Battle of Yorktown Was the Essay

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The National Park Service Web site also does not mention the role of Native Americans during the colonial period of history or the role of African slaves. The omission of the latter is striking, given Yorktown was an important Virginia tobacco port (Twin Cities Public Television 2004). Not mentioning the impact of colonialism on Native American culture is a significant omission for a park called Colonial National Historical Park. Just as the Battle of Yorktown commemorates victory of the British, it also emphasizes the conquering of the indigenous people and the taking over of their lands. Interestingly, the perception that the colonialists now owned that land is stressed by the very fact that it was the colonialists of European descent who fought for the New World and not the Native Americans. Discounting the British or loyalist point-of-view is understandable, given that the battlefield signified victory for the Americans over the British.

The Yorktown Battleground reminds visitors that the Revolutionary War could easily have ended differently. Before the Battle of Yorktown, the British had gained significant victories in the ongoing war. The British won the Battle of Savannah in 1778. British troop surges in Charleston, South Carolina also forced American troops to surrender there. In August 1790, the British won another important battle in Camden, South Carolina. American militia forces suffered "heavy losses," until a campaign of guerilla warfare pushed back the British to Yorktown ("Battle of Yorktown" nd). British General Cornwallis was in charge when the Battle of Yorktown took place, and it was he who surrendered.

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The stark literalism of the Battlefield and its lack of any significant statues or war memorials serves as a humble tribute to the soldiers who lost their lives in battle on both sides.

The way the Battle of Yorktown is commemorated helps perpetuate the American mythos. By glossing over the contributions of the French, the Americans bolster the sense of pride of securing victory over what was then the most formidable naval force in the world. Not mentioning the impact of colonialism on Native Americans also allows American idealism to flourish without being stained by such recognition. Similarly, Yorktown was a tobacco plantation and yet slavery is not mentioned as a part of the Battle of Yorktown memorial site. Instead, the National Park Service has opted to focus on the strictly militaristic aspects of the Battle of Yorktown.

The Yorktown Battlefield is the site on which the turning point battle of the American Revolution took place centuries ago. As a commemoration site, the Yorktown Battlefield upholds American ideology and promotes a singular vision of American history. The Battle of Yorktown represents the defeat of the British overlords by the poorly trained underdog American militias. Keeping alive this myth solidifies the American ideal of fierce independence, while glossing over key aspects of the colonial era......

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