Why did Britain lose the American War of Independence of 1775-1783?

1. Why did Britain lose the American War of Independence of 1775-1783?

2. Objectives In this activity you will: • Learn how America gained independence. • Explore and understand links between causes.

3. Why did Britain lose the American war of independence? • Historians, when exploring why events happen, often try to link different causes. • This allows historians to develop a deeper understanding of the past. • This presentation will help you to link different causes to explain why Britain was finally defeated by the Americans in 1783.

4. Why did Britain lose the American war of independence? Firstly we need to understand the different causes of Britain’s defeat: • It took Britain six weeks to send reinforcements and supplies across the Atlantic Ocean. • The Thirteen Colonies stretched across a distance of over 1000 miles. • Americans were fighting on their own land. • American troops were well led by George Washington • British troops were poorly led by General Burgoyne, who surrendered to American forces in October 1777.

5. Why did Britain lose the American war of independence? • Forests and mountainous terrain made fighting more difficult for the British. • From 1778 onwards, the French declared war on Britain, and in 1779 Spain also declared war on Britain. The British had to divert resources to fight the French and Spanish. French troops and naval forces supported the American Colonists. • In 1781, General Cornwallis was forced to surrender to French and American forces at York Town, which was the last major battle. The Peace of Paris was signed in September 1783.

6. Why did Britain lose the American war of independence? Now try to explain some links between the different causes of Britain’s defeat. Look at this example below: Link: Britain found it difficult to send resources and men to the Colonies. Washington exploited these weaknesses to strengthen the military position of the colonists. Military mistakes made by Burgoyne made the task of the rebels easier and victory more likely. Effective leadership of George Washington Now try to make some other links between the different causes of Britain’s defeat! Poor leadership of General Burgoyne

7. Can you find and explain links between the different causes of Britain’s defeat? Effective leadership of George Washington Mountainous terrain difficult for the British France and Spain declared war on Britain The colonies stretched over 1000 miles The Americans knew the land better Surrender at the major battle of Yorktown Poor leadership of General Burgoyne It took a long time for British reinforcements to arrive