why was it easier for the Americans to have a successful revolution?

Question

why was it easier than the French Revolution?
leadership
geography
international support

Answer 1

We were fighting in our own country, defending the homeland brings out the best in armies. Occupation armies have it the worst...hmmm.

Answer 2

Many of these are very good answers, but there is one thing that is being overlooked that might be just as important.

Britain did not really start to take the war seriously until it was almost too late. Their leadership always felt that, if they just won a critical battle, the Colonials would fold and go home. Instead of taking control of the countryside, the British armies largely stayed in the large cities where they could be comfortable and well supplied, while their Tory allies around the countryside were being systematically terrorized by the rebels (sorry, but the Sons of Liberty were really, REALLY awful people that would make Steven King throw up all over himself!). Also, after the withdrawal from Boston in 1776, the British never again ventured in strength into New England so the firebrands of revolution were safe to spread anti-royalist propaganda (lets not forget, in the beginning many felt that this was "Massachussetts' war!")

When the British armies did move, it was usually so cautiously that they could win individual battles but could never take advantage of those little victories (the Americans could always escape to fight another day). A point was made about Trenton, which is very important (good job!); the British army in New York had spent close to a year conquering New Jersey, but with the defeats at Trenton and Brandywine(?) their outposts were all withdrawn back to New York and the small victories were thus seen as being collossal.

The arrival of the French is important mainly because it came at the time that the British finally started to take the war seriously. The British army had become very active in the South, where Tory support was still relatively secure, and the French fleet was able to keep the British fleet busy elsewhere (Carribean, Indian Ocean, etc).

Answer 3

All of those reasons. Britain was thousands of miles away and had for a long time, been lax about the Navigation Laws that had currently bound us. For a long time, colonists were happy and traded as they wished, despite those laws. Then came around changes especially after some rebellions (Whiskey, Bacon's, etc.) and the British really started to crack down with the Stamp, Sugar, Currency, Quartering, and Townsend Acts but by then it was too late. The Declaratory Act was an absolute joke. All of these acts just made the colonists angry. People deliberately went against the Proclamation of 1763 and settled west of the Appalachians. Patrick Henry's speech and Thomas Paine's "Common Sense" further fueled the passion of the colonists. They had everything they needed to start a war.

During the war, military leaders helped. George Washington became commander-in-chief after the Second Continental Congress, and it turned out to be a brilliant move. Though as a general he was mediochre at most, he had a certain charisma about him that made his men love and support him. The Battle of Trenton just made it all the much better.

We had little international support until Burgoyne's loss at Saratoga- purely because of our knowledge and expereince on the terrain (over 6,000 men defeated, sent back to England) (the terrain especially in the South gave the colonies a tremendous advantage). The world saw that the militia was strong enough to defeat the strongest and most powerful army in the world at that time. Hence, the French came in to support us. Without them, we couldn't have won. My teacher would say, "makes you sick thinking that we may not be here today without their help (especially as many other cultures immigrated to the New World) and today we eat "freedom fries" because of our ignorance". Then again... others of us have our opinions.

Answer 4

Part of it was purely economical. It was very expensive for Britain to ship their soldiers on such a long overseas journey, plus the cost of their supplies and munitions - given that they're chance of finding any sort of support once they landed in the "colonies" was very thin.

Secondly, up until that time, most wars were fought in a very specific and almost ritualistic way, Americans were the first to truly break the rules, and use tactics that they'd learned from watching the indigenous natives.

Thirdly, The climate, terrain and wide expanse of the areas for battle were much more extreme than the British were accustomed to. England is really a pretty small country, and it hadn't yet become the world power that it would become in the 19th century - it's navy was it's largest military strength up until that time, and had only recently become so - with the sinking of the Spanish Armada in the late 17th century.

Answer 5

To otterluv: Sorry, chic....the French aren't all that great. Sure, France lent some support during the American Revolution, but the Colonials could have won without their help. Don't forget, also, that whatever debt we owed France has been paid back and then some. After WWII, the United States spent millions of dollars rebuilding France, Germany, Japan, and Great Britain....money which has yet to come back into our pockets. For all the help we gave them, they sure forgot about it.

So stop being such a European apologist. Failing that, move to France if you like it so much. I'll even buy you a one way ticket.

Answer 6

my unmentioned reasons
English Common Law and a respect by both sides for the rule of law.
Read the Declaration of Independence; while it is a bit incendiary it is also a very reasonable document that attempted to appeal to people of reason.
An upwardly mobile and educated middle class-
Really talented , highly educated ,and capable people in leadership positions
While peasants can and do successfully over throw governments they just can't run them. They tend to be a bit heavy handed see Stalin, Mao
Americans didn't have that problem they were ruled by capable people.

Answer 7

We had the support of the French army, plus the colonists' guerilla warfare severely countered the British troops' military formations.

Answer 8

Well, for one, the country they were rebelling against was 3000 miles away...plus Britain had other problems at the time...all in all, it was just ripe for a revolution.

Answer 9

- They both succeeded in ultimately shifting their societies in route of democratization. - They differed in that American Revolution maintained its loved ones political/economic skill structure and the French Revolution bumped off its political/economic skill structure.

Answer 10

Because of its isolation and its self sufficiency.
Also because the Colonials had the French to back them up.