American Revolution General Discussion Thread

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Jerious1154

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As an American, I am of course glad that it happened.

The French greatly aided the colonists, but the war could have been won without their help because all the colonists needed to do was not lose. Washington's strategy was just to keep fighting until the British got fed up and left, which he had been doing effectively even before the French joined. If the French had never joined it would have been much more likely that they would lose, but they could still have won.
 

EMFCRACKSHOT

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May 25, 2009
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Toasterhunter86 said:
The initial British assault in early 1776 was the largest British overseas operation the Empire ever launched with 20,000+ men. There wasn't a war elsewhere until years later when we gained French support. It was a miracle we won, but we won none the less.
And congratulations on a well deserved victory. Of the men we had there, you outfought us tactically. However, i'm just saying if we had considered america important enough to use the entire might of the empire against, we would have probalby won.
 

Eldritch Warlord

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Uncompetative said:
Tea > Coffee.
While I agree with the sentiment it should be noted that during the Revolution the Colonies preferred tea and coffee was a rare, exotic oddity. Also prior to becoming a huge-ass empire Britain favored coffee.
 

bilkobob

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May 26, 2009
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1. Yes, glad to see the Redcoats fall.

2. Maybe, however an opposite question could be asked about the Brits: Could they have won without the use of conscripted Germans, i.e. the Hessians?

3. Luck goes both ways. I would imagine the invader needs luck more than the invadee.
 

Catchy Slogan

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Jun 17, 2009
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You get Independence and then make a flag out of our colours...

But on a serious note, It was better that you gained independence, considering laws that may apply to Britain, might not make so much sense in her colonies. Also, to be ruled by someone that isn't even in the same country and could probably care less, isn't exactly desirable.

The French had quite a decent army back then.

Most Battles/Wars are won by luck. case-point: The Spanish Armada. Really unlucky weather conditions for them.
 

Shock and Awe

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Sep 6, 2008
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EMFCRACKSHOT said:
Toasterhunter86 said:
The initial British assault in early 1776 was the largest British overseas operation the Empire ever launched with 20,000+ men. There wasn't a war elsewhere until years later when we gained French support. It was a miracle we won, but we won none the less.
And congratulations on a well deserved victory. Of the men we had there, you outfought us tactically. However, i'm just saying if we had considered america important enough to use the entire might of the empire against, we would have probalby won.
Thats true.
 

Tehpwnsauce

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NeutralDrow said:
Um...am I glad it happened? Yes. Regardless of the validity of one or two arguments in the colonies' lists (the reparation for the French and Indian War fought on our soil), Britian was still quite a horrible colonialist power.

Could we have done without the French? Likely not. They not only trained us, supplied us with weapons, and fought alongside us, they also fought the British elsewhere in the world (it's an interesting thought experiment...what if France had won the war and claimed India?).

A stroke of luck? Everything is a stroke of luck.

TMAN10112 said:
messy said:
The infamous SCAMola said:
messy said:
Our teachers always said that the British had a disadvantage wearing red, but how much better was blue really? (I'm honestly asking this questions it's always bugged me)
Really? Is that the kind of crap they're using now? So Britain got beaten by a bunch of colonists 300 years ago, big deal! Do we really need to make up silly excuses like that?
Well they didn't say that's the whole reason but red is obviously poor camouflage, I just wondered how much better blue was. I was "taught" this at a very young age so the reason was simplified.
The british colors were actually quite effective. With the "advancing Column" tactics of the time, having all of your solders dressed in red would make your advance towards the enemy more intimidating (most battles ended in a bayonette charge rather then at a distance), and hopefully make them break their lines first.
At least until they went up against a bunch of Dutch marksmen in South Africa...
Dutch with the most advanced sniper rifle at the time produced by the Germans.
 

historybuff

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Feb 15, 2009
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1. Are You Glad It Happened?

Well, yeah. I mean, we got some great things from the British--like their determination and iron will and backbone.

But, we don't have to become obsessively addicted to tea.

2. Could the Americans Have won without French support?

No. Not a chance. The French had a navy--which we didn't. And the British navy was the shit. So it's a good thing Ben Franklin was so awesome.

Plus, the French gave us a sense of humor so we could laugh at ourselves. :)

3. Could the American victory have been one big stroke of luck?

Oh absolutely. We were, what---one of the first colonies that actually picked a war and won? And against the British Empire. We were very lucky. Very lucky there was a whole ocean between us.
 

historybuff

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EMFCRACKSHOT said:
We let you win that wAR. we couldnt be bothered outting in the effort required to put you in your place as we had more important interests elsewhare in the empire. You should also remember that we were at war in a number of different places at that time so you never faced the full might of the British Empire.
One day, we will come for what is rightfully ours =P
No way, you'll start having withdraw when it hits tea time and we throw yours in the ocean (again).
 

NeutralDrow

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Mar 23, 2009
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Tehpwnsauce said:
NeutralDrow said:
Um...am I glad it happened? Yes. Regardless of the validity of one or two arguments in the colonies' lists (the reparation for the French and Indian War fought on our soil), Britian was still quite a horrible colonialist power.

Could we have done without the French? Likely not. They not only trained us, supplied us with weapons, and fought alongside us, they also fought the British elsewhere in the world (it's an interesting thought experiment...what if France had won the war and claimed India?).

A stroke of luck? Everything is a stroke of luck.

TMAN10112 said:
messy said:
The infamous SCAMola said:
messy said:
Our teachers always said that the British had a disadvantage wearing red, but how much better was blue really? (I'm honestly asking this questions it's always bugged me)
Really? Is that the kind of crap they're using now? So Britain got beaten by a bunch of colonists 300 years ago, big deal! Do we really need to make up silly excuses like that?
Well they didn't say that's the whole reason but red is obviously poor camouflage, I just wondered how much better blue was. I was "taught" this at a very young age so the reason was simplified.
The british colors were actually quite effective. With the "advancing Column" tactics of the time, having all of your solders dressed in red would make your advance towards the enemy more intimidating (most battles ended in a bayonette charge rather then at a distance), and hopefully make them break their lines first.
At least until they went up against a bunch of Dutch marksmen in South Africa...
Dutch with the most advanced sniper rifle at the time produced by the Germans.
Was that during the Second Boer War? 'Cause I'm pretty sure these aren't sniper rifles:


 
Feb 13, 2008
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1. Are You Glad It Happened?

Difficult to tell. The world would have been a different place without it.

2. Could the Americans Have won without French support?

They could have, but it'd have been much more difficult

3. Could the American victory have been one big stroke of luck?

Not just that but the decision to declare independence was a huge stroke of luck. Similarly the only reason Germany didn't wipe out England in WW2 was a stroke of luck, the Mongol hordes turning back before they got too far into Europe, Columbus discovering America in the first place. All massive strokes of luck.
 

nash_clovis

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Jun 5, 2009
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1. I'm glad it happened. I don't like England, and America is just TOO AWESOME.

2. No, the American's couldn't win without French support. Or if they could have done so, the war would have lasted a lot longer. The French provided support when they gave us more troops and destroyed the fleet of British ships on their way to Yorktown, and ultimately providing us with a naval blockade, winning the war. If that hadn't have happened, the British would have escaped and come back later on to get us back.

3. It was lucky to the extreme. The ragtag American rebels fighting off the military behemoth of Britain just doesn't happen much in real life, so it's a miracle we won.
 

Daezd

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Uncompetative said:
I'm not glad the Revolution happened.

A bunch of tasteless zealots who committed a genocide against the Native American people, then built ugly strip-malls over their grave sites.

Tea > Coffee.
U.S.A. U.S.A. U.S.A. U.S.A. WOOOOOOOOO!





Aww man, that genocide part stings.

I guess that means it's fireworks time!
 

Tehpwnsauce

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NeutralDrow said:
Tehpwnsauce said:
NeutralDrow said:
Um...am I glad it happened? Yes. Regardless of the validity of one or two arguments in the colonies' lists (the reparation for the French and Indian War fought on our soil), Britian was still quite a horrible colonialist power.

Could we have done without the French? Likely not. They not only trained us, supplied us with weapons, and fought alongside us, they also fought the British elsewhere in the world (it's an interesting thought experiment...what if France had won the war and claimed India?).

A stroke of luck? Everything is a stroke of luck.

TMAN10112 said:
messy said:
The infamous SCAMola said:
messy said:
Our teachers always said that the British had a disadvantage wearing red, but how much better was blue really? (I'm honestly asking this questions it's always bugged me)
Really? Is that the kind of crap they're using now? So Britain got beaten by a bunch of colonists 300 years ago, big deal! Do we really need to make up silly excuses like that?
Well they didn't say that's the whole reason but red is obviously poor camouflage, I just wondered how much better blue was. I was "taught" this at a very young age so the reason was simplified.
The british colors were actually quite effective. With the "advancing Column" tactics of the time, having all of your solders dressed in red would make your advance towards the enemy more intimidating (most battles ended in a bayonette charge rather then at a distance), and hopefully make them break their lines first.
At least until they went up against a bunch of Dutch marksmen in South Africa...
Dutch with the most advanced sniper rifle at the time produced by the Germans.
Was that during the Second Boer War? 'Cause I'm pretty sure these aren't sniper rifles:


Well I would have said rifles but I have no idea how advanced the rifles used were in context to other rifles. Either way they were used to snipe not fight battles.
 

NeutralDrow

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Mar 23, 2009
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Tehpwnsauce said:
NeutralDrow said:
Tehpwnsauce said:
NeutralDrow said:
Um...am I glad it happened? Yes. Regardless of the validity of one or two arguments in the colonies' lists (the reparation for the French and Indian War fought on our soil), Britian was still quite a horrible colonialist power.

Could we have done without the French? Likely not. They not only trained us, supplied us with weapons, and fought alongside us, they also fought the British elsewhere in the world (it's an interesting thought experiment...what if France had won the war and claimed India?).

A stroke of luck? Everything is a stroke of luck.

TMAN10112 said:
messy said:
The infamous SCAMola said:
messy said:
Our teachers always said that the British had a disadvantage wearing red, but how much better was blue really? (I'm honestly asking this questions it's always bugged me)
Really? Is that the kind of crap they're using now? So Britain got beaten by a bunch of colonists 300 years ago, big deal! Do we really need to make up silly excuses like that?
Well they didn't say that's the whole reason but red is obviously poor camouflage, I just wondered how much better blue was. I was "taught" this at a very young age so the reason was simplified.
The british colors were actually quite effective. With the "advancing Column" tactics of the time, having all of your solders dressed in red would make your advance towards the enemy more intimidating (most battles ended in a bayonette charge rather then at a distance), and hopefully make them break their lines first.
At least until they went up against a bunch of Dutch marksmen in South Africa...
Dutch with the most advanced sniper rifle at the time produced by the Germans.
Was that during the Second Boer War? 'Cause I'm pretty sure these aren't sniper rifles:


Well I would have said rifles but I have no idea how advanced the rifles used were in context to other rifles. Either way they were used to snipe not fight battles.
Exactly. Hence, the British scare tactic of being extremely visible broke apart when fighting Dutch marksmen in South Africa.
 

Nickolai77

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Apr 3, 2009
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Every super-power suffers its disasters- The Romans had The Battle of Teutoburg Forest, Britain had the American War of Independence, America had Vietnam.

None of these military disasters marked a decline for the state concerned- in terms of a nations military history they are like flies in the ointment.

All i have to say is that i think the war of 1812 reminded America not to get too cocky :p

Btw, the Rule Britannia song- its funny how we can recall the lyrics to Rule Britania but not the lyrics to the National Anthem. Probably because the Rule Britannia song is a hell of a lot better.
 

maddawg IAJI

I prefer the term "Zomguard"
Feb 12, 2009
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WaffleTron said:
Wardog13 said:
Since it is 4th of July, I feel nothing is more appropriate than to discuss what started it all, The Revolution.

Ill start this thread with a badass picture.
I posted a similar picture to this in the "Happy 4th of July" thread, and here it is!

Yes. Yes yes yes million times yes.


Anyway people let's stop the Britian hate. combined we are easily the largest power in the world.

Also about 2

No I do not belive that it could have happened without the French help. But then again we payed the French when we liberated there country from the Germans. There still pissed that it took so long and that we didn't help right away.


Aww great the patriot side of me is coming out. USA USA USA USA!! Damn Mel Gibson and his awsome movie.