Wars Of Independence

[inquiringmind]

Were the 13 British colonies in North America the first New World Colonies to fight for their independence?

I apologize for my ignorance here, but I'd really like to know if any Spanish or Portuguese colonies fought for their independence from Spain or Portugal before we gained our independence.

Does anyone know?

[blackstrap]

Nope. Haiti was the closest in 1791 +/- .Remember that Wikipedia is not a bad source of info in a pinch.

[inquiringmind]

Nope. Haiti was the closest in 1791 +/- .Remember that Wikipedia is not a bad source of info in a pinch.

Our war of Independence was in 1776.

So I guess you meant to say "yes"?

We were first?

(And wasn't Hati more of a slave uprising than a rebellion of European colonists?)

Edited May 5, 2013 by inquiringmind

[Questing Beast]

The USA was created out of the first successful rebellion. And inarguably it is the most successful. Most of the subsequent rebellions against imperialism were inspired by the American revolution, and some even attempted to pattern their constitutions after that of the USA, with varying results, mostly ineffective of any significant change from the old order of things, e.g. look at Mexico, still waiting to realize the ideals fought for at the beginning of the 20th century and that cost the blood of more people than the American civil war....

Edited May 5, 2013 by Questing Beast

[Duncan]

as a Canadian I actually love July the 4th, it's a day we in the British Commonwealth celebrate getting rid of that pesky colony!!!

Edited May 5, 2013 by Duncan

[Glenn101]

as a Canadian I actually love July the 4th, it's a day we in the British Commonwealth celebrate getting rid of that pesky colony!!!

Yep. And you rejected us a second time in 1812. Now if you only get rid of Quebec, all of your pests would be gone.

Glenn

[Duncan]

Yep. And you rejected us a second time in 1812. Now if you only get rid of Quebec, all of your pests would be gone.

Glenn

we still have the weather! haha!

[blackstrap]

And the mosquitos, and the black flies !

[thesometimesaint]

The Iroquois League was the first Confederation, formed between 1400 and 1640, in what was to become the US. In 1988 the US Congress passed a resolution to recognize the influence of the Iroquois League upon the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.

[Alan]

as a Canadian I actually love July the 4th, it's a day we in the British Commonwealth celebrate getting rid of that pesky colony!!!

Well said mate

[Nathair/|\]

as a Canadian I actually love July the 4th, it's a day we in the British Commonwealth celebrate getting rid of that pesky colony!!!

Yep. And you rejected us a second time in 1812. Now if you only get rid of Quebec, all of your pests would be gone.

Glenn

Don't forget N. Ireland, Scotland, Cornwall, Man and Wales. Scotland is having a referendum on independence next year.

[changed]

My great grandfather was captured in the crossing of the Delaware - he was a hired Hessian mercenary soldier. Want to know how washington won that war (when they were so ill-equipped in the snow etc. etc.?) My grandpa said he he was lied to - they told him he was being hired to protect the colonists from Indian incursions, and that it wasn't until he was in America that he learned he was hired to fight against - rather than for - the colonists. ... needless to say, he didn't fight, he and others surrendered.... and then they allowed themselves to be exchanged for other POW's before deserting . I wrote up a section in this wiki article: http://en.wikipedia....sian_(soldiers)

My grandpa is Johann Nicholas Bahner.

Edited May 6, 2013 by changed

[thesometimesaint]

Ethan Allen is in my family tree.

[BCSpace]

I apologize for my ignorance here, but I'd really like to know if any Spanish or Portuguese colonies fought for their independence from Spain or Portugal before we gained our independence.

Might be a little complicated, but one could consider the various native rebellions or resistence in Central and South America agaisnt the Spanish and Portuguese and even the Habsburgs of the Holy Roman empire which eventually fell apart and suffered some conflict.

Edited May 6, 2013 by BCSpace

[ksfisher]

Ethan Allen is in my family tree.

A good arborist should be able to help you get him out of there without to much fuss.

[thesometimesaint]

[Stone holm]

Ethan Allen is in my family tree.

Ethan Allen is in my family tree.

One of my ancestors was a magistrate in New York who issued an arrest warrant for Ethan Allen, but they could not find a constable brave enough to Venture east to arrest him. As part of an apology for the sins of my ancestors, I named my third son Ethan. There have been many who have argued and I think there is considerable truth in the argument that the American Revolution was not in fact a "revolution" at all, but should more properly just be referred to as a War of Independence. The rationale for their argument was that the de facto power establishment in America was not overthrown, but rather for the most part was involved in the rebellion against Britain and they more or less stayed in power after the war. What had happened was that Britain had allowed the colonies to pretty much govern themselves and through benign neglect had not really exercised their imperial powers -- it was when they decided to try and reinstitute those powers that the trouble began. We weren't destroying a ruling class. The French, however, and the Russians, had real revolutions where the ruling class was not just overthrown but literally destroyed. That kind of vicious class destruction never occurred here, and in fact basically horrified us when it got out of hand over in France. You do realize that Ethan Allen also provided the leadership that kept Vermont from joining the Union until New York agreed to recognize the local Vermonters land titles. I think that our State may be the only State born primarily due to land title disputes, and fortunately for us attorneys they are stilling fighting over titles.

[Bill “Papa” Lee]

The USA was created out of the first successful rebellion. And inarguably it is the most successful. Most of the subsequent rebellions against imperialism were inspired by the American revolution, and some even attempted to pattern their constitutions after that of the USA, with varying results, mostly ineffective of any significant change from the old order of things, e.g. look at Mexico, still waiting to realize the ideals fought for at the beginning of the 20th century and that cost the blood of more people than the American civil war....

I believe it was Abraham Lincoln said, if war comes (meaning the Civil War) let it a last be the last battle of the America Revolution. Indeed it was and freedom won again, what followed we smaller battles. Our forefathers and our Father in Heaven laid the foundation by which all of these things would finally allow it to come to pass.

God Bless America!

Edit to add...

It was John Quincy Adams who spoke of it being the last battle of the Civil War. It was in his remarks to the treat of war looming as he argued for the freedom of slaves from the Armistead (hope I spelled this right) a slave ship.

Edited May 10, 2013 by Bill “Papa” Lee

[Stone holm]

I believe it was Abraham Lincoln said, if war comes (meaning the Civil War) let it a last be the last battle of the America Revolution. Indeed it was and freedom won again, what followed we smaller battles. Our forefathers and our Father in Heaven laid the foundation by which all of these things would finally allow it to come to pass.

God Bless America!

I sometimes wonder of late whether the Civil War ever truly ended seems like that cultural struggle is an enduring part of the American struggle with evil.

[thesometimesaint]

I sometimes wonder of late whether the Civil War ever truly ended seems like that cultural struggle is an enduring part of the American struggle with evil.

For all those whose cares have been our concern, the work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives, and the dream shall never die.

[Bill “Papa” Lee]

as a Canadian I actually love July the 4th, it's a day we in the British Commonwealth celebrate getting rid of that pesky colony!!!

Yes we calling when they lost the best of the empire, and we no longer had to bow to an earthly King. To bad it took us a while to realize that none of US, could be free until all of us were free. We tore of the shackles of King George allowing them to remain on others.

[Questing Beast]

I believe it was Abraham Lincoln said, if war comes (meaning the Civil War) let it a last be the last battle of the America Revolution. Indeed it was and freedom won again, what followed we smaller battles. Our forefathers and our Father in Heaven laid the foundation by which all of these things would finally allow it to come to pass.

God Bless America!

Edit to add...

It was John Quincy Adams who spoke of it being the last battle of the Civil War. It was in his remarks to the treat of war looming as he argued for the freedom of slaves from the Armistead (hope I spelled this right) a slave ship.

The Amistad: close, but (Lewis) Armistead was the Confederate commander who led Pickett's charge at Gettysburg....

[Questing Beast]

For all those whose cares have been our concern, the work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives, and the dream shall never die.

Be more specific. Because I gave a ride to a S. Carolina elder once who announced out of the blue, "I just want you to know that 'the cause' is not dead". The distinct impression I received is that in the South the aggrieved feelings for the North still exist on many levels....

[thesometimesaint]

The saying is from Teddy Kennedy. Not someone I would neither normally associate with the armed treason of the South of the 1860's. Nor the Secessionist/Nullification Movement(s) of the modern day Confederates.