How did the American War of Independence happen?

North America used to be the hometown of Indians. 1492 After Columbus discovered the "New World", Spain, the Netherlands, France, Britain and other countries began to immigrate to North America. From17th century to the first half of18th century, Britain became the winner of the North American continent through many colonial battles with other countries and the slaughter and plunder of Indians, and established 13 colony on the Atlantic coast of North America. British colonists tried to turn the colonies into sales markets for British industrial products and suppliers of cheap raw materials, and tried their best to hinder the development of capitalist economy in North American colonies. Since the second half of the17th century, Britain has successively promulgated many laws, such as Navigation Law, Catalogue Law, Major Commodities Law, Wool Law, Hat Making Law, Ironmaking Law, etc., and tried every means to restrict and stifle the development of colonial independent economy. Before 1763, Britain was busy fighting for other colonies. The colonial economy in North America developed rapidly and its economic independence increased. Economic exchanges between colonies are becoming more and more frequent, and the urban population is increasing day by day. There are big cities with tens of thousands of people, such as Philadelphia, new york and Boston. These cities gradually became the political, economic and cultural centers of 13 colony. The strengthening of social and economic exchanges between colonies also promoted the development of cultural life. Some famous universities in America were established at this time.

In the Seven-year War between Britain and France from 1756 to 1763, Britain freed its hands to step up its slavery to the North American colonies. In order to meet the needs of the development of industrial revolution, Britain urgently needs to expand foreign markets. At the same time, it has to pass on the military expenditure of the Seven-Year War to the colonial people and collect new taxes under various pretexts, which further intensifies the original ethnic contradictions between the colony and the British suzerain. 1763, the British government announced that it was forbidden to immigrate to the west, in order to ensure the royal family's exclusive possession of the land in the west, blocked the livelihood of the working people who longed for land, and restricted the bourgeoisie and big planters from occupying land in the west. Later, the Stamp Tax Law, Sugar Tax Law and Tea Tax Law were promulgated one after another, which further intensified the contradiction. 1773 65438+February 16, angry Bostonians disguised as Indians broke into three English tea boats moored in Boston harbor and dumped 342 boxes of tea worth 15000 pounds into the sea. The "Boston Tea Party" greatly inspired the struggle morale of the colonial people and angered the British ruling class. They began to retaliate, and since March 1774, five high-handed decrees have been promulgated. This high-handed policy can only make the anti-British movement of the North American people even higher.

North American colonies United in the anti-British struggle. 1On September 5th, 774, representatives of various colonies held the first continental congress in Philadelphia. At the meeting, the "three musts" resolution was adopted, that is, cutting off all import, export and consumption relations with Britain, but at the same time trying to reach a compromise with Britain. 1775, when the continental congress hesitated to carry out armed resistance, the people of North America took action. On April 19, the British army went to Concord to search the ammunition stored by the militia and attempted to arrest the famous patriot leader. When the British army walked to Lexington near Boston, it was ambushed by militia. The British army retreated hastily, killing and injuring 300 prisoners, and the militia lost only 50 people. This struggle kicked off the colonial war of independence. At the end of April, 20,000 militiamen set up a camp called "Freedom Camp" near Boston. On may 10, the second continental congress was held in Philadelphia. /kloc-In June of 0/5, the General Assembly passed a resolution to form a regular army, stipulating that the army should supplement its personnel according to the principle of voluntary enlistment and establish a regular army consisting of divisions, brigades, regiments, battalions, artillery and cavalry units. The total strength is set at 88 battalions, with 60,000 people (but never more than 2,000 people during the war), and Washington, a Virginia planter and former British colonel, is the commander-in-chief of the North American Continental Army. 1776 On July 2nd, the Second Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence drafted by Thomas Jefferson, which took effect on July 4th. The Declaration of Independence declared that the colony 13 broke away from the suzerain country, became an independent United States of America, and embarked on the road of the war of independence.

Britain was the largest industrial country in the world at that time, with a population of100000, occupying a vast colony, having an advanced army and a powerful navy, and the total number of troops sent to North American colonies reached 90000. The United States is backward in economy and military power, with a population of less than 3 million, and the clothes and equipment of the continental army are very poor. On average, every three talents have 1 musket and 1 quilt, and there is no navy.

From the Battle of Lexington to 1777, 10 was the first stage of the war. The United States is in the stage of strategic defense, and the main battlefield is in the north and middle. On June 1775, 17, a big battle took place between the two sides in Bankhill near Boston. In one day, the militia repelled three British charges in Bankhill Highland, and more than 400 people were killed and wounded by the militia. British casualties exceeded 1000. After the Battle of Bankhill, the militia surrounded Boston. Washington rushed to Boston to direct the battle. 1776 In March, the American army seized the highland south of Boston, set up artillery to control the whole city, and the British army was forced to leave Boston.

In August, the commander-in-chief of the British army, General Howe, led 20,000 troops to attack the American army from the rear of the American army. A few days later, the armies of both sides fought fiercely in Long Island. Because Washington fought all night, the troops were exhausted and surrounded by the British. At the critical moment, the fog came and Washington took the opportunity to break through. In mid-September, British troops occupied new york. 165438+ 10, and occupied two American forts in the Hudson Valley. Washington had to lead the troops back to New Jersey. At this time, there were only 5,000 Americans left, and morale was low. Thomas Paine's revolutionary movement has greatly boosted the morale of the American army, and they are determined to stick to it. On Christmas Day, February 25th, 65438, Washington thought that the British army was too busy to stand guard during the festival. With the help of fishermen, he led 2400 people across the Delaware River and defeated the British in panic. 177765438+1On October 3rd, Washington marched on Princeton again. He won by surprise attack tactics, but these partial victories failed to reverse the whole war. 1On September 25th, 777, Philadelphia fell into the hands of British troops, and Washington was forced to lead the Continental Army to retreat to Ji Gu in the northwest of Philadelphia for winter training and consolidation. At this time, the British government was eager to end the war. In order to solve the war in North America as soon as possible, it attempted to attack Albany with three armies, occupy the Hudson River basin and isolate New England. However, the three armed forces have no unified operational deployment and command. The British army led by St. Legge was attacked by militia and returned to Canada. Another British army led by General Howe was too busy to cope with Washington's main force to act as planned. As a result, among the three armed forces, only the British troops led by Bourgau went south from Canada, and Bourgau went deep alone. He sent a team of 1 000 people, which was completely annihilated by the Vermont Green Mountain Youth Volunteers led by militia hero John Stark in bennington. The New England militia rose up against Britain, cleared the field, cut off roads and destroyed bridges, so that Bourgau's army was besieged and had to retreat to Saratoga, a major town in northern new york. 177710 June17, Bourgau, exhausted, surrendered with 6,000 British troops. The battle of Saratoga turned the tide and was a turning point in the American War of Independence.

The second stage is from the Battle of Saratoga to the end of the war. The United States changed from strategic defense to strategic attack, and the main battlefield was in the south. 1778 February, the United States and France concluded an alliance treaty. In the summer, the French fleet that helped the United States sailed into American territorial waters, forcing the British to withdraw from Philadelphia. After 1778, the British army lost the ability to organize large-scale attacks in North China and Central China, and its military operations turned to the south in an attempt to rely on pro-British businessmen and planters in the south to launch an offensive there to save the defeat. 1780 In May, the British navy and army made a joint expedition and occupied the coastal town of Charleston, South Carolina. The American regular army sent to the south was defeated by the British. The commander-in-chief of the British army mistakenly thought that the victory of the southern battlefield was set, so he asked his subordinate General Cornwally to defend Charleston and lead the army back to new york. However, the people in the south carried out guerrilla warfare extensively. Some of them are lurking at home, others are hiding behind cliffs and Woods, waiting for the sudden attack when the British artillery team and the trench car come. General Green, the deputy commander-in-chief of the Continental Army, who was born as a blacksmith, effectively combined the military actions of the regular army and guerrillas, and defeated the British army many times in Rocky Mountains and Hanging Rock, Cowpens and guildford in northern South Carolina, thus changing the war situation. The U.S. military immediately turned to the counter-offensive, and Cornwallis could not gain a foothold in the south, and his troops were consumed day by day. Finally, he retreated to Yorktown, Virginia, waiting for the support of the British navy. At this time, the British and French allied forces led by Washington, Rochambeau and Saint-Simon went south from West Point Military Academy near new york, passed through New Jersey and took a boat on the Delaware River. In September, they landed in Williamsburg, northwest of Yorktown, and surrounded Yorktown. The French fleet also came from the West Indies to cooperate and defeated the British navy outside York Harbor, completely cutting off the British sea supply line and retreat. 10 10 19, Cornwallis led 8000 people to surrender.

At this point, the American War of Independence basically ended. 1783 On September 3rd, Britain and the United States signed a peace treaty at the Palace of Versailles in Paris, France. Britain officially recognized American independence, and the United States finally got rid of colonial rule and became an independent country.