In 1607 AD, Captain John Smith took more than 100 British people by boat from Britain to the east coast of North America, starting the history of British colonization of North America. In the following more than a century, more and more British people followed Captain Smith's footsteps and came to North America. They successively established thirteen colonies on the east coast, which were the precursors of the modern United States.
On July 4, 1776, the thirteen British colonies on the east coast of North America officially declared independence and established the United States of America. This is a country founded by the British. Everything from race, color to culture and language was born out of Britain. So in a sense, the United States is actually the biological son of Britain.
However, regarding the birth of the United States, the person who helped Americans the most was not their biological father, Britain, but France, their stepfather next door.
In the middle of the 18th century, the two giants, Britain and France, each fought with a bunch of allies. The war started in 1756 and ended in 1763, which lasted for seven years. Therefore, it was called the " Seven Years' War" in history. The Seven Years' War was a global war. In order to compete for world colonial hegemony, Britain and France not only fought in Europe, but also attacked each other in the colonies. The scope of the war was as wide as World War .
For example, in North America, the British beat France and Spain and took French Canada and Florida under their control; in India, the French supported the Mughal Empire and resisted the invasion of the British colonial army; in West Africa, the British colonial army invaded the French colony of Saint Louis.
War has always been a money-burning game. The British and French are fighting and killing all over the world, which undoubtedly consumes a huge amount of national power. For example, France's economy was directly destroyed by the war, and it had to choose to accept defeat. Although the UK won a resounding victory, almost all of its wealth was wiped out.
Only when you have food at home can you feel at ease. Seeing that his treasury was empty, the British King George III couldn't even sleep, just thinking about finding a place to replenish it. However, most of our colonies are still recovering from the wounds of the war and cannot make much money out of them at all. As for grabbing new territory from the French and Spanish, it is even more important to put stability first and not throw money into it.
After much deliberation, George III set his sights on the thirteen states on the east coast of North America. As a colony established by the British themselves, it has a developed economy and stable politics. It is reasonable to pay more for the "motherland". After all, according to the British, they have been fighting with France for the past seven years to protect the interests of the North American colonies. So, is it natural for the protected to pay protection fees?
So the British began to charge heavy taxes in the thirteen states of North America. Coffee, indigo , and textiles were all arranged. Even later, the British even instituted a " Stamp Duty Law ", requiring stamp tax to be paid on stamped documents.
It is worth mentioning that while the British were raising taxes on the colonies, they were also pursuing a policy of "tax reductions to benefit the people" in the mainland. The holes created in this process were naturally filled by the colonies. I regard you as my biological father, but you regard me as your enemy. The British squeezed and sucked blood in this way, which caused a lot of complaints in the North American colonies.
As the saying goes, where there is oppression, there is resistance. In 1773, Britain promulgated the Tea Act with the intention of monopolizing the tea trade in the North American colonies. In order to protest, locals robbed and dumped 9,000 tons of tea in Boston , which was called the "Boston Tea Party".
After the Tea Party incident, in order to demonstrate its authority, Britain imposed a series of severe sanctions on the North American colonies in an attempt to use strong power to intimidate and stabilize the regime. But the result was counterproductive. Instead of being afraid, the colonial people resisted even more fiercely. They formed their own Continental Congress and began arming militias.
For the British rulers, it was okay to hold a parliament, but it was absolutely intolerable to support independent armed forces. Therefore, the British sent troops to forcibly collect civilian armed forces in the colonies. As a result, the militia armed resistance was triggered.With the gunshots of Lexington in April 1775, the prelude to the American Revolutionary War was officially unveiled.
At this time, the United Kingdom and the United States were on one side the established powers that were invincible all over the world, and on the other side were the fledgling rookies. They were not opponents at the same level at all. Therefore, unlike in American blockbusters, the heroes of the colonies are all good at fighting and defeating the British army like chopping melons and vegetables. The Americans in the early days of the War of Independence actually had a very difficult time fighting.
In the face of the well-equipped and well-trained British army, the Continental Army led by Washington was completely a mob. Not to mention that they who were born in the militia lacked sufficient qualifications as professional soldiers, their equipment level was also pitifully poor, and they were extremely short of guns and ammunition. However, even creating such a "rabble" has exceeded the limit of the thirteen states in North America. Their poor financial resources were simply not enough to sustain this war for a long time, let alone defeat the British and achieve independence.
Seeing that the War of Independence was unsustainable, the first generation of Lei cited Franklin could only go to Europe to mobilize reinforcements on behalf of the United States. As the saying goes, the enemy of the enemy is a friend. As the lifelong enemy of the British, France is undoubtedly the best partner. They all dream of attacking the British. At that time, the French heard that there was a fire in the British backyard, and they became interested. Not only did they agree to provide arms to the United States, they also wanted to "volunteer" to go to North America to fight with the British.
For example, the 19-year-old French young aristocrat Lafayette did not live a comfortable aristocratic life in Paris, but spent his own money to recruit soldiers and went to Washington as a follower. Although there are not many French volunteers brought by Lafayette, they are all serious soldiers and have rich military experience.
Even the kid Lafayette was a young military genius who became an artillery lieutenant at the age of 114. It was under their training and guidance that the North American militiamen, who originally knew nothing about war, became serious about it.
You have your heart and your heart, but you cannot act recklessly. At that time, France had not completely recovered from the defeat of the "Seven Years' War". Although they wanted to stab the British privately, they still did not dare to blindly invest. Sending volunteers and selling arms were the limit. In fact, not only France did not dare to place a bet, but the Dutch, Austrians, Spanish, and all the British opponents in Europe were waiting and watching.
In fact, this is understandable. The country must put interests first when acting. In view of the huge disparity between the United States and the United Kingdom, the risk of investing in the United States is too great, and you may lose all your money. Only this kind of support from the side and disgusting Britain as much as possible is the method to maximize interests.
So Washington could only lead the Continental Army to fight and retreat, struggling to hold on. It was not until the end of 1777, when the Continental Army, which had been trained completely new by the French, won a great victory at Saratoga that the trend in Europe completely reversed.
Although the victory in the Battle of Saratoga failed to change the disparity in strength between the Continental Army and the British Army, it gave the French the confidence that they could be taught. They were pleased to find that the North American militia still had two skills after careful training. For France, which has always been interested in revenge against Britain, this is undoubtedly an opportunity worth trying.
So the new king of France, Louis XVI, personally went to war, roped in a group of younger brothers from Spain and the Netherlands, and began to cause trouble for the British all over the world. Facing the comeback of the French, although the British had no choice but to take the initiative. As a result, the heavy blows aimed at North America suddenly dispersed. The North American War of Independence evolved into a "globalization" war, and the pressure on the United States suddenly dropped sharply.
Of course, even if the United Kingdom divides its forces, it will still have an absolute advantage over the United States in North America. The hope of American independence is still slim. However, Louis XVI also realized this. He found an alliance with the United States and provided it with comprehensive military assistance. Not only did they borrow weapons and food, they also directly sent troops to expedition to North America.
When the old enemies of England and France meet, they always fight to the death. The arrival of the French made the United States a supporting role in this war.Because in the following time, the French army was basically the main force in the key battles. The French navy was in the Atlantic and the Caribbean and was madly targeting the Royal Fleet, while the French army was fighting against the red shirt army in North America, while the American Continental Army was clinging to the French father's lap and crazily gaining experience.
For example, in the Battle of Yorktown in 1781, the French army dispatched 8,800 troops on the land battlefield, plus more than 300 heavy artillery pieces. On the sea battlefield, it dispatched a huge fleet of 24 battleships , with more than 15,000 troops participating in the battle. The U.S. Continental Army dispatched a total of 9,500 personnel, one-third of whom were engaged in logistics. In terms of casualties, the French accounted for the majority, accounting for more than two-thirds.
The Battle of Yorktown was the final battle in the American War of Independence. It basically declared the end of the entire war. As the loser, the British had their last chance and could only choose to compromise. With the signing of the Treaty of Paris between the United States and Britain in 1783, the United States was officially completed.
It is obvious that the successful conclusion of American independence would not have been possible without the great help of the French. Throughout the Revolutionary War, France was like a kind old father, giving the newborn United States meticulous care.
For example, if the U.S. military industry is weak, France will provide weapons and ammunition. At that time, almost 90% of the weapons and equipment of the Continental Army were obtained from France or through French channels. If it weren't for France, if one-third of the Continental Army could carry guns, it would be considered a wealthy war.
Another example is the low quality of the personnel of the Continental Army, so France sent all kinds of military talents. At that time, the French volunteers represented by Lafayette almost handed over the guns and artillery to these North American militiamen. Without France, the Continental Army might not even be able to defeat anyone on the battlefield.
The most critical thing was the French navy's action to contain the British at sea. You must know that the United States did not have a navy at that time, but the UK opposite was an established maritime power. With this advantage, the British can maneuver at will on the east coast and attack wherever they want, but the Americans cannot take care of them at all.
In a sense, the so-called American War of Independence was actually a battle between Britain and France. It would not be an exaggeration to call it the Anglo-French War . It is not so much that the United States achieved independence from the British as it was the French who liberated the United States from the British. Therefore, there is also a saying among French people that the founding father of the United States should not be Washington, but Louis XVI.
It is a pity that the United States is not the biological child of France after all. Although it has devoted all its efforts, it is just a step-father treatment. Americans will always identify with the British in their hearts. I think on the eve of the signing of the " Paris Treaty ", the French, as the victor, were still thinking happily, looking forward to how to regain their position from the British.
As a result, I never expected that the United States would suddenly stab me in the back, and directly make peace with the British without giving France any room to react. This ultimately led to the United States, which contributed the least, to become independent, and Britain, which lost the war, to stop its losses in time. However, France, which contributed the most, gained nothing except disgusting Britain.
Of course, this is not the end. After independence, the United States quickly completed reconciliation with the United Kingdom, and the trade door was reopened, and they were at war with each other. France, which single-handedly raised the United States, was abandoned and became a wedding dress for others.
In the end, the United States and the United Kingdom became "a kind father and a filial son", and both embarked on the road to strength. One became the boss of North America, and the other became the overlord of the ocean. France, on the other hand, had to go bankrupt and reorganize due to the huge losses caused by the war, which aggravated social conflicts.
In the vigorous French Revolution , the French aristocrats who had provided great assistance to the United States in the past ran and were caught. Even King Louis XVI was guillotined. But seeing the suffering of the "Father of the Founding", the United States has raised the banner of "neutrality" and looks like an outsider. There is not even a word of solidarity, which is chilling to think about.To this day, when talking about the war that changed the destiny of Americans, everyone only knows Washington, but not Louis XVI.
It is worth mentioning that we have done this kind of thankless thing before. At the end of the 15th century, the Japanese leader Toyotomi Hideyoshi invaded the Korean peninsula and made the Lee family unable to take care of themselves. In just one month, almost the entire Korean Peninsula fell, and even the king of Korea was driven to the edge of the Yalu River. Fortunately, as the sovereign state of the Joseon Dynasty, and the Ming Dynasty carried forward the tradition and promptly helped North Korea expel foreigners. Otherwise, South Korea may have to speak Japanese now.
Like France in the War of Independence, although the Ming Dynasty won the war, it also consumed huge amounts of money, which intensified social conflicts and eventually led to the demise of the Ming Dynasty. However, even though the Ming Dynasty paid so much, it still could not escape the end of being forgotten and abandoned. If you mention that period of history in today's South Korea, they will only tell you about the East Asian war god Yi Sun-shin. Little did they know that Yi Sun-shin was just a small navy general at that time, and it was still uncertain whether he could even enter the Chinese army's tent, where the Ming army commander was in command.
We are not a family, and we do not enter the same family. The reason why South Korea and the United States can come together today is probably closely related to their similar attitudes towards national history.
