What were the outcomes of the American Revolution?

The primary outcome of the American Revolution was the independence of fourteen formerly British colonies in North America; thirteen of which would immediately form the United States and the fourteenth, Vermont, which would accede to the United States shortly thereafter.

An additional outcome of the American Revolution was an ideological cleansing of royalists in the fourteen formerly British colonies, many of whom were compelled to relocate to Canada. Among these were a number of slaves who had fought on the side of the British.

The Six Nations Confederacy, a 500-year-old alliance of the Seneca, Cayuga, Onondaga, Oneida, Tuscarora, and Mohawk tribes, was also splintered and ended as a result of the American Revolution, the Oneida and Tuscarora having sided with the Americans, with the other tribes having made a ruinous decision to ally with the defeated British.

Returning French soldiers evangelized some of the ideological underpinnings of the American Revolution in Europe through groups such as the Society of the Thirty. This proselytizing encouraged, in part, the later French Revolution with the Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen inspired heavily by the United States Declaration of Independence.

There were many outcomes of the American Revolution. The immediate result was the achievement of independence from Great Britain for the colonies. Longer-term effects include the creation of the United States after the ratification of the Constitution in 1787, the influencing of the French Revolution, beginning in 1789, and the expansion of the territory of our new country Westward. This last effect, the expansion of US territory, made it possible for the new country to absorb large numbers of immigrants. It also created conditions for a significant expansion of slavery in the US, which set the stage for the US Civil War, which began in 1860.

Other outcomes, which had mainly international effects, were the growth of trade and industry related to cotton, as its cultivation increased, along with slavery in the American South, the growth of banking and manufacturing in New England, and the mid-Atlantic states. The American Revolution also had powerful exemplary effects internationally in the nineteenth- and twentieth-centuries. This means the Revolution was used as an example, or imitated, by rebellions and protests the world over.

The main outcome that came out of the 1783 Treaty of Paris was that the colonists gained their independence from Britain.  The United States gained the territory between the Appalachian Mountains and the Mississippi River.  The new nation was also responsible for paying all of its outstanding debts to British merchants incurred before the war.  Britain still maintained forts along the Great Lakes, which it used to arm Native Americans in the region against encroaching American settlers. This was a clear violation of the treaty.  

Internationally, a spirit of democracy seemed to take hold in the Atlantic World.  Haitian slaves overthrew their French masters in the spirit of all men being created equal.  The United States, afraid that such an uprising would inspire insurrection in Southern slaves, did not recognize the existence of the Haitian nation until 1862.  The French monarchy was bankrupted by helping the Americans in this war, and many commoners sought to overthrow the French thrown. The French Revolution began in 1789, which then transformed into the Reign of Terror. Ultimately, this would lead to the rise of Napoleon and a very costly war which engulfed all of Europe.  

As a result of the American Revolution, other colonies of European powers sought their independence, often using the same rhetoric of the Declaration of Independence.  As late as the twentieth century, Ho Chi Minh, the leader of North Vietnam, created the Vietnamese Declaration of Independence; he sought to create a nation of equality under the law that did not have to worry about foreign interference.  He used a great deal of the rhetoric used in the Declaration of Independence—demonstrating the continuing influence of the colonists' struggles in 1776.  

What were the effects of the American Revolution on the colonists?

The American Revolution began in 1775 when the thirteen North American colonies desired freedom from Great Britain. The colonists were an ocean away from their motherland, and they felt they were being treated differently from other British citizens. Some of their concerns were taxation, lack of representation in the British government, and the presence of an army in the colonies without their consent.

Starting in 1765, disagreements turned violent and skirmishes began to break out. They only became more prevalent as time went on. On July 4th, 1776, the Declaration of Independence was officially adopted by the Continental Congress, the government set up by the colonists.

After six years of fighting, the removal of British troops from key locations in 1782 signaled the ending of the war. Negotiators drafted a peace treaty in November of 1782. During the month of September in 1783, the Treaty of Paris was signed, and Great Britain finally recognized the independence of the colonies.

The result of the American Revolution was the colonies receiving their independence and becoming their own nation. Colonists were now free to set up their own government and laws and live free of British rule.

However many colonists struggled during the American Revolution. Farms and homes were plundered by soldiers. When armies inhabited cities, families were forced to leave their homes and go to the countryside. Many shippers and merchants lost their jobs. Since many men went to fight, women had to step up and run farms and businesses.

How did the Revolutionary War affect the people?

The Revolutionary War affected the people in many ways. The people who supported the British were harassed and tormented. They often found their property targeted for vandalism. Sometimes, they were physically threatened. Some people who worked for the British government lost their jobs as a result of the Revolutionary War. Sometimes, the British army burned the property of the people who were loyal to the colonists. People often experienced harsh treatment just because of the side they supported in the war.

During the Revolutionary War, there were shortages of essential supplies. Food was in short supply, as the army needed food in order to fight. Medical care was also in short supply. It was not uncommon for soldiers to steal food from farmers, even though they were ordered not to do this.

Women had to take over the roles normally performed by men during the war. These activities included running businesses and doing more work on the farm while their husbands were fighting in the Revolutionary War.

Unemployment rose during the Revolutionary War. The British blockaded the American coast. This disrupted trade, leading to increased unemployment for shippers and for merchants.

There were many casualties as a result of the Revolutionary War. Many people were killed or injured. Disease, such as smallpox, also impacted the people.

The Revolutionary War impacted the people in many ways.

What were the main effects of the American Revolution?

The conclusion of the American Revolution in 1783 had many different effects on both North America and the world.

The most immediate effect of the end of the revolution was the independence of the colonies. It was not known immediately after if the colonies remain independent republics or if they would form into a nation, but the independence of the colonies changed the geopolitical reality of the late 1700’s.

Britain lost a considerable amount of territory at the end of the war. In addition to the colonies themselves, the entire interior of North America, a region known as the  Ohio River Valley, was lost. This area would provide the U.S. with the opportunity for expansion after the fighting ended.

The effect on the British economy was also sobering. With their largest market gone, British trade revenues plummeted. It took Britain many decades to recover, especially since they had a new global competitor for markets that had always been theirs.

The introduction of Americans into the world of European politics also had major repercussions. During the wars of the next few decades, the colonies were a weak but strategic presence in many conflicts, even when it didn’t want to be. Some nations impressed American sailors while others hired them out as privateers.    

The biggest effect of the revolution was how it inspired numerous subsequent revolutions around the globe. Using the colonies as their model, France had their own revolution in 1789. From that point on most global revolutions, even some very recent ones in the Middle East, borrowed from the playbook of America when they began their own struggles for independence.