How the Colonists Won the Revolutionary WarIntroductionThe Revolutionary War of 1775–1783 was a successful military uprising against Great Britain by 13 American colonies that merged to form the States -United America in 1776. Initially, the war was between the colonies and Great Britain, but it intensified and involved other countries such as Spain and France. Taxes imposed on Americans by the British Parliament were the cause of the war. Many Americans believed that the taxes were illegal and so began to resist (Greene & Pole, 2008). In 1774, the rebellion officially began when the Patriot Suffolk Resolves successfully eradicated legal government from the province of Massachusetts Bay (Greene & Pole, 2008). After two years of fighting, the rebels had taken control of the thirteen colonies and declared their independence. How the Colonies Were Able to Achieve Independence The task of conquering all the colonies was almost an impossible task for the British soldiers. Indeed, the enormous geographical extent of the colonies made it impossible for British forces to inhabit the countryside. The failure of British forces to control the countryside made it impossible to protect loyalists from patriots (Mintz and McNeil, 2013). Patriots tarred, feathered and even killed those who were loyal to the crown. British actions also alienated them from their supporters. They failed to take advantage of the Loyalists who had formed around seventy regiments to help the British control the colonies (Mintz and McNeil, 2013). British commanders did not trust the Loyalists and did not respect their fighting ability, thus alienating their potential supporters. The rebels employed guerrilla warfare...... middle of paper...... Patriots triumph in the Revolutionary War. The enormous size of the colonies made it difficult for the British to protect the Loyalists, thereby losing their support. The British also alienated themselves by ignoring the combat prowess of the Royalist regiment (Mintz and McNeil, 2013). The rebels also used guerrilla warfare techniques rather than staging a full-scale confrontation that would help the British deliver a final blow. The tipping of the scales occurred when other countries such as Spain, France and the Netherlands joined the war.ReferencesGreene, JP and Pole, JR (Eds.). (2008). A Companion to the American Revolution (Vol. 17). John Wiley & Sons. Mintz, S. and McNeil, S. (2013). How were the colonies able to gain their independence? Digital history. Retrieved (May 1, 2014) from http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/disp_textbook.cfm?smtID=2&psid=3220