The reasons why the British, from Parliament to the Expeditionary Essay

The reasons why the British, from Parliament to the Expeditionary Forces, were defeated by a less trained and weaker American army in the American Revolutionary - Essay Example How could a group of colonies spread out over a vast region with no central government or treasury and an army that was inadequately trained and equipped possibly defeat the British who were the most powerful military force at that time? Britain had ruled over the thirteen colonies in America for more than 200 years prior to the Revolution. By the beginning of the Revolution, the wars against France fought on both sides of the Atlantic had burdened Britain with a massive national debt. To ease the national debt, Parliament imposed taxes on the colonists believing it only fair that they bear part of the expenses incurred by the British military in protecting them from Indian attacks and French invasions. The Stamp Act taxed paper goods sent to the colonies. It was the first of these laws while, with the tea tax, was one of the most infamous of these laws. The colonists thought taxation without representation in the British government to be unjust and openly protested these laws which led to hostilities between British troops and the Massachusetts Minutemen in 1775. This and other conflicts with the ‘Red Coats’ led to colonists forming the Continental Congress which immediately created the Continental Arm y and in 1776, signed the Declaration of Independence (The American Revolution, 2006). The Americans, outmatched by more than three-to-one, were predictably defeated in the majority of battles that occurred during the war’s first year. However, the Americans’ fortune began to change following the victories at Saratoga and Germantown in 1777. These important first triumphs gave increased credibility to what had previously been widely considered as an unorganized, minor uprising certain to be vanquished by the mighty British army. By 1778, France had become convinced that Britain stood the chance of being defeated. Wanting nothing more than this,

How are the causes of the french revolution portrayed through the Essay

How are the causes of the french revolution portrayed through the visual arts - Essay Example Popular violence defined the French Revolution whose slogan was Liberty, Equality and Fraternity. Violent turmoil, which included the trial and execution of the king, warfare involving every major European power, vast bloodshed and repression during the Reign of Terror marked these changes. Napoleonic Wars, two separate restorations of the monarchy, and two additional revolutions are the subsequent events that one can trace to the Revolution as modern France took shape. Many causes brought about the French Revolution one major cause being the disputes between the different types of social classes in French society. The social structure of France was divided among three groups that included the First Estate, the Second Estate and the Third Estate. Each of these social groups had different types of people who presented the different views of the people within their structure. The Church or the Clergy was the First Estate, which during the ancient regime was equal in terms of its economic, social and spiritual power. Being the first estate, the church owned approximately 10 per cent of all the land in France. It paid no taxes but collected a tax on income or a tithe to support church activities such as running schools and caring for the poor. Of the entire clergy in France, about one-third of them served as parish priests who usually lived a hardworking life. They lived in luxury in Versailles, Paris and other major cities in France. Having approximat ely 1 to 2 per cent of the population, this Estate was the minority of the people in France. However, there were many poor clergymen in this Estate, and they too were going to support the Revolution. The Second Estate in French life was the nobility who made up less than 2 percent of the population and enjoyed extensive rights and privileges. Like the First Estate, they hardly paid any taxes but they taxed the peasantry. Nobles were generally the