CULTURE II – GROUP 1

Santiago Moreno.

Comparative chart: American Independence War and the Secession War

American Independence War Secession war

The American Revolution or War of Independence involved two simultaneous

struggles: a military conflict with Britain (resolved by 1781) and a political conflict
How these wars are called American Civil War, also called War Between the States
within America itself over whether to demand complete independence from Britain
and how the resulting new nation should be structured.

1775-1783. The fighting took place in three distinct phases. 1) 1775-76 : Mainly
located in New England but culminated in the American failure to capture Quebec
in December 1775, thus enabling the British to retain Canada. 2) 1776-79 :
Fought mainly in the mid-Atlantic region. The American victory at Saratoga
(October 1777) was a major turning point in the war as it convinced France to
enter the war on America's side, contributing badly needed financial aid and its
War broke out on 12 April 1861 when Southern forces opened fire on federal-
When they happened powerful navy and troops. 3) 1778-81 : Mainly in the south and west. Naval
owned Fort Sumter
warfare now assumed greater importance, with French, American and British
ships fighting for control of the Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea. Spain declared
war against Britain in June 1779, followed by Holland in 1780. In September 1781
the French fleet drove the British navy from Chesapeake Bay, preparing the way
for the British surrender at Yorktown (October 1781), the last major battle of the
war. (September 1783) Treaty of Paris.

The battlefields of the American War of Independence stretched from Quebec in

the north to Florida in the south, and from the Atlantic coast as far west as what is
Where they occurred
now southwestern Illinois. The first skirmish, described later as "the shot heard
around the world" occured in Lexington, Massachussets on 19 April 1775

The Northern states (the Union): California, Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa,
Colonists: Militiamen and volunteers. By the war´s end America had also won the Kansas, Maine, Massachussets, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New
support of Britain´s enemies, France,Spain and Holland. French officers served in Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont,
Who were involved Washington´s Army, especially after the victory in Saratoga. Wisconsin. The Southern states (the Confederacy):Alabama, Arkansas, Florida,
British: Regular soldiers, American loyalists, Hessian mercenaries Georgia, Louisiana, Mississipi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas,
and Native American tribes, especially the Six Nations and the Cherokee. Virginia. Union (Slave states, also known as border states): Delaware,
Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, West Virginia.

Many causes contributed to bring on the American Revolution such as the

restrictions on trade and manufactures, but the immediate cause was the King´s
determination to impose a tax on the colonists without their consent. The declared The causes of the war included the long-standing disagreements over slavery and
object of that tax was to aid in maintaining a force of ten thousand British troops in its expansion into the new territories, as well as conflicts over economic
Which the causes were
America for the purpose of preventing an insurrection of the conquered Canadian disparities between North and South and the division of power between the
French, and to protect the colonists against the western Indians. However, the federal government and individual states.
colonists replied that they did not stand in need of this protection, since they were
now strong enough to defend themselves.

How long they lasted 1775-1783. 1861-1865

Several reasons explain the colonists´sucess. 1) The Americans motivation for

The triumph of the North, well beyond its superior maritime powers, numbers, and
fighting was much stronger than that of the British, since their army was
mechanical and economic resources, was somewhat because of the
defending their homeland. Much of the fighting took the form of guerrilla warfare,
statesmanship of Lincoln, who by 1864 had turned into a skilful political and war
Who won and why at which American militiamen, aided by the civilian population, were much more
leader, to the courage of Federal soldiers, and to the proficiency of their officials.
adept than the British regular troops. 2) The overconfident British generals made
The victory also can likewise be connected to some extent to Confederate failures
several mistakes. 3) Fighting an overseas war, 3000 miles from London, was
regarding transportation, weapons, and political authority.
terribly expensive.

The Civil War freed around four million enslaved Americans, set up a more
powerful and unified federal government, and laid the foundation for America's
rise as a world power in the 20th century.
With the Treaty of Paris, signed in 1783, Britain recognized the independence of
Though freedom wasn´t linked to equality for former slaves, the Civil War
the American colonies and granted the Americans control of the western territory
prompted constitutional changes that re-defined the nature of American
Which the consequences from the Appalachians to the Mississipi River. The ideas expressed in the
society.Total casualties on both sides, including wounded, were more than 1
were Declaration of Independence were enshrined in the American Constitution of
million. The war devastated the South. The region lost 1/4 of its white male
1789, which legally established the federal republic and was subsequently used
population between the ages of 20 and 40, 2/5 of its livestock, and half its farm
as an inspiration for other liberation movements, most notably in France.
machinery. The war opened new opportunities for women in fields such as
nursing and teaching, also helping to lay the foundation for the woman suffrage
movement of the 1870s and 1880s.

Bibliography
Goldfield, D. R. (2006). The American journey: a history of the United States. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall.
OBrien, P. (2007). Philips atlas of world history. London: Philips.
Spielvogel, J. J., & Duiker, W. J. (2018). World history. Australia: Wadsworth.
Weber, J. L., & Hassler, W. W. (2019, September 20). American Civil War. Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/event/American-Civil-War.
The Civil War (U.S. National Park Service). (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.nps.gov/civilwar/index.htm.