Battle for America

England establishes its first colonies in America in the early 1600s, but leaves them pretty much on their own for the next 150 years. This is because colonists have found no gold, and little else of interest to the English king.

Beyond that, England has its hands full trying to gain advantage in the big European wars, which rage almost non-stop throughout the period. All the major powers are involved, with England and France at the forefront.

Kings battle each other in a titanic struggle for empire, with warfare sometimes spilling over into America. Battles are fought over territory, but even more to control trade, which is now widely recognized as the key to wealth.

By this time, England has seized control of both Ireland and Scotland, growing in both size and power. It is now calling itself 'Great Britain,' and is hungry for even greater empire. The 'English' are now known as the 'British.'


	Colonists Against Recoats After long years of neglect, the colonists in America have little to cheer. Exports never quite seem to cover the cost of imports. During the mid-1700s, things suddenly get much worse. After waging and winning a world-spanning war for empire against the French, the British government is broke. Only a small portion of the groaning war debt is related to fighting in America, but the British now want colonists to help cover the costs. The colonists resist, and are slowly driven to rebel against British rule. They are tired of a distant king who never seems to care.



	War for Empire Warfare consumes the entire continent of Europe between 1600 and 1750. The RED dots on the map indicate land battles, while the BLUE circles are naval engagements. The British and French carry the fight across the Atlantic, in a struggle for control of America called the 'French and Indian War,' because Indians are drawn into the conflict on both sides. But this war is actually just a small portion of the much bigger war raging in Europe. British battlefield losses in Europe are twelve times greater than their losses in America. Still, the British insist that struggling colonists help shoulder some of the burden. New taxes which the British Parliament impose on American imports only enflame colonist resentment.


	Evolving Weapons Warfare in the 1700s is a far cry from the medieval clash of knights in armor. Armies are huge, highly organized, and fully equipped. Wars are started for all kinds of reasons, including the need for younger rulers to gain recognition and acclaim. Field artillery is now fully mature, with armies typically deploying hundreds of cannons all over the battlefield. Warships, which used to have a single gun deck, have evolved into towering triple-deckers mounting 100 cannons, and more. Muskets are fired by striking a spark from a piece of flint, rather than using the older slow-burning length of cord. They are still cumbersome to load, however, as the weapon must be placed upright on the ground to pour in powder, and then ram down the ball.


	Battlefield Carnage Wars are by far the most complicated and costly activities managed by kings, who must somehow find ways to finance them. There is a steady drumbeat of war throughout the period, involving widely scattered struggles. But by the mid-1600s, the conflicts have grown mind-numbingly costly, with wars involving all the major powers of Europe. England is prominently involved in most of them, including the incredibly bloody 'Thirty Years War' (center), and shorter but still costly 'Seven Years War' (right). This helps explain why Britain is pretty tired of war by the time the American colonists pick up the fight, shortly thereafter. The British are not only exhausted, but deeply in debt.


	The Fight for America By 1750, the British have firm control of the American coastline, with forts (RED dots) guarding the approaches. The French are in a much weaker position. They also have forts (BLUE dots), but very few settlers (BLUE areas). Forts are mostly simple constructions, like the one shown above. The exception is the great French fortress at Quebec (top left), which is the gateway to all of 'New France.' Even so, the British manage to capture it after a tough campaign. There is also a French fort at what is now Pittsburgh. The British try to take it with an expedition that includes a young Lieutenant-Colonel George Washington, from Virginia (lower right). The expedition fails, but the French eventually lose the war, and withdraw from colonial America.


	Masters of Land and Sea By the end of the Seven Years War, Britain is the undisputed master of the world. Its army has been victorious over the French in America, Europe and even India. On the high seas, none can stand up to the British Navy, which is seemingly everywhere. But this mastery comes at a price. The British have manufacturing capability second to none, but remain a small nation, with a modest population. There are twice as many Frenchmen as Brits, and three times as many Spanish, Ottoman Turks and Germanic peoples (each). The Austrians, Persians, Russians and Poles all have populations roughly equal to that of Britain. The secret to British supremacy is sea power, which Britain jealously maintains with outsized spending and unmatched seamanship.