Independence War of USA Significant Events
Independence War of USA Significant Events:
William Howe, the British General achieved success for the first time in 1776, when he declared George Washington, the Commander-in-Chief of Philadelphia Congress in the battle of Bunker Hill. Philadelphia was captured soon after. But in October 1777, George Washington attacked the British General- Burgoyan at Saragota and made him surrender. Burgoyan’s defeat proved to be a turning point in the war. The defeat of the British army at Saragota encouraged some European countries like France and Spain to make up their mind to launch a war against England. It is noteworthy that France had been taking interest in that battle since 1776, and was bent upon taking revenge on England for the consequences of the Seven Years’ War. On February 6, 1778, a compromise was reached between the American colonies and France on these points:
- Nobody would settle a peace pact individually with England.
- The war would be continued until American colonies achieved complete freedom.
Benjamin Franklin played a decisive role in finalizing the compromise. France entered the war in 1778. Spain also launched a war against England in 1778, because it wanted to get Gibraltar back. In 1780, Holland declared war against England because it wanted to keep England entangled in the Atlantic Ocean so that it might stretch its feet in the Far East and South East Asia. Russia, Denmark, and Sweden also declared their armed neutrality which was against England.
The participation of France and Spain in the war with their marine force proved to be a turning point in the war. The British goods were safeguarded by the British Admiral Rodney on the American Seas and by Sir George Elliot in Gibraltar. But the American and the French armies had become so superior that the British Commander-in-Chief Lord Cornwallis (who became Governor General of India later on) had to capitulate on October 19, 1781, in Yorktown. But the marine war continued. France and Spain continued their fight against England. At last, the War of American Independence ended in 1783, with the settlement of the Paris Pact.