The Role Of The Patriots In The American Revolution

In the 1770’s the British army was well known for its monetary wealth and professional well trained militia. American colonists were slowly getting more and more fed up with the inequality and taxation under British rule so they took a stand. Americans known as Rebels or Patriots fought in the Revolutionary War to gain independence from Britain. Some colonists also known as loyalists, thought that the Patriots had no chance against the professional militia so they stayed loyal to the crown. Although improbable at the start of the American Revolution, the colonists were able to defeat the British army and formally gain independence because they had great leadership from George Washington, similar goals that created high morale, and aided from

the French.
George Washington served as a general and commander-in-chief of the Continental Army during the Revolutionary war. The leadership of Washington was crucial to American victory because he never surrendered his army, helped train his troops at Valley Forge, and performed skillful retreats to save as many men as possible. During the winter of 1777 George Washington led his army to Valley Forge, Pennsylvania where they suffered against the elements of nature during the coldest winter of the war. Leading the Patriots to Valley Forge was a very clever decision because it was a natural fortress, and was close enough to the occupied city of Philadelphia for the Continental Army to keep an eye on the British and prevent surprise attacks along the countryside. Although Washington’s idea to lead troops to Valley forge was a skillful decision, it would not protect the army from the hardships it was about to present. Soldiers suffered from lack of supplies and food, while Washington reported to Congress that nearly one third of his men had no coats or shoes.Despite the many casualties and low morale during the deadly winter, Washington managed to aid in the Patriot’s spirits and train them to be better fighters. General Washington used the time between December 1777 and June 1778 to train his men and prove his position as the head of the Continental Army. This was significant because finally, on June 19, 1778 the Continental Army was better trained and more determined than ever. Together they marched out of Valley Forge with Washington, who proved his leadership and remained commander of the continental army. After Valley Forge, Washington continued to prove himself to be a worthy commander by performing skillful retreats to save his men. He realized to preserve the Continental Army from destruction and risk it all at a major battle under unfavorable conditions. Washington lost many battles, but his skillful retreats and inspiring words saved his army to fight another day. By preoccupying the British Army, Washington's soldiers freed local militias to suppress the loyalists aiding the British army. The Americans overall benefited greatly from George Washington’s leadership that allowed the Continental army to push through the hardships of war for eight years.
Secondly, the Patriots had similar goals in the American Revolution, which created high morale.

The Americans had an advantage over the British for a simple reason: they were fighting for something they wanted, rather than the British fighting to “play defense” and prevent American independence. Americans colonists wanted to become an independant nation, have a new system of self governance, claim equal rights for all citizens, and rid themselves from tyranny. The Patriots who fought in the Revolution were primarily fighting for independence from Britain, and it was that similar goal that boosted morale. As stated in the Declaration of Independence American colonists were subject to a “long train of abuses and usurpations” and it was also argued that the British tyranny forced colonists to “alter their former system of government”. Therefore, the Patriots were fighting for a cause that affected their everyday lives which inspired them even more to defeat Britain. The British was fed up with the casualties and heavy taxes to pay for the war they were fighting without cause, while the Americans would have done anything to defeat the British. The American colonists and their want to defeat the British for the rights they deserved was a crucial factor to American victory during the revolutionary

war.
Finally, the Patriots aided greatly from the assistance of France. During the early years of the war the French doubted that the Americans would have a chance at defeating the British army so they didn’t want to risk an open alliance. Instead, the French supplied secret shipments of arms and ammunition to the Patriots that kept them alive and fighting. Marquis de Lafayette also provided military expertise to the Patriots. However, George Washington began 1777 with a victory when he moved his soldiers to inflict heavy casualties on General Charles Cornwallis' troops at the Battle of Princeton. This victory caused the French to finally acknowledge that American independence was forthcoming, so they plead to help defend American independence. France provided the Patriots with more money for the war, more troops and a Navy. Without the aid of the French there was no way the Americans could have ever won the war. In 1781 Washington planned to trap British General Cornwallis and his army at Yorktown, but needed a French fleet to arrive in time to prevent the British from evacuating by sea. The French appeared at the right moment to block the British and prevent them from leaving. Given that General Cornwallis was now trapped by land and sea, he surrendered at Yorktown on October 19, 1781. Not only did the French help Washington’s army defeat the British at Yorktown, but also helped aid the Patriots in the early battles of the Revolutionary War.
It was the Revolutionary War that united the South Carolinians, Virginians, New Yorkers, and other colonists into Americans. Everyday, Americans live independent lives and exercise their rights to liberty and the pursuit of happiness because of the American victory in the Revolutionary war. The Patriots were able to win the war because they had great leadership from George Washington, colonists had similar goals that raised morale, and aided from the French.