Page 317 - Encyclopedia Of World History Vol IV
P. 317
1618 berkshire encyclopedia of world history
The Colonial Tree
summarizes the
early history of the
United States.
after 1776, and this support
was crucial in the latter stages
of the revolution.
By 1781 fighting concen-
trated in Virginia, where the
British general Charles Corn-
wallis had to yield to a com-
bined French-American force
at Yorktown. Desultory fight-
ing continued for two years
before a peace was signed in
Paris to recognize the new
United States, with territory
running from Florida (ceded
by Britain to Spain) to Canada,
from the Atlantic to the Missis-
sippi River. Britain feared even
greater losses to its empire if
war were to continue.
Significance
The significance of the Ameri-
can Revolution in world his-
tory rests on several bases.
It was part of the ongoing
colonial struggle among Euro-
pean powers because the op-
portunity to weaken Britain’s
position drew the French mon-
archy into the conflict.The rev-
olution ultimately inspired
later changes in British colo-
nial policy toward greater flex-
ibility and decentralization where white settlers pre- ferson, and the institutions ultimately established by the
dominated; Canada became the first beneficiary during Constitution all inspired revolutionaries and nationalists
the first half of the nineteenth century. French expendi- elsewhere. (During a brief period of confusion, after
tures in the war contributed to financial crises at home 1783, the United States attempted a loose confederation;
and helped lead to the need to call the Estates General the later establishment of a federal system, with checks
(assembly) to consider new taxes and then to the French and balances among legislature, executive, and judiciary
Revolution of 1789. would have the real influence in the long run.) French rev-
The example of colonial independence, the strong olutionaries invoked the revolution in 1789 but also in
principles embodied in the Declaration of Independence 1830 and 1848; in the last revolution, a U.S.-style pres-
and other writings by U.S. leaders such as Thomas Jef- idency was sought, although the effort misfired.The U.S.
