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Re: Interesting facts on the revolutionary war

Posted: Thu Mar 21, 2013 4:41 am
by Deepcrush
Teaos wrote:For the first century the East coast provided a lot of high quality old growth timber. But after that was gone the big money items were found elsewhere. America was sustainable but not profitable.
Seems odd to say not profitable, maybe because I've never once heard anyone say that. In fact its always been the other way around. That the US colonies had a great deal of money and asset value, being the reason England tried to tax the US colonies so heavily. The standards of living were well above that of the rest of the Empire, of that time at least since it didn't last. England sought to pull in as much of that money as possible to pay off the debts run up during the Seven Years War.

As to timber, that was never gone since there are still tree farms in Virginia to this day. As well as the fur and ship companies of the northern colonies along with the cotton and food suppliers of the southern colonies. In fact one of the laws that England passed and briefly attempted to enforce was a process tax on items produced in the US colonies shipped to England. This included clothes and even hats and furniture since people were buying from the colonies instead of from home grown (English) sources. Food taxes were placed to stop colony plantations from putting English ones out of business.

Recalling this, its more then a little silly to say the US colonies weren't profitable. More truthful is that the US colonies were TOO profitable and were impacting profits back in the homeland. Once things of better quality and quantity were available from the US colonies over English sources, the money flowed out of England rather then to it.

Re: Interesting facts on the revolutionary war

Posted: Thu Mar 21, 2013 6:10 pm
by Mikey
I think that's what he meant. The colonies proved expensive to administrate, and the idea of them being a captive market for England sort of got reversed.

Re: Interesting facts on the revolutionary war

Posted: Thu Mar 21, 2013 6:37 pm
by Teaos
Exactly, they were making money, but costing it as well.

Re: Interesting facts on the revolutionary war

Posted: Thu Mar 21, 2013 11:42 pm
by RK_Striker_JK_5
Well, you gotta make money to spend money. But maybe the margins would've become too narrow?

Re: Interesting facts on the revolutionary war

Posted: Fri Mar 22, 2013 8:50 am
by Vic
Another thing not widely known, is the involvement of Spain. Mainly in funds and supplies, and a very credible threat in the Carribean. People with little more than a peso to their names donated that peso for the American Revolution. There are evidently receipts still extant for those donations.

Re: Interesting facts on the revolutionary war

Posted: Fri Mar 22, 2013 12:40 pm
by Mikey
A lot of folks also forget the involvement of certain Polish bigwigs, notably Casimir Pulaski - the "father of American cavalry" - and Tadeusz Kosciusko.

Re: Interesting facts on the revolutionary war

Posted: Fri Mar 22, 2013 1:08 pm
by Deepcrush
Pulaski is rather well remembered in both Maryland and Tennessee.

Re: Interesting facts on the revolutionary war

Posted: Fri Mar 22, 2013 1:28 pm
by Tsukiyumi
I think that, while Americans on this board may remember and recognize the contribution that a lot of foreign powers made to the war, the vast majority of Americans do not.

Re: Interesting facts on the revolutionary war

Posted: Fri Mar 22, 2013 2:00 pm
by Teaos
"Its called the AMERICAN revolution bro"

Re: Interesting facts on the revolutionary war

Posted: Sat Mar 23, 2013 7:41 am
by Vic
Mikey wrote:A lot of folks also forget the involvement of certain Polish bigwigs, notably Casimir Pulaski - the "father of American cavalry" - and Tadeusz Kosciusko.
I would not be suprised if the history of the Commonwealth was a major inspiration for some Founding Fathers.

Re: Interesting facts on the revolutionary war

Posted: Sat Mar 30, 2013 2:31 pm
by Tholian_Avenger