 57

• WI

  @Wien1938 · 11 months ago

  There&apos;s a truly excellent book on the British Army in North America by Matthew H. Spring: With Zeal and Bayonet Only. <br>Can&apos;t recommend it highly enough.

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• MR

  @MrTappug · 11 months ago

  I’m a proud Yankee, but I think diplomacy is how Britain lost the colonies. It was good diplomacy by Benjamin Franklin and George Washington (his relationship to Lafayette) that brought France and Spain into the war to make a world war that beat Britain. There were also some military mistakes by the Brits say at the Battle of Saratoga. But the long term defeat of Britain was due to big foreign powers. Especially the battle of Yorktown where French ships were used and more French soldiers died. The Spanish helped protect French colonies in the Caribbean so French ships could be used at Yorktown. No I don’t think that ragtag continental army did not beat Britain alone! The battle of Yorktown was also an idea of French General Rochambeau. As a side note, I don’t know why we yanks have Columbus Day instead of Lafayette day?? But that is my strong opinion of what happened. I think others would think that too?

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• AN

  @andrewrodgers2180 · 11 months ago

  Greetings from the 51st state. Thank you very interesting roundtable. I am looking forward to more in your series. Cheers,

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• PA

  @patavinity1262 · 11 months ago

  I see a lot of parallels between Britain&apos;s defeat in America and America&apos;s defeat in Vietnam.

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• RO

  @robinbraysher4799 · 11 months ago

  Thank you NAM, a fascinating discussion. 👏

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• SC

  @scarletpimpernel230 · 11 months ago

  Great discussion! Thanks to all.

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• CH

  @christipotgieter9302 · 10 months ago

  Wow!! So grateful this was posted just in time! This was a really helpful discussion, and really interesting to get everyone&apos;s different perspectives. Thanks for this!!!

• MA

  @markaxworthy2508 · 11 months ago

  Too small a country fighting too far away against multiple opponents.

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• TH

  @THEBES86 · 11 months ago (edited)

  The war was lost before, the first shot was fired. Be that the loss of popular support and maintain a loyalist majority in the colonies.

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• JO

  @joeryanstrialbook2005 · 11 months ago

  For the same reason The United States lost its war with Nam.

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• SL

  @sloths-df3gf · 11 months ago (edited)

  Brit strategy was fundamentally flawed in being based on London&apos;s misapprehension that the majority of the colonial population was basically loyal to the Crown but had been temporarily hoodwinked by radicals - all that was needed was a few bloody noses and the population would step back into line. American historiography will tell you that the majority leaned pro-independence, even if most preferred to hold back and let somebody else (esp. Presbyterian Irish immigrants) do most of the fighting and dying. I don&apos;t think either interpretation is true. I do think that the pro-independence authorities (which controlled most of the colonies, for most of the war), with the local militia as their armed &apos;police&apos;, were very successful in encouraging, cajoling, bullying and forcing the majority to toe the independence line - up to and including exiling/imprisoning/executing those who persisted in open Loyalism. Piers Mackesy put it well: the Americans would always win an auction of terror, so Brit commanders shied away from taking off the gloves. Hang five of theirs, and they&apos;d hang ten of yours.

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• SH

  @shoofly529 · 10 months ago

  The English Army had bayonets &amp; the American Atmy did not. &nbsp;Hard to stand up to a charge when someone is running up to impale you with a fixed bayonet &amp; you have none.