Military History Of The Thirteen Colonies
The original colonies that went on to form the United States included Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia. They came together as states on 4 July 1776 and paved way for the formation of the United States. While the colonies did not fight each other, there is some military history associated with them that makes an interesting reading. |
Sponsored Links:
|
The British and French in the past have always had a shaky relationship. They were both seafaring nation that were fighting each other for supremacy and colonies. So, it was but natural that sooner or later the British and French would be fighting each other in North America. This happened with the French and Indian War, which the two nations fought from 1755 until 1760. The war was fought in modern-day Canada. The Native Americans fought alongside the British as well as the French, but most of them sided with the French. The war culminated with the British winning and French losing control of Canada and Mississippi Valley.
In the initial days of the colonization of North America, the leaders were soldiers themselves and new how to mobilize men and build military installations. The governors of the thirteen colonies were nearly all experienced army officers, who had served with the British army. Furthermore, while the colonies were primarily seeking religious freedom and were interested in keeping their beliefs alive, they knew that they needed military skills to fight the Native Americans as well as other foreign nations. Hence, many of the legislative bodies of the thirteen colonies hired military officers to impart military and tactical training and lessons in strategies to their men. For instance, the Pilgrims hired the service of a British captain in the year 1620 to command an expedition to Plymouth before they could land. The captain, Miles Standish, fought the Native Indians, trained militia to protect the Pilgrims and also built a fort.
When the colonies were established, there was risk of the Native Americans attacking them. In fact, the colonies of New England, Virginia, New York and South Carolina had to wage many wars with the Native Americans in the 17th century. The colonies had less number of people compared to the Indian tribes, so the risk that the tribes would overrun them always existed. However, as the colonies grew, this fear gradually subsided, as the number of males increased. By the end of the 17th century, most of the 13 colonies were safe and any attack was severely dealt with.
It is important to note while reading about the military history of the thirteen colonies is that none of the colonies had an army. They did have militia and the adult males were more than ready to take up arms when the need arose, but it was always believed that the military was lesser than the legislature and the governor.
More Articles :
Consevapedia: Colonial Military History
http://www.conservapedia.com/Colonial_military_history
|
The thirteen colonies that were first established in the eastern part of the United States went on to form the United States after the American Revolution. These colonies were made up of people who were looking for religious freedom, economic independence and wanting to start a new life in a new environment. In addition, convicts and indentured workers were also sent to these colonies. Later on, when slave trade started, the slaves also became part of the colonies, but had no rights. 