20. The “shot heard round the world” led to shots exchanged around the world
That the American Revolution became a global war was perhaps inevitable, given the interests of the Great European powers in the North American continent and its surrounding waters. Its spread to India and Asia was a result of the need to replace lost elements of empires. The French economy was wrecked by the war, leading to its own revolution later in the decade. The Spanish failed to gain Gibraltar, but the silver mines of its Central American possessions restored its economy quickly, and its military successes restored much of its prestige. The Dutch Republic and the Dutch East India Company were devastated by the war, and never fully recovered as a naval and trading power.
Great Britain lost its North American colonies, but gained in the Indian subcontinent and the Indian Ocean, and retained most of its valuable sugar colonies in the Caribbean. Trade between the United States and Great Britain grew quickly following the war, and both economies recovered, especially after the American government was reshaped by the Constitution. Border disputes arose and were negotiated with Spain in the Floridas which it retained. George Washington and the Spanish King maintained a cordial correspondence. The biggest loser of the American Revolutionary wars was Louis XVI of France, who initiated a global war when he agreed to aid the Americans, and paid for it eventually with his life.
Where do we find this stuff? Here are our sources:
“Lord Selkirk, A Life”. J.M. Bumsted. 2005
“Log of the Bon Homme Richard, 1779”. John Paul Jones, John Paul Jones Cottage Museum, pdf
“Major Operations of the Royal Navy, 1762-1783”, Alfred T. Mahan. 1898
“The War of American Independence”. Richard Middleton. 2012
“A Few Bloody Noses: The American War of Independence”. Robert Harvey. 2002
“Rock of Contention: A History of Gibraltar”. George Hills. 1974
“The Influence of Sea Power Upon History 1660-1783”. Alfred T. Mahan. 1987.
“The Battle of the Saintes”. C.S. Forester, American Heritage Magazine. June 1958
“Bernardo de Galvez”. Thomas Fleming, American Heritage Magazine. April/May 1982
“The Dutch and the American Revolution”. F.Edler. 2012
“Command at Sea: Naval Command and Control Since the Sixteenth Century”. Michael Palmer. 2005
“The Jay Papers”. Richard B. Morris, American Heritage Magazine. February 1968