Foreign Support in the American Revolution

Introduction

On April 19, 1775 one of the most significant watershed moments in history occurred. The Battle of Lexington and Concord started the American Revolutionary War and forever changed the course of history. The Revolutionary War lasted over 8 years, and even became a global conflict. France, Spain, and to a much lesser degree the Dutch Republic all joined and sided with the Americans. The bloodshed not only encompassed the colonies but many islands and territories all over the world. The war was truly a global conflict. The American colonists received the support in terms of troops, naval assistance, supplies, and money. The support began illegally before France or Spain officially entered the war. The support was mainly given by Rodrigue Hortalez et Compagnie which was a joint Spanish French venture to help the American under the veil of being a Portuguese trading company. On September 19 and October 7, 1777 the Battles of Saratoga were won by the American revolutionaries which gave the French confidence in their American allies. Promptly after hearing the news of the American victory King Louis XVI agreed to the Franco-American Alliance in 1778 and began openly supporting the Americans. As for the Spanish they officially entered the war in 1779 with her treaty with France- the Treaty of Aranjuez. France and Spain made natural allies because they were both ruled by the Bourbon Dynasty and shared a mutual hatred of the British. The French and Spanish even created a joint armada which they used to acquire certain benefactions from the British. With that sides were taken, the American colonies had two world powers behind them while Britain had no allies.

It is undisputable that the support from Spain and France played a significant factor toward the American victory against the British, but was their support absolutely necessary? Though the British had several advantages, they had several disadvantages as well. In historian John Ferling’s article Myths of the American Revolution he quite frankly states all the questions that British were asking before the war even started,

“Could the Royal Navy blockade the 1,000-mile-long American coast? Couldn’t two million free colonists muster a force of 100,000 or so citizen-soldiers, nearly four times the size of Britain’s army in 1775? Might not an American army of this size replace its losses more easily than Britain? Was it possible to supply an army operating 3,000 miles from home? Could Britain subdue a rebellion across 13 colonies in an area some six times the size of England? Could the British Army operate deep in America’s interior, far from coastal supply bases? Would a protracted war bankrupt Britain?”

Ferling makes several good points about the British’s disadvantages right from the start of the war. The most striking point Ferling makes is about the population. Because of the population the colonist were better