American Independence From the British Perspective | Animated History

Install Raid for Free ✅ IOS/ANDROID/PC: pl.go-ga.me/laj2whyd and get a special starter pack with an Epic champion ⚡️Knight Errant⚡️ Available only for new players
🎃 Take part in the Halloween event and get your gift at raidyard.plarium.com/ 👻
Sign up for Armchair History TV today! armchairhistory.tv/
Merchandise available at store.armchairhistory.tv/
Armchair Historian Video Game: store.steampowered.com/app/16...
Support us on Patreon: / armchairhistorian
Discord: / discord
Twitter: / armchairhist
Sources:
Dowell, Stephen. A History of Taxation and Taxes in England from the Earliest Times to the Present Day - Vol. II, Taxation, from the Civil War to the Present Day. New York: Viking, 1997. Google Books.
Ellis, Joseph J.. Revolutionary Summer: The Birth of American Independence. New York: Vintage Books, 2013.
Fleming, Thomas. Liberty! The American Revolution. New York: Viking, 1997.
George III of the United Kingdom. “Third Session of the Fourteenth Parliament of Great Britain; The King’s Speech on the Opening Session October 31, 1776.” Transcript of speech delivered at the Joint Session of the House of Peers, October 31, 1776. www.massar.org/2014/03/02/kin....
Hibbert, Christopher. Redcoats and Rebels: The American Revolution Through British Eyes. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 1990. Internet Archive.
O'Shaughnessy, Andrew Jackson. The Men Who Lost America: British Leadership, the American Revolution and the Fate of the Empire. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2013. Accessed July 14, 2023. ProQuest Ebook Central.
Savas, Theodore P., and Dameron, J. David. A Guide to the Battles of the American Revolution. Havertown: Savas Beatie, 2006. Accessed July 14, 2023. ProQuest Ebook Central.
Tuchman, Barbara W. The First Salute: A View of the American Revolution. New York: Random House, 1988.
United States. Continental Congress. The Olive Branch Petition of the American Congress to George III, 1775. American Battlefield Trust.
Wood, Gordon S. The American Revolution: A History. New York: Random House Publishing Group, 2002. Google Books.
Armchair Team Credits:
docs.google.com/document/d/1s...
Raid: Shadow Legends “Raidyard” Promotion. Entry is Open to legal residents of the United States and the District of Columbia, EXCLUDING NEW YORK AND FLORIDA, and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland who are 18 years or older.
- VOID WHERE PROHIBITED. Open only to NEW users with a valid Player ID that downloaded Raid: Shadow Legends and opened a Game Account after June 1st, 2023. To install Raid: Shadow Legends for Free, click here pl.go-ga.me/laj2whyd. Downloading Raid: Shadow Legends is subject to Plarium Terms of Use (plarium.com/en/legal/terms-of...) and Privacy Policy( plarium.com/en/legal/privacy-....
In-game purchases are available. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR TO WIN A PRIZE. A PURCHASE DOES NOT IMPROVE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING A PRIZE. Prizes: in-game items and/or Amazon.com Gift Cards, in the value and number as described in the Promotion Official Rules raidyard.plarium.com/ . Additional Terms may apply on Amazon.com Gift Cards as set forth here (amazon.com/gc-legal). Prizes will be rewarded randomly, subject to eligibility requirement set forth in the Promotion Official Rules. Promotion Period: October 15th, 2023 at 12:01 a.m. Eastern Time (USA) (“Start Date”) -November 10th, 2023 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (USA) (“End Date”). Sponsor: Plarium Global Ltd. Administrator: Derfit Enterprises Limited. Personal Data will be processed in accordance with the Privacy Notice ( raidyard.plarium.com/ )

[@TheArmchairHistorian]

Install Raid for Free ✅ IOS/ANDROID/PC: pl.go-ga.me/laj2whyd and get a special starter pack with an Epic champion ⚡Knight Errant⚡ Available only for new players 🎃 Take part in the Halloween event and get your gift at raidyard.plarium.com/ 👻 Sign up for Armchair History TV today! armchairhistory.tv/ Merchandise available at store.armchairhistory.tv/ Armchair Historian Video Game: store.steampowered.com/app/1679290/Fire__Maneuver/ Support us on Patreon: www.patreon.com/armchairhistorian Discord: discord.gg/thearmchairhistorian Twitter: twitter.com/ArmchairHist

[@Abieditz3241]

Sus timing

[@VaxlandMapping101]

Could you do the polish soviet war next??

[@potato23116]

Eloo 🦦

[@MyWrecker]

Can your next video be about the war of 1812

[@matthewvirgile5799]

Can you make a video about the haitian Revolution

[@anachronisticon]

"As the ship lay in Boston Harbor, a party the colonists dressed as red Indians boarded the vessel, behaved very rudely, and threw all the tea overboard, making the tea unsuitable for drinking. Even for Americans."

[@The_whales]

Atleast the fish in Boston can drink it

[@mattwells5347]

How barbaric

[@righthandman7330]

Impossible

[@oldschoolman9878]

Nice reference to Mary Poppins

[@Yourlocalskinwalker001]

@@The_whales*GULP* *GULP* *GULP*

[@TottenhamTanks]

Can’t believe he didn’t mention a crucial part to American independence: the 2009 Dodge Challenger 😔

[@theonlynoob2939]

Ik absolutely barbaric.

[@YourboiM]

Ikr 😞

[@TheoHawk316]

Truly a key to victory.

[@f-5e126]

I'm British and this is funny

[@paleoph6168]

I get the reference, but not even a Mustang? Pfft.

[@DeltaEcho12]

Imagine Defending a nation from the French only for them to ally with the French to kick you out after.

[@rob5944]

That's the French for you. They celebrate Bastille day as the only time they won a war, and that was against themselves.

[@walsh451]

@@rob5944 funny how world war 2 had shaped our view of French military history. They won far more battles and wars than they lost over the years. Yet you see comments like this all the time

[@pissiole5654]

@@walsh451 even in WW2 they still lost 70,000 killed trying to defend against an enemy that in my opinion probably would have won against just about any other nation at the time had they of been faced with the revolutionary new tactics that the french were up against

[@rob5944]

@@walsh451 it was a light hearted comment, or at least it was meant to be. However would you care to list them as I'm sure that they lost quite a few?

[@secretsfullofsaucers]

@@rob5944 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_wars_involving_France

[@aztec0996]

I would love to see the Mexican independence from Spanish perspective

[@johnnotrealname8168]

Idiots! The King should have accepted being King of Mexico!

[@olg7483]

Same

[@ashtonbaggett1112]

Same

[@ilovemuslimfood666]

Same

[@user-tk7hv9nf8h]

Same

[@righteousviking]

Imagine if Parliament had allowed even a handful of American MPs. The British empire would be expanding across the Galaxy by now.

[@jeffreygao3956]

Maybe not.

[@TheRealForgetfulElephant]

One could argue that the reason the colonies were slipping away was because of the leeway they were offered as compared to other colonies (India for example)

[@agentmueller]

@@TheRealForgetfulElephantImagine if brave heart had an American accent and it was some dude from Boston in 1916 fighting back the British! Lol

[@Banzaiiii2223456]

​@@agentmuelleri think there already is one it's called the Patriot whose main character is played by the one and only Mel.

[@TheDAWinz]

@@TheRealForgetfulElephant Absolutely not, the Management of India was horrific and a massive net negative that still sours indian-british relations to this day. The Americans wanted to remain part of the British Empire but Parliament had other ideas.

[@sirgoo9962]

William Pitt the Elder, one of if not the greatest British Prime Minister, responsible for steering Britain to victory in the 7 Years War, supported America. He wholeheartedly sympathised with the colonies, opposed conflict, and tried to give the Ammericans what they wanted. "You cannot conquer America. If I were an American, as I am an Englishman, while a foriegn troop was landed in my country, I would never lay down my arms, never! Never! Never!" "I rejoice that America has resisted." - William Pitt the Elder.

[@Joker-no1uh]

Yes, but back in 1776, there wasn't a united American identity. They were British subjects or identified with their state rather than the nation

[@sirgoo9962]

@@Joker-no1uh William Pitt the Elder did aknowledge that Americans were Americans, but he also acknowledged they were subjects of the British crown, himself saying he would never take up arms against a fellow subject.

[@aaroncorbett6352]

Lord Palmerston is slightly better, in my opinion. But it's more of a 1A and 1B.

[@jackdoyle7453]

Lol how very Tory. He's no Clement Attlee.

[@sirgoo9962]

@@jackdoyle7453 Clement Atlee's my personal favourite.

[@BHuang92]

I knew this guy, John H. Davis, who was my history teacher during high school and he introduced me to his book that he wrote, World Upside Down: The Road to Yorktown, 1781 in which it details the British perception of the American Revolutionary War. It was a fantastic read and really opened my perception on history!

[@adammissildine8027]

I read that last year for history it saved me

[@MrWWIIBuff]

When I was writing my senior thesis for my degree in history, I found a very good source on the war. It was a 2 volume set published in the 1880's-1890's. It was very interesting on its views on the British, the Americans, and people like Benedict Arnold.

[@mattosullivan9687]

Then at Yorktown, Cornwallis claimed to be too sick to offer the surrender so he sent someone else out to do it. That one then tried to surrender to the French general, who refused and directed him to Washington. Washington jn turn refused and directed him to a General Lincoln. Cornwallis was eventually sent to command a British army in Ireland and took out his humiliation on the Irish.

[@adammissildine8027]

@@mattosullivan9687 that was general Rochambeau

[@mattosullivan9687]

Thanks @@adammissildine8027

[@thunderbird7020]

It’s insane that the Americans won by sending 10 million bald eagles to attack Britain.

[@justanotherperson7774]

Epic part of history of all time

[@dbz9393]

The great american bald eagle attack of the 1700s was truly a dark time in british history. Worse than the blitz of ww2

[@justanotherperson7774]

@dbz9393 "My queen, there's a second eagle coming!"

[@TheoHawk316]

Our secret weapon.

[@blitzcrieg101]

They scalped the Red coats till they were bald. And that my friends is how the bald eagle got its name.

[@jc-mendoza]

One thing to remember is that many colonists incurred debts during and after the Seven Years War. Mainly due to militia service, financing the war effort, wars with Native Americans, and reconstruction. This is something the British Parliament didn't factor with the taxes, with those most affected eventually joining the Patriot side and less affected individuals being more Loyalist.

[@johnnotrealname8168]

Do explain.

[@skylerthompson8652]

They also didn't factor in how British mercantilism caused heavy economic stagnation in the colonies, making the tax burden have a greater impact against the already struggling colonists.

[@just1rando]

@@johnnotrealname8168Basically the British taxed people already in debt

[@johnnotrealname8168]

@@skylerthompson8652 The British provided the ships that protected the merchant's shipping.

[@johnnotrealname8168]

@@just1rando How is this different with any other population?

[@theenlightener3361]

I very much appreciate that the Great Siege of Gibraltar got a big mention. This is one of the most overlooked aspects of the American War of Independence and had a huge impact on the wider conflict. Would love to see a video about the siege!

[@oliversherman2414]

As a Brit who lives near Gibraltar, I very much agree. I've been there many times and it's truly an awesome place to visit (especially the rock tunnels)

[@warrenpaine]

The most overlooked aspect of the American War of Independence is the fact that more Americans died as British prisoners of War than on the battlefield. The horrific British prison ships have been largely airbrushed out of American history.

[@oliversherman2414]

@@warrenpaine Many colonists actually fought on the British side during the war (I say can colonists instead of Americans because they technically were still British at the time)

[@basilreid257]

Hear hear!

[@warrenpaine]

@@oliversherman2414 The people may have been under British rule but the population itself was already a melting pot even in those days. Predominantly English yes, but the colonies also had sizeable numbers of people of Dutch, German, Irish, French Huguenot and Scotch ancestry.

[@Jayjay-qe6um]

The United States and France were joined by Spain in 1779 and the Dutch Republic, while Britain had no major allies of its own, except for the Loyalist minority in America and German auxiliaries. Opposition to the costly war was increasing, and in June 1780 contributed to disturbances in London as the Gordon riots.

[@lordjazoijua94]

And the league of neturality, kingdom of mysore.

[@DirtyMikeandTheBoys69]

This is very misleading. The crown employed nearly 30,000 Hessians, 25,000 Loyalists, and 13,000-15,000 Native Americans. While no "major" European powers took up arms in support of the crown, to suggest these were minor allies is disingenuous. The Continental Army and Navy already had to contend with the best army and navy of the era, on top of the tens of thousands of auxiliaries employed by the British through their allies. These allies were extremely important to the British war effort from the onset of the war, whereas the French joined almost two years in, and only after the Continental victory at Saratoga.

[@johnnotrealname8168]

@@DirtyMikeandTheBoys69 So 30,000 auxiliaries, extra British troops essentially, 25,000 of their own subjects and 14,000 Indians versus America, France, Spain and the Dutch? Hmmmm.

[@ozarkian]

France, Spain, and Dutch didn't participate in the war. Their contribution was financial only, and like France only contributed militarily in the final few years in few battles. For almost all of the war, it was actually just Americans fighting against the British Empire including the Loyalists and the Canadas, the Iroquois Confederacy, and the Holy Roman Empire that contributed with 7 of it's states sending Hessian troops. Just America against other Americans called Loyalists in a civil war and against Great Britain and two other nations, Holy Roman Empire and Iroquois. That is a massive allied advantage for the British. The French barely participated, meanwhile the Spanish and the Dutch never participated.

[@johnnotrealname8168]

@@ozarkian Your confidence in your ignorance is quite entertaining.

[@MrSpherical]

Thank you for the amazing video as always!

[@sirrevenant1]

Wait you’re here? Also how do you have so little likes and no comments 😭

[@vickylee3144]

Yooo wassup mrspherical!

[@MrSpherical]

sup!@@vickylee3144

[@Polskie573]

4th reply

[@nursestoyland]

sup

[@khalidalali186]

Britain was so powerful, they could move their armies and send reinforcements across the Atlantic, using their naval fleets, even 250 years ago! You have armies today, that won’t be able to organize an amphibious landing of a single battalion, let alone be able to actually make it happen. Whereas, those guys were sending redcoats across the Atlantic in the 1770s and 1780s. Damn! That’s impressive.

[@jensonkiin3678]

We get it, the US military is massive and the British Armed Forces are small but to say we couldn't land a single battalion? We have an entire amphibious commando brigade, 5 amphibious assault ships and 2 aircraft carriers. Moreover, the Falklands War and the Second Gulf War show that we very much can conduct large amphibious operations. Just nowhere as big as the US.

[@khalidalali186]

😅 try to re-read my comment, dude!

[@jensonkiin3678]

@@khalidalali186 Ah...Yeah, my bad. Apologies.

[@khalidalali186]

No worries 😉

[@charleskavoukjian3441]

Funny that today they control a small island or however you want to label it. After dominating and controlling 2/3’s of the planet just a few hundred years ago.

[@knightingale9833]

I wish you talked more about the effect the events the revolutionary period had on colonists too. The governor of Massachusetts at the time, who actually leaned pro-independence, was forced from his home by a riotous mob and had to flee to England on Evacuation Day along with many others. Benjamin Franklin’s son was governor of New Jersey and a Loyalist and the two would become estranged. There was a lot of neighbor vs neighbor fighting between Loyalist colonists and Patriots and some pitched battles between militias, most significantly at King’s Mountain.

[@dannytallmage2971]

New Jersey your facts need a serious double checking.

[@m.nielsen1539]

Would that not be beside the point of the video? "From the British perspective"

[@knightingale9833]

@@dannytallmage2971 so I misremembered which state calm down

[@knightingale9833]

@@m.nielsen1539 the Loyalist colonists considered themselves British

[@als3022]

Then you add the Southern theater where most of the war was a personal civil war. Where you joined one side or the other because the guy you hate joined the other.

[@DTOStudios]

I really like your highlighting of the French involvement. After France and Spain declared war, the American theatre became far less important, Britain had to keep a large number of troops in the home islands to prevent a French invasion, and had to defend the West Indies. I remember one statistic, I shall have to look up the source, that 90% of the American muskets at the Battle of Saratoga were French, before official French involvement in the War. The French foreign minister Vincennes has established a shell corporation that funneled money and weapons to the Americans as early as 1776, and the Yorktown campaign was not Washington's plan. Washington wanted to continue to attack New York, and it was the commander of the French reinforcements who convinced him to march on Yorktown and trap Cornwallis. American independence would have been impossible without French involvement

[@Compucles]

Ah, so the Lend-Lease Act of the day.

[@revs81]

It wouldn't have been impossible just would have taken longer.

[@arwing20]

@@revs81 No he's right it would have been impossible. With the British Army winning multiple victories and a large chunk of the colonies population being loyalist, the end result would have been a British victory. Throw in two world powers like France and Spain, then it becomes possible for the rebels to win

[@als3022]

Don't forget that the Spanish did the same thing in 1775 with a company specifically set up to send muskets, cannons, uniforms, and silver. In fact, De Grasse was stuck in Havanna and could not sail to Yorktown because he had run out of money to pay his sailors. The legend is that the Spanish ladies of Cuba sold their jewelry to finance the French fleet that eventually defeated the British. The real story was that the ladies held several fund-raising parties and basically passed the hat around. So, remember the Victory of Yorktown was facilitated by the French fleet, paid for by Spanish ladies of Cuba.

[@nmstranger]

@@arwing20 which is why when people say if it wasn't for US the UK would be speaking German my response is without France you still would be subjects of the crown

[@oliversherman2414]

As a Brit who lives near Gibraltar, I love that you mentioned the Great Siege of 1779 - 1783. Many people (especially Americans) seem to forget that there was active fighting in Europe as well as North America at the time

[@Delogros]

And India, The British in 1783 where outnumered at least 12-1 but it's likely closer to 16-1

[@oliversherman2414]

@@Delogros Britain wouldn't have been outnumbered if France and Spain stayed out of it

[@Delogros]

@@oliversherman2414 Yes they would, the 2 wars in india they had in that time period included more enemies then the british fielded. The second Anglo-Mysore war and 1st Anglo-Maratha war

[@oliversherman2414]

@@Delogros I still think France and Spain were the primary factor of Britain's defeat in America

[@Delogros]

@@oliversherman2414 Oh in America specifically certainly however I would point out that the only way to win in America is to have naval superiority which sure means France and Spain (and the Dutch) but we shouldn't ignore the naval resources having to be diverted to fight 2 wars thousands of miles from home in the opposite direction.

[@jamesmitch9792]

it is so refreshing seeing NON-WW2 videos for a while I was so tired of them.

[@olg7483]

Finally more colonial content

[@TheAmericanCrusader]

Ive always wondered what the Brits thought about our independence. Purely out of curiosity.

[@Mr.DiughGames]

Same

[@schwoondoggle]

We don't care really as you're still our Anglophonic brothers even if we fought a couple wars against you a few hundred years ago. At the end of the day, it was our ancestors who fought not us personally and so I think most Brits would say publicly they don't like Americans but really no one actually cares. There are of course select people who do hold grudges but those people will find themselves left behind in a world of increased globalisation. Just because you might see the British public making fun of Americans doesn't mean we hate you at all. We do it to all cultures, just as they do it to us for our past transgressions in history. I hope our two countries going forward can carve a world of peace and prosperity of the doomed world of imperialism. Love from England.

[@ToastieBRRRN]

More of a side show of French rivalry throughout the 18th century. By if France can't have nice things, so Britain can't have nice things policy.

[@julianshepherd2038]

Treachery. Obviously.

[@drew3758]

​@@schwoondogglewe make fun of each other it's kinda our thing.

[@colink563]

Love that you included Pontiac's Rebellion in this video, an event waaay too often forgotten, which exaccerbated those financial troubles listed, and lead to actions like the Proclamation of 1763 which was King George's bold idea to prevent future attacks on colonists which obviously backfired.

[@AJP_17]

I’m so happy we are getting more videos from across history and not just ww2. As always, well done

[@justanotherperson7774]

It's really refreshing

[@AJP_17]

@@extantfellow46 yes, I 100% agree with you

[@justanotherperson7774]

@extantfellow46 Yeah you're definitely right and I was hoping they do other parts of history. Hell maybe a little of prehistory like the Neolithic era would be kind of cool.

[@justanotherperson7774]

@extantfellow46 Right but I'm down with any era they make a video about.

[@justanotherperson7774]

@@extantfellow46 Or maybe a video about native Americans and how conflicts were fought in North America before nations or countries came in to colonize it.

[@SirAtlasIV]

I never knew that America's road to independence started with Raid: Shadow Legends

[@jamullin97]

The mountains you mentioned as the boundary for the Proclamation of 1763 weren't the Allegheny range. It was the Appalachians.

[@willfakaroni5808]

The Allegheny are part of the Appalachians

[@jamullin97]

@@willfakaroni5808 I’m not disputing that. The Proclamation of 1763 covers the entirety of the Appalachians. Not just the Allegheny as the video states.

[@DiviAugusti]

What are you some kind of mountain expert?

[@Stoic-Waziri]

​@DiviAugusti it's quite interesting to see that many people are actually interested in niche things other deem as 'random'

[@DiviAugusti]

@@Stoic-Waziri I was only joking around.

[@raymondsmith9886]

The British side sounds very reasonable once you put it like you did in the intro. They never really teach from the British perspective

[@tiagodecastro2929]

Growing up mostly in American schools, when students asked the teachers why anyone at the time would have been a loyalist, the answer was typically something like "The British and the loyalists saw the British as having taken care of the colonies like a father would care for his son, and so they perceived the rebels as ungrateful and traitorous"

[@kidfox3971]

​@@tiagodecastro2929But that's just it, any group of responsible human beings don't want their government to be a mother or a father figure. We aren't children, we can determine our own economic and social policies dependent on our unique circumstances. If anything the ideal position of a government in society is that of an employee, tasked with carrying out the will of the people from whom they derive what power they have. That's how it works in America, that's why we've been so successful.

[@yoloodevil4170]

Ain't no success here in America with the vast corruption all over politics, having a two party system was a big bad@@kidfox3971

[@SAOrules]

@@kidfox3971that how it’s supposed to work. But as it was then and what it is now, what’s supposed to be and what is are two very different things.

[@dbz9393]

@@kidfox3971 doesnt more than half your population live on or below the poverty line? Wowza meowza what a success batman

[@kidsrock91]

You should do the the Indian Wars from the Native perspective.

[@V1nce_man]

Wouldn’t that be kinda hard to do? I’m not saying the native Americans didn’t keep records, but I don’t think they detailed everything down.

[@stevemc01]

@@V1nce_man ...or partially because we [United States] might have burned everything.

[@Bigfatfrog83]

Great suggestion.

[@Bigfatfrog83]

@@stevemc01nah. They didnt have records. Almost no nomadic groups in history held records, especially one still in the stone age

[@Cyclemuch]

I think Settlers destroyed most of their perspectives

[@theawesomeman9821]

I'm glad that Britain and America were able to get past their feud and are now buddies.

[@als3022]

Not sure, I mean even by the 1930's after we fought a war together; there was a plan on war with Britain. Plan Red, its fascinating to research about.

[@surftacoman80]

There’s Plan Red which was a planned war on Britain. Even after fighting a war against the Central Powers, there was that like what the person above me mentioned

[@cpj93070]

@@als3022Rubbish, all countries had these war plans against each other, different war scenarios and war games, it was normal.

[@SauravSarkar11]

Its really admirable how much great content you are able to put out on a regular basis. Thank you!

[@radkovicbe]

“No taxation without representation,” somebody should tell Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, Washington DC etc

[@CalaverasRC]

💩 🕳️ “s

[@tomflynn8651]

As a Brit that recently got my US Citizenship, I realize just how much the place you inhabit can have an impact on how you view your allegiances/values/culture. One example is that I’m convinced that the natural (mostly rural) environment of the US informed a lot of views that colonial Americans held towards the industrial mother country. It’s much alike how the South (rural) saw the North (urban) in the US civil war. Unless they’ve lived it, the other side will never truly understand their opponent and there will naturally be disagreements despite the shared ethnicity, etc.

[@TheoHawk316]

I'm a guy who wants open roads and small towns. My views are most definitely influenced by this.

[@tomflynn8651]

I totally get it. I emigrated to the Appalachians, and I’m now working in DC. I miss the mountains a lot. There’s something very special about being in touch with nature like that, as well as having the ease of access and lack of stress that come from small towns. Colonial America was like 80% rural while it was quite literally the opposite in the UK. I totally would not want some inbred noble trying to infringe on already established norms and values. And I totally understand now that this is why rural areas distrust government so much due to the origin story of their relationship with it and the colonial government. It’s the only “real” America in my eyes for that reason.

[@blitzcrieg101]

I've lived in the big city and the rural country. The latter is far better in all aspects. Never wish to return to the city. In rural America, you meet some of the most down to earth, friendly, and passionate people. America is still alive in it's rural areas. Welcome to the United States, btw!

[@culturedman1310]

​@@blitzcrieg101but how about them Wendingos and skin Walker

[@blitzcrieg101]

@@culturedman1310 no, those were in the War of 1812

[@shadiafifi54]

Great video as always, minor nitpick; the use of "La Marseillaise" as the tune for French intervention is a bit anachronistic. Yes, the French Revolution was coming in a few years, but it wasn't there yet, and "La Marseillaise" is primarily a Revolutionary song.

[@justanotherperson7774]

I love there's no intro this time. Just straight to the meat of it. From the pacing to the quality of the animation, alit has improved so much over the years and I'm glad channels like this is still going strong.

[@deamoncastle5584]

Thanks so much for this, @HC. Perspective is often sought, but, rarely found.

[@samschalt]

I just love how the quality is always improving on this channel!!!!

[@Prof-Anax]

You always put so much effort into making videos. I appreciate it.

[@tay-dor7147]

As an American, I had an American History class in college that better explained the reasonings behind our separation from Britain than any history class I'd had before. The fundamental issue was the concept of representation in Parliament. The Colonists didn't feel like they were being fairly represented since they didn't get to send anyone to [the British] Parliament. Whereas the British government had the viewpoint that each member of Parliament represented everyone in the British Empire, so of course the American colonies were represented.

[@crowbar9566]

No the fundamental issue was westward expansion and the economic rewards $$$$$$$$$

[@tay-dor7147]

@@crowbar9566 I'm talking strictly the American Revolution. Westward expansionism came later.

[@definitelynotatroll246]

Shoulda let you turn French, so ungrateful

[@bunk95]

What about the stories of being post-[story]? Portions of the[ ]system can only be [marketed] with stories of college. Are you still able to try to avoid human slavery? Dont accept [reward].

[@tay-dor7147]

@@bunk95 What?

[@r1areone377]

About time someone made a video on the topic, glad it was you

[@Strat-Guides]

Great video! It's been a while since visiting this topic, thanks for the refresher

[@walkergaming816]

I love these videos from different perspectives, keep up the good work!

[@Random.American.]

Another good one! Most people never looked at the British veiw on this.

[@basilreid257]

Excellent video! Thanks for rounding out what was happening around the Atlantic and whys and reasons for each action. Kudos dude.

[@CensoredComment-os8py]

Never thought I would like this channel so much! This is a really good channel !! All the hard work put into making these docus is highly appreciated. Its not all for nothing cause I have learned a LOT from this channel. THANK YOU!

[@als3022]

I will be fighting the battle of Camden this upcoming weekend. So perfect timing. Though few things missing here that are normally. 1. How split Parliament was on the taxation. William Pitt the Elder was a supporter of the Americans and there are theories that if he had been in better health and in the Commons rather than the House of Lords, he could have prevented it. Depends. 2. Spain paid for everything. Even the French fleet off Yorktown was paid by Spanish silver. France went bankrupt WAY before the end of the war. Spain not being a direct ally of the US, rather an ally of France gets left out. Under Bernardo de Galvez they conquered New Orleans and Pensacola. Would love to see a video on the Spanish influence during the Revolution. Also in 2014 Galvez was awarded honorary US Citizenship for his contribution.

[@donywahlberg]

It doesn't get left out Lafayette was just a "don't ask questions" kind of guy

[@CaribbeanHistory]

Another key factor that devastated the war effort was the capture of a large British convoy bound for the southern colonies by Admiral Cordova in 1780. This forced two things to happen: 1- Cornwallis moves to Yorktown and 2- the Spanish take back Florida in the battles of Mobile and Pensacola. Also, it was Spanish money that allowed the French West Indies fleet to move out of Saint Domingue under Spanish protection and fund the Yorktown campaign

[@als3022]

I thought the fleet was in Havanna, not Santo Domingo. And Spain saved many American ships by opening their ports to them.

[@Grisha_VR]

Learning about this in school rn! This is a great help, thanks bro

[@imguestie]

I would love to see a video about the Russo-Japanese war

[@halo129830]

Kamchatka: do you see torpedo boats

[@MASTEROFEVIL]

The what?

[@halo129830]

@@MASTEROFEVIL it’s a history joke between amateur naval historians and otherwise. Look up the second pacific sqaudron

[@heitoroliveira2025]

Another great ep, maybe do one about Bolivar and the liberation wars against the spanish?

[@ZucchiniAss]

Amazing video, keep up the great work!!!

[@dababycar9363]

Dude your videos are amazing! Keep up the great work man. I also can't believe I was here so early

[@Snailrider_Actual]

Glad to see an American Revolution video again, more of these would be greatly appreciated!

[@ae-jo5gc]

Maybe some Scandinavia wars in the future? Outside of our viking history I feel like we are quite forgotten despite all those conlicts we had against each other.

[@majorsynthqed7374]

You might be surprised at how many people know about the wars Sweden has been involved in, and their conflicts with Russia. And of course there are many families from the American Midwest that had blood ties to Scandinavia. In the east, not far from me in New Jersey is Swedesboro, famous for having been founded by Swedes and Finns decades before the United States became a country.

[@greywolf7577]

History buffs would know, but I don't think most Americans could name a single war that Sweden was a part of. All they know about is the Vikings.@@majorsynthqed7374

[@funtecstudiovideos4102]

You arent forgoten in my country thats for sure

[@tommy-er6hh]

Well told. Kudos! One thing that is often forgotten is the role of disease, especially in the southern colonies. Cornwallis had his army size reduced by 1/2 from disease alone.

[@JuanTonSoupXP]

Can we please get an animated history of the civil war in El Salvador? I only know some things that I’ve heard from my family, but I never ask out of respect/not wanting to bring up their traumatic memories.

[@Strasburg90fan]

In depth video about the American Revolution. We needed this

[@soccerguy2433]

Your videos are great! Narration & animation are awesome!

[@mysticdragonwolf89]

I wonder, however unlikely, even after 200+ years…if there’s any tea still in Boston Harbor. Cause the tea wasn’t in the form what we imagine. They were not crates of teabags or bags of tea leaves. They were solid bricks - imagine those huge candy bars that cost 20-60$. 3 ships, 342 chests of bricks of tea worth 1.7 million - if I remember correctly one brick was meant to last an average family a year.

[@als3022]

Why South Carolina was smarter, they just shoved the tea into a dungeon and when they needed money they sold the tea they stole.

[@brothers_of_nod]

Always interesting to see perspective like this.

[@poedameron8057]

This was an amazing video by almost every measure! I really liked the background animations and the cool detail about Gibraltar. However, I feel like a lot of significant details of the conflict were skipped over. For example, the horrific winters of the revolutionary army at Valley Forge and... that other place a year or two later that I forgot the name of. This and some other details of just how close the colonials/Americans were to losing or at least suffering huge losses at many points might have put things into better context. Of course some of this may not be strictly relevant from the "British Perspective," but it seemed very odd to me that the Olive Branch proposal and the Declaration of Independence were hardly seconds apart, and then a little later a few years of the conflict are skipped by. A lot of characters and actions seem to step in out of nowhere without context or introduction, and some more details about how America was doing may have been more helpful for the viewer, even if the British may not have had much direct knowledge of it themselves historically. Again, great video, it just sometimes felt like a lot was missing.

[@dansmith4077]

For the algorithm great video thank you

[@julianfoot8748]

This has to be the most fair and accurate version of the war I have seen in media. Great Work.

[@Goodchicken2010]

Thank you so much for your content. It is fun to learn about history.

[@Jebbtube]

It's good to see a broader perspective on the founding of America. Schools tend to teach an incredibly skewed version of this history, and it's up to independent creators such as these to fill in the gaps.

[@chickenfishhybrid44]

Yeah almost like countries tend to focus on teaching mainly their own view of things.. Brits from what I hear often online hardly learn anything at all about it.

[@majorsynthqed7374]

That's why I rarely used any history text when teaching. Any teacher teaching from the book isn't doing their job. Any teacher who can't go beyond the book shouldn't be in a classroom.

[@simracing4simpletons978]

@@majorsynthqed7374 ay fellow history teacher! this person gets it. Keep doing that good work. I'm sadly out of the profession but it's nice to hear there's history teachers out there putting in the hard work, because finding your own sources to teach with and research is really hard work.

[@HivefleetMagoladon]

@@chickenfishhybrid44 Tbf, British schools have 2000 years of history to cover just for their own country.

[@chickenfishhybrid44]

​@HivefleetMagoladon it's not really a criticism. I just dont think many Americans know that it seems like Brits spend very little time on it at all.

[@justanotherperson7774]

Time to watch one of my favorite history Channel on the internet!

[@tommycarpenter2512]

Thank you sir for your videos. They are always good and full of good info.

[@leonidas-spearhead]

Good editing. Really enjoyed it.

[@Sakai070]

My family was one of those that fled to Canada from what was then Massachusetts but is now Maine. We didn't return until the 1820s. Funny this episode comes out now, I'm going to Boston next weekend to go see the sights.

[@als3022]

Hope it's fun. I have a friend who her family were the Acadians and instead of running to New Orleans and becoming Cajuns, they ran to the frontier of Maine. And stayed there every since.

[@thenewongoam2486]

You should made the Video about Boxer Rebellion.

[@daddywashington12]

Love you channel and you do more revolutionary war videos!!

[@LynkUpKid17]

Awesome job bro 💪

[@a_real_canadian6630]

More of this era would be awesome!

[@walsh451]

I'm a Birt, I went to visit my sister who lives in the states a few years ago and happened be there on the 4th of July. It was so mental how many Americans seem to think that Brits are bothered about them becoming independent. I remember a girl saying "it must have been so embarrassing learning about it in school". I just laughed and said "no more than you learning about Vietnam". I explained that most Brits didn't care and that at the time of the war many in Britain felt for the 13 colonies. It's also interesting that many Americans seem to think that this was when the British empire began to fall, but we were not a global superpower at this point, that wouldn't come until after the Napoleonic wars. Ill just never forget how so many people on the 4th of July celebrations I went too could not believe a brit would show their face. Its such a strange thing to think someone would be bothered about. I suppose its a massive park of American history, but such a small part of ours.

[@eddiel7635]

Not just that but the West Indies were more economically important to Britain at this point than the 13 colonies.

[@chickenfishhybrid44]

"So mental". You probably take people too literally. You were probably being Trolled.

[@walsh451]

@@chickenfishhybrid44 I'm quite down to earth and know the difference between people trolling and being serious.

[@chickenfishhybrid44]

@walsh451 well there's no doubt things can get lost in translation between different cultures and groups. Even groups that people assume are close or similar. The differences in comedy between the UK and the US are a perfect example.

[@als3022]

Well to be fair, for Britain it was a loss of a colony. For the Americans it was the birth of a nation. Britain's I guess would be Hastings? Not sure.

[@samreid6010]

I think what a lot of Brits ignore about the stamp act is that it wasn’t just that you had to a tax to get the stamp on your paper goods. The stamp was only placed on goods in Britain so the burgeoning paper industry in the Americas could no longer sell their product locally. Instead, their only option was to ship to Britain at whatever price the British wanted. For consumers of paper, instead of buying locally they instead had to import British paper from across an ocean. Paper ends up being bulky and heavy so the shipping costs alone were astronomical. So while the people back in Britain had to pay a similar tax on paper goods, the tax was only a small portion of the cost incurred. So while some will argue people in Britain were paying more in taxes than those in America, this ignores the fact that the British economy was set up to keep prices low in Britain and extremely high everywhere else.

[@timothytrudelle9245]

Oh this is something I've never seen 😮, going to my watch later for sure.

[@dude157]

Great content!

[@thetayz72]

Ah yes, when debt was taken seriously by nations

[@henrimichelpierreplana4332]

I love your videos. Loved to hear the Marseillaise in the background for events in 1780.. but ok.

[@multiyapples]

This is well done.

[@oliverbenes6365]

The british grenadiers in the background is awesome

[@michaelhinz7043]

I actually teach this history of the British empire. On the Sugar Act (Molasses Act), you neglect a few points. Firstly, it was introduced by George Grenville in 1763, in which the tax was cut from sixpence to three pence. Additionally, this indirect tax, mainly affected those in port cities, in British North America, concerning rum industry.

[@UlmerCubingandMore]

This is such a fitting episode to see just after I watch Hamilton Live here in the Philippines~

[@TrentSimpson]

How convenient that this video drops as soon as I start taking APUSH. Great video too, keep it up.

[@warrioroflight6872]

Whatever our past, I love Brits today. -From an American student

[@hansgruber788]

we love you too man

[@michaelthecoffeedrinker9077]

🇺🇲🤝🇬🇧

[@Freeplayone]

the fact, that the King could have changed history, if parlarment went his way ist crazy to think. Great video

[@zgalexy834]

Really love how the maps look this video

[@mahmoudshahnazi8374]

Griffin, I love your channel and have watched all of your videos. However, one small critique regarding the music (La Marseillaise) used when describing French involvement in the American Revolution. That Anthem was not available then and was composed by French Army Officer 'Claude Rouget de Lisle' in 1792. Otherwise EXCELLENT video as always.

[@honodle7219]

I hadn't realized hatred of taxation (both sides of the Atlantic) and thus inability to pay for the effort lost Britain the war in the end.

[@liamflynn1120]

Though Armchair Historian has a ton of videos I love, the "perspective" videos are typically my favorite. It's very refreshing and enlightening to hear about the things textbooks usually only imply or mention in passing.

[@tuckergarver1553]

i watched the oversimplified video but i know this is going to be even better

[@knix7091]

this is really cool!

[@agentm83]

I'm Canadian, some of my ancestors were United Empire Loyalists who fled up here during the Revolution. While we stuck with the British Empire, I can empathize with the point of view of the American revolutionaries as well.

[@mrhumble2937]

It has to be a tough spot, who are you more loyal to the country you always loved or the one you live in starting its own. Was probably easier for those who never even lived in England grew up in America.

[@agentm83]

@@mrhumble2937 Yeah, I don't know what it was like for my Loyalist ancestors, but it could be dangerous. If you were caught in the wrong place and the wrong time being loyal to the Crown, you could get tarred and feathered.

[@jackthorton10]

Such is the complexity of war and loyalty

[@MiguelLopez-yc2rh]

The video forgot to mention the important role of spanish forces in the american continent. They attacked british positions in the south and captured West Florida from Britain in the siege of Pensacola. This secured the southern route for supplies and closed off the possibility of any british offensive through the western frontier of the United States via the Mississippi River. Spain also provided money, supplies, and munitions to the American forces and unlike the french, they didnt get heavily undebted.

[@gonotgone1]

I’m surprised they didn’t mention that either, considering how much the Spanish tied up British forces in the siege of Gibraltar, Spain’s importance shouldn’t be underestimated.

[@OdinWannaBe]

There is so much more that is missing. but yeah.

[@voiceofreason2674]

Galvez capture of Mobile is impressive. He lays the blue print for how Andrew Jackson lead a multi lingual army in the gulf south

[@Naturenerd1000]

Very Well Done. Learned alot.

[@marcsole8564]

I love the victoria 2 music over the 18/19 century videos

[@persontaco1102]

You should cover the war of 1812 from the American perspective or just the war in general

[@Arthurs-Hat]

What’s the music used in the background? I feel a playlist of all background music would be great!

[@noconnection1839]

18:50 nice empire total war reference. 😂

[@AdriLeemput]

I'm Slightly surprised you skipped over the Boston Tea Party when talking about the Coercive acts. Oh and please mention Joseph Warren next time you are talking about the Revolution in Boston (and especially Bunker Hill), more people need to get to know Warren better :)

[@Chairloser]

I needed this for my 8th grade History class.

[@IsaacRaiCastillo]

It was an interesting video, as it's always great to get both sides' perspectives. Although, I don't know why historians always tend to omit all Spanish aid in the war (as you also did here), when many of the supplies and weapons given to support the Continental Army came from the Spanish viceroyalties, added to: the capture of the English supply convoy on August 9 of 1780 (which deprived the army in North America of men and supplies) and the reconquest of Florida by Bernardo de Gálves in the Siege of Pensacola of 1781 (which opened another front to the south to the detriment of British troops), meaning that not all the aid was French in the American War of Independence. Now, you just need to make a video about the War of 1812, which is not usually explained much on KZbin and would be an excellent complement to this video; By the way, I'm glad that you are returning to concentrating on talking about historical topics of the Modern Age.

[@als3022]

In the last year or two of the war Spain was pretty much paying the entirety of the bill. France was flat broke before the war was even ended. In fact, Spanish silver paid for the De Grasse fleet at Yorktown. Cuban women raised the funds. Bernardo Galvez was even awarded an honorary US citizenship in 2014 because of his help. I think the reason Spain gets forgotten is because they were never an ally of the US. They were allies of France because of the Bourbon compact. But, while they did a ton for the US financially, Spanish troops never fought with Continentals like the French did.

[@IsaacRaiCastillo]

@@als3022 It is not necessary to fight directly alongside your ally's troops to be and ally; There are several examples in history and that is why countries ally divide up Theaters of war (so that each one is in charge of an enemy zone) and you even give reasons that greatly justify that Spanish aid was equally or more important than French aid. Furthermore, in the 18th century, Spain was always an ally of all those who faced the United Kingdom, going so far as to ally with a person as treacherous as Napoleon, in order to resist the English attacks. But, the problem here is that the United States never wanted to continue its alliance with Spain and never had any intention of doing so: it did not help in the independence struggles of Latin America and it was also the only kingdom to which the United States applied its Monroe Doctrine in the war of 1898 (which they caused unilaterally); The Cold War had to come for them to finally become military allies. The United States knew after the War of 1812 that its only way to grow was at the expense of Spain and that is why it benefited it to get rid of it: the independence weakened its neighbors to the South, which made it easier for them to annex all the territory to the North of the present-day Mexico; The war of 1898 gave them control of the Caribbean and an opening of their influence in the Pacific with the Philippines; The desire of the Panamanians to separate from Colombia opened up control of transit through the most strategic area of the Central American isthmus (the United States is not to blame for everything, only for the disaster of 1898, but it totally benefited from its non-belligerency). Because of things like that, I believe that historically the United States has been uncomfortable with accepting out loud the aid and its primary alliance with Spain, since if it did so it would look like a treacherous ally, who did not pay them well for the aid. In any case, I doubt that in this century it is necessary to maintain appearances, the past can no longer be changed, but it is possible to give deserved justice in the present to something that an ally did for the United States, because recognition is more important than a public rebuke that will never happen.

[@joshuaevans6295]

14:37 love the anachronistic Marseillies

[@kremepye3613]

More videos from this time period plz!