American Revolution Test

By: Daniel O’Bryan

Q. How justified were the Americans in rebelling against their

mother country after nearly 150 of peaceful relations? Please

justify your answer with examples.

If the revolution had happened just before the French and Indian

War then the Americans would have been wrong to separate themselves

from Britain. Up until the French and Indian War, England had been

nothing but helpful to the colonies. If the colonies would have

revolted out of greed and land it would have been a different story.

The fact is that after the French and Indian War, England found

themselves them in huge debt and needed to find a way to pay for it.

England believed that the taxes on the American colonies were just

because it was because of the colonies that the debt had amounted

anyway. Logically this makes sense but the colonists saw it as taxation

without representation. Because the colonies had no representatives in

Parliament they felt like they should not be taxed.

Britain was not all innocent in the Revolution. Britain definitely

pushed the Americans to the breaking point and the Americans had no

other choice but to rebel. Like Thomas Paine said, monarchy is a

tyranny and we was Americans have every right to separate ourselves

from that tyranny for ourselves and for our future generations.

The tyranny from England was wrong and had to be stopped.

Monarchy has too many problems and as being colonies under a

monarchy the American colonies knew just how many flaws there

were. First, hereditary rule was never a good thing because the

successor to throne my not be fit to lead. Another problem with

monarchy is child rulers and that almost always leads down a bad

road. The problems with monarchy that the colonies had the most

trouble was that the king had no power check and when he saw the

rebellion as an attack on him personally there was nothing that could

stop him from starting a war, another one of the set backs to monarchy

that Paine addressed.

In being independent from Britain gave America some good, new

economical advantages. By having free trade with other countries in

Europe, America could become more powerful and max out profits.

The colonists would also be able to expand the continent and use the

land to free America of debt and create an army. By expanding over

the Appalachian Mountains America could possibly become a world

power. Without English taxation and English enemies America could

set up its own representative government.

Separation from England also had specific political perks.

Americans would no longer be seen as rebels and outlaws. We would

be free to form foreign treaties and make new allies. We would be free

to set up a representative government and have equal rights for all.

Also America would no longer have the same enemies that England has

and no longer fight England’s fights.

In short, the Revolutionary War at the time it happened was very

justified. The taxes that England put on us were unnecessary and

unwanted. England was quickly becoming a tyrant and that left the

Americans only one choice. They would have to go up against the

finest military operation in the world against the strongest country in

the world to win their freedom and the freedom of all future

generations.

Q. Justify this statement: the British should have won the

Revolutionary War. Use details and examples to explain your answer.

The British made many, many stupid mistakes during the

Revolutionary War. Some of the mistakes were communications errors

and some were just made out of pride and foolishness. A few of these

mistakes were catastrophic and some meant very little but the fact of

the matter is that the British could have very likely won the
Revolutionary war by making less mistakes and forgetting about their

pride.

One of the biggest mistakes the British was at the Battle of

Bunker Hill. If this battle had played out differently the Revolution

would have been crushed almost before it even began. And were it not

for the pride and over-confidence of the British the British would have

destroyed George Washington in the Battle for New York (Brookville

Heights) and won the war.

The battle on Breed’s Hill, wrongly named the Battle of Bunker

Hill, changed the course of the American Revolution. This battle was

the first large-scale engagement and also one of the bloodiest battles

of the American Revolution. When the Americans arrived at Breed’s

Hill they immediately decided to dig trenches to provide better

protection and fall back on Bunker Hill if necessary.

The next day when the British discovered this fortification they

became infuriated. Some of the British Navy opened fire upon the hill.

But these ships made only noise and did minimal to no damage.

Throughout that day the American forces had been receiving

reinforcements. The stage was now set for one of the bloodiest battles

of the Revolutionary War.

The British could have easily taken over the hills by

surrounding them but they wanted to prove that they were the greatest

military force in the world so they decided on a head on battle. They

realized faults in their plan; however the British paid no attention to

it. They had no reason to stop and think twice from their past

experiences with the rebel forces.

When it was obvious the battle was going to begin the soldiers

and officers were extremely nervous on the American side. They had

one huge problem…low ammunition. The officers ordered the soldiers

to hold their fire and to make sure that they made every shot count.

The officers wisely ordered directions to aim low because soldiers

tended to aim high downhill. The soldiers were told,” Don’t one of you

fire until you see the whites of their eyes.” This was to make sure that

the men didn’t fire early and waste precious ammunition.

The British finally advanced towards Breed’s Hill. The first

column was completely blown away and the next two emerged and met

the same fate. The British tried to stand their ground but were

devastated and rolled back downhill. The British wasted no time and

prepared for a second attack within fifteen minutes. The second strike

met the same fate as the first. The rebels held their fire until the last

moment and then completely decimated the British lines. The British

troops were once again forced to retreat.

After finally learning from their mistake the British were

determined to do it the right this time. The biggest problem was that

their small supply of ammunition was now gone. Many of the

American soldiers did not have full charges so the percussion was not
as great as it had been in the earlier assaults. The third attack started

off similar to the first two. The British advanced very close to the

American defense until the patriots opened fire. The British sustained

heavy losses again but they were determined to break through. Finally

the British did break through and the rebels knew that they were

defeated and retreated to Bunker Hill.

This near defeat shocked the British and lead to a key part in the

Revolution. This was kind of a wake up call for the British and made

them wonder if the Americans might have a chance in this war.

Another small stupid mistake that the British was that the

cannons they brought for the Battle of Bunker Hill used different size

ammunition than the kind they brought. This was a mistake that had

little to almost no affect on the war but it just shows how unprepared

and unworried the British were about the Americans before the Battle

of Bunker Hill and how much their thoughts changed after the battle.

If the British would have just surrounded the hill instead on

going for a head on frontal assault, they might have decimated much

of the Continental army and put down the Revolution right then and

there. But the British were too cocky and arrogant and decided to show

their military might and wipe the Americans of the face of the earth.

This plan drastically back-fired and this battle played a big

physiological part later in the war.

 George Washington was in control of the troops trying to take

New York by using the Fabian strategy. This is the strategy which uses

hit and run tactics kind of like guerilla warfare. George Washington

was trying to do this to penetrate the city of New York but by this time

the British knew of his strategy and knew how to use it against him.

Eventually the British pushed him back so far that his back was to the

water and the British Navy flanking him from the back. The British

could have easily charged in and wiped out George Washington’s army

but because of what happened at the Battle of Bunker Hill they were a

little hesitant. They decided not to storm the Americans and lose

unnecessary lives.

Now the weather was bad this time of year and it had been

raining a cold rain for the past few days. George Washington’s troops

were sick, cold, and hungry and were in no condition to fight. After

the rain stopped a thick fog rolled in. God had answered George

Washington’s prayers because this was the best possible thing that

could happen.

Rather than direct a retreat George Washington ordered that as

many boats as possible be brought from across the cannel. He didn’t

order a direct retreat because it would send the troops into panic and

ruin his whole plan.

When the boats arrived, like ghosts the troops got into the boats

and went across the channel and were safe. The rowers were soldiers
by rank but sailors by trade. All night they ferried across as many

troops as possible to the safety across the way.

When the British awoke in the morning there was no sing of the

Americans and they were astonished by the control and execution of

the American army’s retreat.

Again because of the Battle of Bunker Hill they were tentative to

attack and it very well could have cost them the war. If they would

have attacked George Washington would have had nowhere to go and

would have had to surrender ending any chance that the Americans

would have had of winning the war.

There are many more mistakes that the British made during

the war and the Americans made some too, but had it not been for the

stupidity of the British troops at the Battle of Bunker Hill, England

would have most certainly been the victors of the war. Even if though

they won that battle, their heavy causalities of that battle led to the

tentativeness during the Battle for New York and if it had not been for

this the Americans would have most certainly lost the Revolutionary

War. The pride and the arrogance of the British officers was the final

downfall of their campaign in the Americas and it was because of this

over-confidence that we exist as a country today.