in December, 1776—had the effect of demoralizing the British, who were unprepared for defeat on any level.

Washington's Trenton victory also caused other European leaders to take the American cause seriously, as Frederick the Great of Prussia did in predicting at this point that the Patriots would win the war.

3. The British themselves were divided on how to manage the war and even on the overall policy pursued by the King and his administration.

The Whig Party was sympathetic to the Patriot cause, and the ambivalent situation caused the British military effort to be conflicted and unaggressive. British generals such as Howe did not wish to engage in a "total war" against a people who were perceived by many in Britain as simply trying to stand up for their rights as Englishmen. At some stages of the conflict, it may have been possible for the British to destroy Washington's army, but they did not, partly because they did not take the independence effort seriously and did not wish to make the effort to follow up their own victories with a true knock-out blow.

This was the case in the autumn of 1777 when Howe preferred, after his victory at Brandywine, merely to settle down and spend a quiet winter in Philadelphia (hosted by the wealthy Philadelphia Loyalist families) instead of pursuing Washington to his encampments first in Whitemarsh and then Valley Forge and destroying him.

4. The alliance established with the French in 1778 meant that the British were now fighting their principal European enemy and that the war had become an international conflict with naval engagements in the West Indies as well.

With the combination of Washington's and Rochambeau's armies at Yorktown and the bottling up of the outlet to the Atlantic by De Grasse's fleet, Cornwallis was forced to surrender. At that point in October, 1781, the British had been exhausted by six years of war after which they were no closer to ending the rebellion than they had been at the start of the conflict. Parliament no longer had the will to continue an effort on which they had been divided in the first place, and thus voted to begin negotiations with the aim of granting independence to the colonies—already, of course, self-declared as independent since July, 1776.

By a purely conventional military analysis, the British certainly had the advantage over the colonials. With that being stated, however, you should recognize that the Americans made use of unconventional military tactics. They knew the land better than the British did, and they made effective use of this advantage, utilizing hit and run tactics and ambushes, not always giving the British a direct confrontation.

North America in the late-eighteenth century was a very different world than North America today. There were great stretches of wilderness that the British would have had to deal with, along with very poor roads. This would have been in sharp contrast to conditions on the other side of the Atlantic, and the colonists exploited these conditions to their advantage.

Beyond this, recognize that the Americans did not fight the Revolutionary War alone. Indeed, the reason that the Battle of Saratoga was so important was that this victory convinced France to enter the war in aid of the American cause. The colonials had allies against Britain, and this support was critical in ensuring their success.

The Americans were not expected to defeat the British military in the Revolutionary War. However, the unexpected occurred, and the Americans defeated the British. There were reasons why this occurred.

The British generals made some mistakes. General Howe went to Philadelphia instead of going to Saratoga. The British planned on having three armies arrive at Saratoga, but only one army made it there. General Burgoyne also moved very slowly because he brought many unnecessary items with him.

The Americans got help from Spain and France, enemies of Great Britain, after the Americans won the Battle of Saratoga. These countries provided money and weapons. Also, some foreign soldiers came to join the American side. These soldiers also helped train the American army. The French navy helped the Americans trap the British at Yorktown. This led to the British surrender, ending the war.

The Americans had several reasons for which to fight and win. Many of the leaders of the American Revolution would likely have been killed if the Americans had lost the war. Additionally, the Americans were fighting for their freedom. These factors really motivated the Americans to fight and to win.

There were several reasons why the colonists were able to defeat the British army. One reason was the British generals didn’t make wise decisions. At the Battle of Saratoga, the British planned for three divisions of troops to meet near Albany, New York. However, General Howe didn’t follow the plan and went to Philadelphia instead. Additionally, General Burgoyne carried so many unnecessary luxury items with him, which caused his army to move very slowly. This allowed the colonists to regroup when needed. This third army that was expected to arrive at Albany was defeated. Thus, only one of the three armies made it to Albany. The British lost this battle and failed to isolate the New England colonies from the rest of the colonies.

The colonial victory at Saratoga not only gave the colonists hope, it opened the door for foreign aid. Both Spain and France were waiting until the colonists won a major battle before committing to help them. Now that colonists won a major battle, foreign countries began to help the colonists.

Another blunder the British made was bringing their fleet to Yorktown. This gave General Washington an opportunity to trap the British fleet. General Washington moved his army by land to the area around Yorktown. The French fleet sealed the entrance to Chesapeake Bay preventing the British fleet from escaping by water. The British were surrounded and had to surrender.

The colonists had very good military leadership. George Washington was an outstanding leader. He had experience fighting  from the French and Indian War. He was able to alter his plans to fit any situation. For example, his flexibility allowed us to surround the British fleet at Yorktown. He also understood the importance of getting some kind of victory heading into the first winter after the Revolutionary War began. Thus, he moved his troops on Christmas night, when the British would least expect an attack, to fight the British at Trenton. This victory, along with another one at Princeton, gave the colonists some hope as the winter of 1776-1777 arrived.

There are many reasons to explain why the improbable colonial victory over the British occurred.