What Was England’s Strategy In The First Part of The American Revolution?
So, what was England’s strategy in the first part of the American Revolution?
In the first part, the British authority thought that the unrest was a local rebellion by the people of Boston, Massachusetts province.
The authority wondered this way because the city transformed into the center of growing unrest in the 13 colonies after the Boston Tea Party incident.
We can see this part from the ending of 1774 to the mid of 1775.
In this part, Great Britain thought that they would succeed in containing the rebellion within Boston’s land segment and prevent it from spreading to the other parts of the 13 colonies of North America.
But as they hoped, it didn’t happen.
Contrary, the battles of Lexington and Concord on 19th April 1775 and the Battle of Bunker Hill on 17th June 1775 proved their assumption completely wrong.
During these two starting battles, the British army had to face a huge amount of casualties, which was far more than the colonists’ side.
Now, they were able to realize that the rebellion had already spread all over the 13 colonies. And if they would not calm it down soon, it would get bigger and out of control.
Therefore, in the 2nd part, Britain started taking much tougher actions against the revolutionaries.
However, it was already too late for the authority because now all the efforts made by them started turning into armed conflicts between the two sides.
[Did You Know? During The Boston Tea Party Event, American Patriots Wore Dresses Like Native Americans. Around 116 Patriots From Sons of Liberty Participated In The Event]
Why The British Authority Was Not Taking Tough Actions In The First Part?
From the 17th to 18th century, England was a very clever nation in colonial rule.
In the first phase, there were many reasons why they did not take drastic steps.
Among them, the main reasons were:
1. They Didn’t Want External Powers’ Intervene In The 13 Colonies
The British were afraid of the interference of external powers in the 13 colonies of North America, especially its enemies.
Such as France Empire, Spain, etc.
Britain already fought the Seven Years’ War with France from 1756 to 1763, where they got a massive victory.
But though they managed to win the war, it broke down their economy’s spine completely.
For this reason, they were no longer wanted to involve in another conflict.
Having given birth to complex situations in the 13 colonies, they did not want the outsiders to intervene in their internal affairs.
[Did You Know? After Facing Defeat In The Seven Years’ War, French Empire Was Still Hostile On Great Britain. They Still Wanted To Take Revenge For The Defeat. The Opportunity Came As The American Revolutionary War. They Formally Entered Here In 1778]
2. The Huge Landmass of America (Toughness To Control A Rebellion)
The 13 colonies were spread in a large landmass of North America.
British knew very well that fighting a battle and controlling rebellion in the vast landmass would become impossible for them.
So, they always intended to avoid the risks.
3. Geographical Distance of Britain From The 13 Colonies
On the one hand, Great Britain located in Europe; on the other hand, the 13 colonies located in America.
Great Britain’s geographical distance was another cause, why they didn’t take tough actions in the first part.
Due to the long geographical distance they knew, it was almost impossible to provide immediate support for the British soldiers if war broke out.
So, to avoid war was a much better option for them.
[Fact: The Geographical Distance From Great Britain To America Is 4,324 Miles]
4. They Knew, Tough Actions Would Spread The Unrest Around All The 13 Colonies
Britain was a very clever nation in colonial rule.
Therefore, in the first phase, they wanted to contain the growing unrest within the segment of Massachusetts.
They thought tough actions from the authority would lead the unrest into much critical conditions or out of control.
