Roles of Colonial Militia and Continental Army in Winning the Revolutio

Roles of Colonial Militia and Continental the States in Winning the revolutionist WarWhen the fighting at Lexington and Concord skint out in 1775, the conflict unleashed a flood of resentment that had been building over the right of the colonies to govern themselves. This conflict became a symbol of the American fight for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. As James Kirby Martin and Mark Edward Lender turn over in A Respectable Army The Military Origins of the Republic, 1763-1789, the patriotic mythology of a united people fighting the tyrannical British oppressors for basic benevolent rights permeated historical thought about the American Revolution until recently and obscured the midland conflicts that nearly destroyed the rebel effort (4). Martin and Lender maintain that the colonists did not develop a understanding of national identity until after the Revolutionary War and that the lack of interest among the colonists in fighting for their ca call prompted the use of the Continental Army to win the war. The authors also clearly regard the colonial reserves with a great deal of contempt and spend a considerable amount of time discrediting them as an effective fighting force. on that point seems to be a fair amount of evidence, however, to indicate that around sense of nationhood existed prior to the Revolution, gaining momentum throughout the war but not hard taking hold until after the war was over, and it was, in fact, the colonial militia that best exemplified that sense of nationalism.When the first settlers arrived in the New World, they attempted to transplant the European societal practices to which they were accustomed, but learned quickly that the wilderness of trades union America did not accommodate them. What resulted was the formati... ...had everything to lose and fought anyway better delineated the national ideals for which they were fighting and it was for that reason that the public embraced them.The argument as t o whether the colonial militia or the Continental Army deserves the most recognition in the war effort might never be settled. In some ways, the debate seems unnecessary. Winning the war combined more than just those ii elements. If the French had not started a power struggle in Europe, the results would take over been vastly different. If either the militia or the regulars had to fight the war alone, the results would accept been vastly different. The laurels belong to no single group and should not be argued otherwise.Works CitedMartin, James Kirby, and Mark Edward Lender. A Respectable Army The Military Origins of the Republic, 1763-1789. Wheeling, IL Harlan Davidson, 1982.