As a result, the British changed their strategy yet again in 1778. Rather than mounting a full-scale military campaign against the Continental Army, the British decided to focus their efforts on the loyalists , who they still believed were the majority of the American population.
What caused the British to turn their attention to the South?
Having failed in the north , the British turned their attention to the south. They hoped to inspire Loyalist support among dissatisfied Americans — a hope that was never realized. Fighting continued. The threat of French naval participation kept the British uneasy.
Why did the British want the southern colonies?
Settlers in the Southern colonies came to America to seek economic prosperity they could not find in Old England . The English countryside provided a grand existence of stately manors and high living. But rural England was full, and by law those great estates could only be passed on to the eldest son.
Why did the British decide to launch a campaign against the southern colonies in 1778 why did it backfire?
Why did the British decide to launch a campaign against the southern colonies in 1778? ... The British decided to launch a campaign against the southern colonies because they felt the strongest base of loyalty to the crown was there , and they could enlist Loyalists in the fight.
Why did Britain’s Southern strategy fail?
The strategy failed, however, when patriot militiamen and even civilians attacked and gained control of loyalist strongholds left behind by Cornwallis’s main army . Guerilla bands led by backcountry patriots such as Thomas Sumter also began attacking supply trains of Cornwallis and his army.
Why was Britain’s Southern strategy important?
The British southern strategy was to move the military theater to the southern colonies where there were more Loyalist colonists . Slaves and Indian allies, the British hoped, would also swell their ranks. This strategy worked at first, allowing the British to take Charleston.
What did the British successfully do at first in the South?
The British began to implement their “Southern Strategy” in late 1778, in Georgia. It initially achieved success with the capture of Savannah, Georgia , which was followed in 1780 by operations in South Carolina that included the defeat of Continental forces at Charleston and Camden.
Why did the British lose the war?
*Their army simply wasn’t large enough to occupy enough square miles of territory in North America. ... In addition, because American settlements were spread out across a vast range of territory, the British had difficulty mounting a concentrated fight and transporting men and supplies .
What advantages did the Southern Patriots have over the British in the south?
What advantages did the southern Patriots have over the British in the South? The southern Patriots knew the land well and used it to their advantage , while incorporating guerrilla warfare tactics.
Why did the Stamp Act cause more anger among the colonists than the Sugar Act?
Why did the Stamp Act arouse so much more resistance than the Sugar Act? Because it apparently took away American freedom, and rights and liberties . ... His position was for parliamentary supremacy but by 1770, he now opposed it and claimed equality for the American assemblies within the empire.
How would you describe the main British strategies in the South?
The British southern strategy was to move the military theater to the southern colonies where there were more Loyalist colonists . Slaves and Indian allies, the British hoped, would also swell their ranks. This strategy worked at first, allowing the British to take Charleston. ... The southern strategy had failed.
What early wins did the British score in the Southern colonies?
Early American victories in the Southern Theater came in February 1779, at Port Royal Island, South Carolina, when primarily militia forces under American Brigadier General William Moultrie defeated British regulars , and at Kettle Creek, Georgia, where Patriots under the command of Colonel Andrew Pickens defeated a ...
What if British won the Revolutionary War?
A British victory in the Revolution probably would have prevented the colonists from settling into what is now the U.S. Midwest. ... But if the 13 colonies had not won independence , the map of the continent might have been altered in other ways as well.
Could Britain have won the war of Independence?
Once the revolutionary war was lost, some in Britain argued that it had been unwinnable. ... In reality, Britain might well have won the war . The battle for New York in 1776 gave England an excellent opportunity for a decisive victory. France had not yet allied with the Americans.
How did America beat the British?
In 1775, a violent skirmish between colonial militia members and British troops at Lexington and Concord in Massachusetts signaled the start of the Revolutionary War. ... By the time the British surrendered at Yorktown, Virginia, in 1781, the Americans had basically won their independence.
Why did the British focus on the southern colonies to win the war?
The British switched to the Southern Strategy in the Revolutionary War because of a lack of success in the north , their belief that the south was full of Loyalists, and their belief that the threat of slave rebellion made southern revolutionaries unable to mount a resistance.
