独立战争和南北战争的异同

The War of Independence vs the Civil War The United States has experienced many wars. The war of independence and the civil war have a great function and meaning to the United States.
1. The War of Independence
The American Revolutionary War (1775–1783), the American War of Independence, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and the Thirteen Colonies, but gradually grew into a world war between Britain on one side and the newly formed United States, France, Netherlands, Spain, and Mysore on the other.
The root caused of the American Revolution was a British colonial oppression hinders the development of the capitalist economy in North America. Before the war, North American had no regular army and no fleet at all. Then they set up an army, but the army poorly equipped, lacking ammunition. In contrast, the British national prosperity, with a well-trained, well-equipped and experienced combat known as the "European Ever Victorious Army" invincible army and a powerful fleet at sea. At first, the war went badly for the American. After endless hard fighting, in October 1777, the American won a great victory at Saratoga. This was the turning point of the war, resulting in an alliance between the U.S. and France. Finally, in 1781, the American won a decisive victory at Yorktown. On October 19, 1781, the British soldiers were forced to surrender. In 1783 the British and the Americans signed the Treaty of Paris, and the United Stated of America won its independence.
2. The Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought from 1861 to 1865 in the United States after several Southern slave states declared their secession and formed the Confederate States of America. The war had its origin in the fractious issue of slavery, especially the extension of slavery into the western territories. Early in the war northerners’ strength over the southerners, the North has 2,234 people. South only 910 million people, and in which there are more than 380 million of them are slaves. Northerners have developed industry, a network of railway network and abundant food, while the southern industrial underdevelopment. But the South has equipped and well-trained army. In July 1863, the turning point of war came at Gettysburg-the Union army defeated the Confederated army defeated the Confederate army led by General Robert. E. Lee. Since then northerners from the defensive to the offensive, while the southerners from the offensive into the strategic defense. The war resolved two fundamental issues. Slavery was completely abolished and American became a single, indivisible nation.
3. The Significance
The two wars are very important for the United States. The war of independence is a bourgeois revolution and national liberation movement at a time. The war of
independence is the first large-scale of colonial struggle for national independence war. With the victory of the War of Independence, the United States got rid of the British colonial rule, and achieved national independence. But the American revolutionary war did not solve the land problem and slavery. After the independence war, the north and south in the direction of two different types of economic development, eventually leading to civil war. The civil war is the second time bourgeois revolution in American history. It maintains the unity and abolished the slavery in the United States.The United States as a superpower, the two wars played a major role.
4. Reference
[1]Wikipedia: American Civil War
/wiki/American_Civil_War#End_of_war
[2]Wikipedia: American Revolutionary War
/wiki/American_War_of_Independence
[3]McPherson, James M. Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War [M]. Penguin. 2001。