West Michigan Regional Purchase Agreement: Fill & Download for Free

Short Answers: No and No.Longer Answers: Residential property transactions may be conducted without a real estate agent or broker, but your universe of choices will be limited and it is likely that both the seller and you will need the assistance of an attorney.The seller is responsible for the Brokerage Fee - sample language from the West Michigan REALTOR Associations Listing Agreement:7. BROKERAGE FEE. Seller agrees to pay Broker a brokerage fee of ____% of the sales price due and payable if:- the property is sold or traded by Broker or by Seller or anyone else during the listing period (including sales pursuant to options granted or contracts executed during the listing period);- a prospective buyer ready, willing, and able to purchase the property on the terms specified herein or other terms acceptable to Seller is produced by Broker or any licensee or person during the listing period;- or the property is sold within _____ months after expiration of the listing period (including sales pursuant to options granted or contracts executed within that period following expiration) to a buyer who had been shown the property during the listing period by Broker or Seller, or any other individual licensed for real estate sales activities under the Michigan Occupational Code (hereafter “licensee”) or person, except that this provision shall not apply if the property is sold pursuant to a valid listing agreement entered into with another broker subsequent to the expiration of the listing period of this agreement.In the event Seller grants an option to purchase the property during the listing period and that option is not exercised, the listing period shall be automatically extended after the expiration of the option for a period of time equal to the unexpired portion of the listing period existing at the time the option was granted. The brokerage fee shall be paid promptly after it is earned and in no event later than the closing of the sale of the property. In the event of litigation involving the brokerage fee relating to this agreement and if the Broker is the prevailing party, the Seller shall reimburse the Broker for reasonable attorneys’ fees and expenses incurred in connection with any such litigation.Additional Provisions:9. POSSIBILITY OF DUAL AGENCY. If Broker acts as a dual agent, Seller hereby consents to this dual agency and agrees that under such circumstances, the following provisions shall govern Broker’s actions:a. Broker will not knowingly say anything or do anything which might place one party at a disadvantage, such as disclose personal confidences; b. Broker shall assume a role as an intermediary, facilitator, and/or mediator to assist Buyer and Seller; and c. Broker shall not disclose to Buyer that Seller might accept a price other than the listing price; nor shall Broker disclose to Seller that Buyer might be willing to pay a higher price.©Copyright, West Michigan REALTOR® Associations Revision Date 1/12/12 Seller’s Initials West Michigan Regional Listing Agreement Page 2 of 4

Great Britain is one of many countries who fought in the Revolutionary War in the late 18th century.Great Britain was once a part of the powerful and expansive British Empire, which ruled numerous continents during the 17th, 18th, 19th and 20th centuries before it was eventually dismantled due to the lack of resources necessary to keep the vast empire intact.Great Britain Before the American Revolution:The British Empire was one of the most extensive empires in world history and was a product of the European Age of Discovery in the late 15th century.The British Empire can be divided into two categories: the first British Empire in the 17th and 18th century and the second much larger British Empire in the 18th, 19th and early 20th century.During the first British Empire, the British began colonizing other countries due to the need for trade and raw materials. It established thirteen colonies in North America, as well as colonies in the Caribbean and India.During the early to mid-1700s, Great Britain adopted the policy of Salutary Neglect, in which it left the thirteen colonies alone to self-govern in the hopes that they would flourish and that Britain would reap the benefits in increased trade, tax revenue and profits.In 1756, the Seven Years’ War (aka the French and Indian War) broke out, which was a global conflict between Great Britain and France for control of North America.Both countries had colonies in North America and were trying to expand those colonies into the Ohio River Valley, which they both claimed as their own.Great Britain defeated the French in 1763 and the region known as New France became a part of the British North American colonies. This land included French Canada and all the land between the Appalachian Mountains and the Mississippi River.In order to protect this new land, Great Britain sent a large number of British troops to the newly conquered land to prevent the French colonists from revolting against the British. This was expensive and required a lot of troops and resources.In addition, the Seven Years’ War had left Great Britain deeply in debt. In 1763, George Grenville, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, stated that Britain’s budget deficit was in excess of £122 million.Great Britain needed to find a way to generate revenue to pay for the British troops in North America and to pay off its debt from the Seven Years’ War.Great Britain During the American Revolution:The American Revolution began after Great Britain passed a series of new taxes designed to generate revenue from the colonies in 1763. These new taxes were highly unpopular and were met with a lot of resistance in the colonies in the form of protests and riots.In response to this resistance, in 1768, the British government sent a large number of troops to the colonies to enforce these new laws. The presence of the troops in the colonies only escalated the conflict.The situation finally came to a head on April 18-19, 1775, when British troops stationed in Boston were sent to Concord to search for the colonist’s hidden ammunition supplies.During the mission, the troops encountered hundreds of minutemen and militiamen in Concord who feared that the troops were there to set fire to the town. The two sides collided, which resulted in the Battle of Concord, during which the “Shot Heard Round the World” was fired.On August 23, 1775, the British government issued the Proclamation of Rebellion, which declared that the American colonies were in an “open and avowed rebellion” and ordered officials of the British Empire to “use their utmost endeavours to withstand and suppress such rebellion.”On October 27, 1775, the British government expanded on the proclamation with King George’s speech to Parliament in which he indicated that he intended to deal with the rebellion with armed force and asked for “friendly offers of foreign assistance” to help the British army suppress the rebellion.The proclamation further damaged relations between the colonists and the British government and made it clear that the king was not interested in finding a way to resolve the dispute peacefully.On July 4, 1776, the 13 colonies officially declared their independence from Great Britain.Over the next few years, many other countries, including France, Spain, the Dutch Republic and the Kingdom of Mysore in India, joined the war as American allies, causing it to become a vast global conflict.In February of 1782, after a long and costly war, the House of Commons voted to concede American independence.A committee of appointed negotiators, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin and John Jay, began peace negotiations with British officials shortly after. The preliminary articles of the treaty were signed on November 30, 1782.When the peace preliminaries were published in London in 1782, they caused considerable controversy in Parliament and in the press.Three successive British governments were involved in the negotiations in 1782-83 and a fourth one was established by December of 1783.On September 3, 1783, the United States, France, Spain and Great Britain signed the the Peace of Paris of 1783, which were a set of three treaties known as the Treaty of Paris and the Treaties of Versailles, officially ending the American Revolutionary War.According to the terms of the Treaty of Versailles, the United States were granted:Independence under the name “United States of America”Expansion of their territory westward to Mississippi, as well as ownership of “Indian territory”A clearly defined border with Canada and the equal partition of the Great Lakes, except for Lake Michigan, which was granted to the Americans in fullFishing rights off the banks of Newfoundland and Nova ScotiaGreat Britain obtained:The recognition of debts it contracted before, during, and after the conflict (to be repaid in pounds sterling)Amnesty for the Loyalists and permission for them to resettle in other British colonies (Québec, Nova Scotia, Bermuda, the British West Indies, etc.)The Treaty of Paris was ratified by the Continental Congress on January 14, 1784.The only parts of Great Britain’s North American land that it was allowed to keep were the colonies of Nova Scotia, Quebec and Newfoundland as well as its colonies in the Caribbean.The loss of the thirteen British colonies marked the end of the First British Empire.Great Britain After the American Revolution:In 1785, John Adams was designated as the American Minister to London. King George III told him that although he was the last to consent the separation, now that it was made, he always said that he would be “the first to meet the friendship of the United States as an independent power.”According to The Oxford Handbook of the American Revolution, the war had a profound effect on Great Britain:“The American War had promoted significant, thought not revolutionary, political changes in Britain. It had brought down a powerful government that still retained the full support of the king. It brought to power three short-lived administrations that were willing to concede American independence, to sue for peace, and to promote legislation to reduce Crown influence over Parliament. Outside Parliament, it created in Britain a popular reform movement demanding parliamentary reform, and in Ireland it brought about a popular movement that weakened Britain’s influence over the constitutional position and political behavior of the Irish Parliament.”Great Britain may have lost the thirteen colonies in America, but it still had Canada and land in the Caribbean, Africa, and India.Great Britain began to expand in these regions, building up what has been called the Second British Empire, which eventually became the largest dominion in world history.Although losing the thirteen colonies was difficult for Great Britain, many historians argue that, in the end, it actually made the country stronger, according to an article, titled British Revival, on the British Library’s website:“The loss of the colonies rocked the ship of state, but did not cause it to capsize, despite hyperbolic talk of civil war or rebellion at home and a growth in radical agitation. Indeed, some historians argue that support for the crown grew. Political life quickly settled into much the same patterns as before the war, albeit with a greater emphasis placed on public opinion, a stronger sense of political parties and more concern with economic reform and corruption. Demobilisation caused temporary difficulties, but low tariffs helped to stimulate trade and the economy recovered rapidly: by the 1790s, Americans were purchasing twice as much from Britain as they had as colonists in the 1760s.”Great Britain’s attitude toward how to build its empire changed as well. Britons began to think of colonization more in terms of conquest and annexation and, as a result, it governed its colonies in a more authoritarian manner.The loss of the American colonies also led to the colonization of Australia as well. Since Great Britain could no longer send British convicts to the American colonies, they needed to find a new place to send them and decided to build a convict camp in Botany Bay in 1787.In the end, although Great Britain suffered temporarily due to the American Revolution, it eventually became an even more powerful and expansive empire as a result of it.Britain’s refusal to send more troops to the American theatre resulted in the British being outnumbered almost 4 to 1, even with such a massive numerical disadvantage, it shouldn’t be forgotten that the British almost won the war on several occasions, (ironically, these victories more than likely only demonstrated to the king that he was correct).Of course, the Americans won their freedom from British rule. However, what started in 1775, as an American rebellion against British rule in the thirteen colonies evolved into a far-reaching global war among world’s most powerful nations. Fighting between Britain and American allies including France, Spain and The Dutch Republic spread to the Caribbean, Africa, Europe and Asia.Britain fared well in many of the conflicts waged outside the thirteen colonies, especially those fought after 1781. Consequently, there were significant favorable outcomes of the American Revolution for Britain, especially when viewed in context of the late 18th century state of affairs.On June 17, 1778, when Jean Isaac Timothée Chadeau, Sieur de la Clocheterie French commander of the frigate Belle-Poule formally touched off the global conflict by refusing the customary “presenting his ship” to a 20 ship British fleet, commanded by Adm. Augustus Keppel while sailing off the southern coast of England. Admiral Keppel responded to this affronting slight by opening fire on the Belle-Poule,which suffered a 40 percent casualty rate. The French had a causus belli (an act which justifies war) to openly support the Americans, which it had been covertly doing with increasing intensity. With the French intervening in the American rebellion, the North American war became a global conflict.France’s principal goal was to gain equal status with Britain as a world mercantilist power with substantial colonies throughout the world providing economic and trade advantages. France sought to expand its fishing rights off the coast of Newfoundland, increase its holdings in the Caribbean, and to reestablish its commercial relations with North America. Other commercial goals were freedom of trade in India and Africa and the implementation of trade provisions of the Treaty of Utrecht (1713) that ended the War of Spanish Succession that Britain had not been honoring. In addition, as a way to cement its standing in the world, France sought to gain a measure of retribution for its loss in the Seven Years War (known in North America as the French and Indian War). France even sought to invade Britain to compel the attainment of these goals.French foreign minister Charles Gravier, comte de Vergennes realized that control of the seas and trade routes were critical to successfully prosecuting the war with Britain. However, the British possessed a stronger navy and more ships of the line than France. To counter this deficit, Vergennes sought to bring Spain along with its navy into the war to take on Britain’s navy, the largest in the world. Since 1733, the Bourbon kings of France and Spain periodically renewed a military alliance called the Pacte de Famille(Family Compact or Bourbon Alliance). Vergennes negotiated with the Spanish chief minister José Moñino y Redondo, conde de Floridablanca to renew this alliance Under Vergennes’ and Floridablanca’s direction, a renewal of the third compact called the Convention of Aranjuez was signed on April 12, 1779, which paved the way for the Spanish to declare war on Britain in June 1779. In the exchange for the Spanish entry into the war, the French agreed to militarily support the Spain’s principle war objective of capturing the vitally strategic fortress of Gibraltar. Gibraltar is the southern most part of the Iberian Peninsula and guards the western entrance to the Mediterranean Sea.In addition, the Spanish war aims included the re-capture from Britain of both East and West Florida that it lost in the Seven Years War (1763) and the return of the western Mediterranean island of Minorca that Spain lost during the War of Spanish Succession (1713). Further, the Spanish sought to remove the British from South America including settlements on the Bay of Honduras and timber cutting on the coast of Campeche, located in the southeast coast of today’s Mexico. There is no mention of the United States in the Treaty of Aranjuez, further demonstrating the importance of the conflict outside the thirteen colonies.As the conflict spread throughout the world, each side sought to deny armaments and naval supplies to their opponents by disrupting normal commerce and trade. Neutral countries became incensed when belligerents detained or captured commercial merchantmen. Under the leadership of Catherine the Great, Russia formed a League of Armed Neutrality that included Denmark-Norway, Sweden, Prussia and the Ottoman Empire. The alliance goals were to protect the neutrals’ ships and commercial trading rights. As neutral trade was more important to Britain’s enemies, the United States and France officially recognized and respected the League’s rights.Britain tacitly agreed and did not interfere with neutral shipping with one exception. The Dutch Republic was tied by treaty to support the French. Dutch merchants provided critical naval stores that under previous treaties were not classified as military contraband and could legally be transported unimpeded to French ports. The British government was concerned that the Dutch would join the League of Armed Neutrality and therefore, any attempt to confiscate Dutch ships would bring all members of the league into the war against Britain. To counter this threat, on December 20, 1780 the British declared war on the Dutch and unilaterally re-classified naval stores as contraband.In addition to European powers, the Indian Kingdom of Mysore, which is located on the southwest coast of the Indian subcontinent, declared war on Britain in 1780. Mysore a French ally, sought to reclaim the French trading port of Mabé captured by the British. Arms and munitions critical to supply Mysore’s army flowed through Mabé. Hyder Ali, the ruler of Mysore made it clear to the British that the French presence in this port was under his protection and by assaulting the French forces, Britain waged war on Mysore.Therefore, Britain stood alone fighting a vast global land and naval conflict. It faced many threats including potential invasion of the homeland, loss of valuable colonies and associated lucrative commercial trade and mounting debts to finance a long, intensive conflict. The need to protect British interests on numerous fronts and in many military theaters thoroughly stretched army and naval assets. Difficult strategic decisions had to be made to re-position limited military assets to counter emerging threats in multiple theaters of operation.Each belligerent sought to gain tactical advantage in one theater without exposing other theaters to peril. In many cases, the most valuable colonies received the first claim on military assets at the expense of less valuable colonies. For example, British army and naval resources were diverted from North America to counter expected new French and Spanish threats in the Caribbean.British NadirAs 1782 began, the war was not going well for the British and they were on the defensive. The Duke of Chandos, a member of the House of Lords referred to the October 1781 Yorktown defeat as a “calamity” and a ”disaster.” It was clear to British leaders that the British Southern strategy failed and that they could not forcibly compel the American colonialists to end their rebellion.News on the other fronts was not encouraging, either. The French were on the verge of taking control of the lucrative Caribbean sugar trade by capturing islands in the eastern region of the Caribbean called the Lesser Antilles and threatening Jamaica. Earlier in the war, French forces captured the British held islands of Dominica (1778), St. Vincent and Grenada (1779) and Tobago (1781).After Yorktown, French Admiral de Grasse and his fleet left the Chesapeake Bay region for the eastern Caribbean and established naval superiority there. In February 1782, Admiral de Grasse attacked and captured the vital islands of St. Kitts, Montserrat and Nevis. The loss of these islands was “disagreeable news” and sent shock waves among London merchants.The British government viewed the Caribbean islands as more commercially important than North America. British leaders even discussed withdrawing from North America to protect the more economically important sugar islands in the Caribbean. The Caribbean islands provided the funding to continue the war and King George III was willing to even risk French invasion of the British homeland to protect these vital territories. (King George was literally insane).The British also faced a deteriorating strategic position guarding the trade routes in the western Mediterranean region. In August 1781, a combined French and Spanish invasion fleet descended upon the British held western Mediterranean Sea island of Minorca. Re-conquest of Minorca, annexed by the British in 1713, was a key Spanish war goal. The island’s deep-water port at Mahón was strategically important as a naval base and convenient port for British privateers which were ravishing Spanish and allied shipping. The French and Spanish invaders completely surprised the widely dispersed British garrison and on February 6, 1782, the last British soldiers laid down their arms. The loss of Minorca increased Spanish pressure on the British fortress at Gibraltar.In the North American, the Caribbean and European theaters, the British were losing significant battles, its forces stretched to the breaking point and popular domestic opinion was turning against continuing the war. There were calls in the press for the British to end the war in America.The whole history of the American War was, from one End to the other, one continued Proof that Systems and Abilities were not to be found in the Management of our Force in the Colonies; An Army was marched from Canada, and captured at Saratoga; another from Charles-town, and surrendered at York-Town. Revenue was the first Object of the War, but that was long since renounced.Further, opposition members introduced a motion in Parliament to end the war in America:… it only asserted a Fact, that among the Operations of the War, America should not be a theater.Reacting to losses at Yorktown, Minorca and in the Caribbean, political displeasure with the conduct of the war intensified. The Prime Minister, Lord North, lost the majority in Parliament and resigned on March 20, 1782. However, there was much more at stake and the British could not simply recognize American independence and end the war. The British situation looked bleak.British TurnaroundHowever, the winter of 1782 turned out to be the British low point in the global war against its European foes. A dramatic turnaround for the British started in the economically vital Caribbean region, continued in Europe and later spread to Asia.In the Caribbean, the Spanish and French planned a large-scale invasion of Jamaica, the largest of the British held sugar producing islands and vital to the British economy. They assembled a 150-ship invasion fleet to transport 15,000 French and Spanish soldiers for the assault. A 35-ship French fleet under the command of Adm. Francois-Joseph Paul, Comte de Grasse provided escort ships.On April 9, 1782 a 36-ship British fleet under the command of Adm. Sir George Rodney intercepted the Franco-Spanish invasion force in the waters between the windward islands of Dominica and Guadeloupe in the Eastern Caribbean. Over the next four days, the two fleets fought a destructive and bloody engagement later referred to as the Battle of the Saintes.Using superior speed and maneuverability, the British captains cut the French fleet into three groups with an effective “breaking of the line,” an innovative naval tactic designed to concentrate firepower without exposing oneself to counter fire. While controversial as to whether it was intentional by Admiral Rodney, this highly successful maneuver led to the defeat of the French fleet. While there is retrospective controversy that Admiral Rodney could have more thoroughly defeated the French Caribbean fleet, it was largely degraded as an offensive fighting force. The balance of power shifted to the British.Given the strategic and economic importance of Jamaica, the British press lauded Admiral Rodney’s victory and he received the title of baron and was recognized by the House of Lords:… thanks of the House to Sir George Rodney, and the officers and the seaman, who gained the glorious and compleat victory on the 12thof April last, in the West-Indies; a victory which his Lordship allowed to be the most brilliant of any which the naval history of this country …The victory greatly improved the British negotiating position in the peace talks as the French and Spanish lost the military initiative and realised that they could not defeat the British in the Caribbean and capture Jamaica.The British military turnaround continued in the European theater. In September 1782 a joint Franco-Spanish force of over 35,000 troops escalated a siege of the British fortress at Gibraltar held by 7500 men. However, Gibraltar’s natural defenses made a land assault very difficult without disabling key waterfront gun batteries. Chevalier d’Arcon, a French military engineer and Colonel devised and built a new floating gun battery to assault these gun batteries.However, anxious Spanish commanders rushed the new vessels into action without adequate testing and crew training. As a result of unfavorable winds, poor seamanship and a lack of coordination with the Spanish fleet, the British destroyed all of the unprotected floating gun batteries. With no other way to blast a route into Gibraltar, the French and Spanish called off their attack.The next month Adm. Richard Howe led a fleet of 35 ships of the line and a large convoy of merchantmen to re-supply Gibraltar. The blockading Spanish fleet under the command of Adm. Luis de Córdova sailed out to engage the British fleet. The two fleets fought an inconclusive battle off the coast of modern day Morocco (the Battle of Cape Spartel). While the two fleets maneuvered for a fighting edge, Admiral Howe’s transports slipped into Gibraltar with needed food and military supplies. As a result of the floating gun battery debacle and a successful resupply, the Franco-Spanish force lifted the siege and the British gained a vital victory by holding the Spanish coveted Gibraltar.On a second front in the European theater, the British effectively blockaded the Dutch Navy at its principal navy base on Texcel Island preventing any offensive operations. The one attempt by the Dutch Navy to engage the British Navy resulted in a 3 hour and 40 minute encounter called the Battle of the Dogger Bank. Each side suffered the same level of battle damage and the engagement was a bloody, tactical draw.After this ineffective attempt, Dutch naval forces remained in their anchorages unable or unwilling to sortie with Franco-Spanish fleets and leaving their merchant shipping fleet unprotected. The Dutch were ready for peace, but continued the conflict due to alliance obligations to France. Dutch military forces contributed little to the anti-British alliance other than tying up valuable British ships of the line that could have been deployed in other military theaters.Finally, the British successfully thwarted the French and their Indian Mysore allies’ attempts to seize British held territories in southeastern India. Starting on February 17, 1782 French and British Naval Forces fought a series of inconclusive naval engagements off India’s eastern shore. The French did land 3000 troops to assist Mysore. However, without clear naval superiority, the French/Mysore alliance could not recapture the British held territories.Entering peace negotiations in the fall of 1782, the global strategic situation for the British was significantly more favorable than the situation right after Yorktown. While the British could not quell the American rebellion, in North America they held the valuable port cities of New York, Savannah, Charleston, Penobscot, St. Augustine and all of the territory of Canada. Against its European enemies, Britain controlled the balance of naval and commercial power in the West Indies, Europe and Asia. Further the United States, France and Spain were all running out of money and resources to further prosecute the war.The Treaty of Paris and its ImpactTo maximize leverage, the British insisted on negotiating a separate treaty with the Americans and each of its European allies. This allowed the British to “give up” American independence while preserving maximum advantage over the French, Spanish and Dutch. The allies realized that only by coordinating their treaties and staying together, could they keep a strategic balance to maximize leverage during the negotiations.Therefore, negotiations proceeded in parallel and final separate treaties were not signed until there was an agreement with all parties. Britain signed final individual peace treaties with America, France and Spain on September 3, 1783. War with the Dutch formally continued until a fourth Treaty of Paris was signed on May 20, 1784. Mysore concluded a peace agreement with the British on March 11, 1784.British newspapers heralded the peace treaties as containing terms more favorable than expected.The Definitive Treaty having been signed by the French, Spaniards and Americans, peace may be said to be fairly established, and to the honor of the present Ministers, upon terms greatly more advantageous to this country than could have been hoped for from some Preliminary articles settled by the late Administration.After fighting the world’s most powerful nations with no military allies, the British only lost the 13 colonies to independence and Florida and Minorca to the Spanish. The resulting peace agreement preserved British control of its most valuable colonial assets, the sugar producing islands in the West Indies, some of which had been captured by the French. Colonial control of most West Indies islands largely reverted to pre-war status. The British regained the French held islands of Grenada, St. Vincent, Dominica, St. Kitts, Nevis and Montserrat. Only the small island of Tobago was transferred from British to French control. Spain also returned the Bahamas to the British, which it captured in May 1782.With respect to North America, Britain maintained its Canadian colony and in conflict with the final peace treaty, retained military forts in American territory to protect valuable trade with Native Americans. These northwest frontier forts of Oswego, Niagara, Detroit and Michilimackinac were not turned over to the Americans until 1798. Britain further benefited by no longer funding military security for the thirteen colonies and continued to impress American sailors at will.The subsequent rise in commercial relations with America further validated the British strategy of pursuing international trade dominance. The United States became extremely valuable to British manufacturing and trading industries. In the ten year period following the war, Britain exported over £25 million of goods to the new United States while importing £8 million of principally raw materials and food. This large balance of trade surplus financed commerce with other trading partners and was vital to the Britain’s economic prosperity.In Africa and India, the pre-war situation was restored with a minor exchange of a few territories. The British protected and expanded trade in India and Asia, a key wartime goal. The British gained valuable trading rights in the Dutch East Indies and employed Indian ports to illicitly trade valuable goods with Dutch holdings on Ceylon.Although a “victor,” France gained almost nothing from its considerable war investment. The French monarchy received a modicum of retribution for losses during the Seven Years War and gained pride in assisting the thirteen colonies become independent from its archenemy. However, France did not unseat Britain as the preeminent commercial and naval power and did not gain equal geopolitical status with Britain, its principle war objective.The final treaty granted France minor territorial concessions. Britain returned Saint Lucia to France and surrendered the small island of Tobago in the Caribbean. France re-affirmed its rights gained in the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713 to fish off North America and reconfirmed its ownership of two small islands south of Newfoundland in the Atlantic Ocean. Also, France won the right to re-fortify the English Channel port of Dunkirk that it lost in the peace treaty ending the Seven Years War. These small gains came at a huge financial cost. War cost estimates range from 772 million to 1250 million livres. This financial burden almost bankrupted the French government and severely weakened its monarchy. And the King of Great Britain could continue to call himself King of France; a claim that dated back to the 14th Century and one that the Britain would not relinquish until 1800.Although almost bankrupt at the end of the war, Spain fared better in the final peace terms than France and at a much lower military and financial cost. The Spanish negotiated to keep their military conquest of East and West Florida that it lost in the peace agreement ending the Seven Years War and maintained the valuable port city of New Orleans, thereby controlling trade on the Mississippi River. They kept possession of Minorca, which they captured, from the British. However, they did not gain Gibraltar, their principal wartime goal.The Dutch yielded nothing from their participation and suffered significant economic losses due to capture of their merchant ships and loss of trade. Fortunately, the French pressed the British to principally return Dutch holdings in Asia and the Caribbean to the pre-war status. However, the British forced the Dutch to provide access to trade in the Dutch East Indies. Never again would a Dutch fleet represent a meaningful threat to the British Navy and their economy would require many years to recover. Symbolically, Dutch ships were required to salute the British flag when they met in the open ocean.The Indian Kingdom of Mysore also did not gain any advantages from its alliance with France and its participation in the American Revolution. The resulting peace treaty restored the pre-war territorial ownership and control. Over the next few years, Mysore and Britain would go on to fight two more wars.So from a European and global view, the aftermath of the American Revolution was relatively positive for the British. In fact, some British political observers believed that American independence was a good development for Britain.I say, I am glad, that America had declared herself independent of us, though the Reasons very opposite to theirs. America, I have proved beyond the Possibility of a Confutation, ever was a Millstone hanging around the Neck of this Country, to weigh it down: And as we ourselves had not the Wisdom to cut the Rope, and to let the Burden fall off, the Americans have kindly done it for us.The British were not the big losers as depicted in American historical accounts and may have “won” as much as they could and made the best of a difficult geo-political situation. Their European opponents did not achieve their war objectives: France did not become a geo-political equal of Britain, Spain did not win Gibraltar and the Dutch economy was severely injured. Victories over its European foes preserved Britain as a global trading colonial empire, which strengthened, and endured through the 19th Century. Lastly, Britain turned the United States into a major trading partner and a central component of its commercial empire.Sources:[1] As a result of this service to the King, de la Clocheterie was promoted to Captain and given command of several ships of the line. He died in the pivotal Battle of the Saintes in 1782.[2] Jonathan R. Dull, The French Navy and American Independence (Princeton, NJ: The Princeton University Press, 1975), 118-9.[3] Spain’s ambassador to France Conde de Aranda and the French ambassador to Spain Armand-Marc Comte de Montmorin-Saint-Hérem also played key roles.[4] Treaty of Alliance between France and Spain, concluded at Aranjuez, April 12, 1779, Ratification by Spain, May12, 1779, and Ratification by France, April 28, 1779, full text Charles Oscar Paullin, European Treaties Bearing on the History of the United States and its Dependencies (Clark, NJ: The Lawbook Exchange, LTD., 2004), Vol. IV, 145-6.[5] David Syrett, The Royal Navy in European Waters during the American Revolutionary War (Columbia, SC: The University of South Carolina Press, 1998), 128.[6] Indian sources spell Hyder, Haider.[7] In March 1778, Britain moved 5000 soldiers from New York to the West Indies. They were employed to capture the Caribbean island of St. Lucia on December 13, 1778.[8] Salisbury and Winchester Journal, February 11, 1782, 2.[9] Hampshire Chronicle, February 4, 1782.[10] Derby Mercury, March 21, 1782, 4.[11] Andrew Jackson O’Shaughnessy, The Men Who Lost America (New Haven & London: Yale University Press, 2013), 294-5.[12] Andrew Jackson O’Shaughnessy, “Empire Divided: The American Revolution and the British Caribbean” (Philadelphia: The University of Pennsylvania Press, 2000), 208.[13] Northampton Mercury, December 17, 1781, 2.[14] Northampton Mercury, December 17, 1781, 2.[15] Jamaica’s population was estimated at 219,600 in 1775 surpassing Cuba at 172,000 as the next most populace. Granville W. and N.C. Hough, Spanish, French, Dutch and American Patriots of the West Indies During the American Revolution Part 7 Spanish Borderland Studies (Midway, CA: Society of Hispanic Historical Ancestral Research, 2001), 4.[16] Alfred Thayer Mahan, The Major Operations of the Navies in the War of American Independence (London: Sampson Low, Marston & Company, 1913), 207.[17] For a complete description of the “Breaking of the Line” naval tactic, see Bob Ruppert, Who really crossed the T in the Battle of the Saintes?, Journal of the American Revolution, Who Really “Crossed the T” in the Battle of the Saintes? - Journal of the American Revolution, accessed June 5, 2015.[18] Stamford Mercury, May 30, 1782, 4.[19] René Chartrand, Gibraltar 1779-83: The Great Siege (Oxford, UK: Osprey Publishing, LTD., 2006), 62-3.[20] David Syrett, The Royal Navy in European Waters during the American Revolutionary War, 130-1.[21] Piers Mackesy, The War for America 1775-1783 (Lincoln and London: The University of Nebraska Press, 1964), 497.[22] Stamford Mercury, Reprinted from the London Gazette, September 9, 1783, 1.[23] For an overview of the West Indies region and a graphical depiction of the change of control of the West Indies islands see a web page: http://www.xenophongroup.com/mcjoynt/WI2.htm, accessed June 7, 2015.[24] Antonio de Alcedo and George Alexander Thompson, The Geographical and Historical Dictionary of America and the West Indies (London: Carpenter & Son, 1815), xvi-xvii.[25]James Breck Perkins, France in the American Revolution (Boston and New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1911), 498.[26]Jonathan R. Dull, “France and the American Revolution: Questioning the Myths,” Proceedings of the First Annual Meeting of the Western Society for French History (1974): 110-119.[27] Samuel Flagg Bemis, The Diplomacy of the American Revolution (Bloomington and London: Indiana University Press, 1935), 254.[28] Samuel Flagg Bemis, The Diplomacy of the American Revolution, 254.[29] Mysore and Britain fought two more wars, the first of which Lord Cornwallis personally commanded the British forces. Although a loser at Yorktown, Cornwallis was a successful Governor General and Commander in Chief in India.[30] Josiah Tucker, Four Letters on Important National Subjects, ed. Max Beloff, The Debate on the American Revolution, 1761-1783 (New York: The British Book Centre, 1949), 297.

American territory, or land included in the territorial claims of the United States during the War of 1812 becomes a complicated topic when adding in the idea of “Indian allies” to that of the British. In reality, much of the land claimed as part and parcel within the borders of the United States was actually held and occupied by the said Native American tribes. When viewed through that lens, it could be argued that the British-Native American alliance occupied more of the claimed geographic territory of the United States than did United States citizens themselves.In viewing this map, the orange region was actually part of United States’ territorial claims during the War of 1812. The bulk of that area was comprised of the still fairly recent Louisiana Purchase, nearly all of which was occupied by Native American tribes, who were either officially or nominally allied to the British at the time. The other answers here have referenced the territorial gains through conquest by the British during the war in Maine, Michigan, and upstate New York.However, in looking closer at the map, the furthest west official states of the Union were Kentucky, Louisiana, Tennessee, and Ohio, Louisiana having gained statehood mere weeks before the declaration of war by the United States. Out of those, Ohio was the one most significantly occupied by the British-Native American alliance. There were some Native Americans who allied themselves to the United States during the war, though the decided majority were pro-British. The Shawnee of Ohio and the Muscogee(Creek) of Alabama and Georgia were the greatest examples of this division. Shawnee chief Tecumseh was the most prominent Native American leader allied to the British. Though arguably more of his own tribe allied themselves to the United States under the leadership of Chief Black Hoof. The Muscogee were similarly divided, resulting in a literal tribal civil war in the midst of the War of 1812.Tecumseh worked well with British General Isaac Brock. In the first few months of the war, they took swift and decisive action, capturing Fort Detroit in a nearly bloodless siege, despite being outnumbered nearly 2 to 1 by the United States forces they were besieging. Tecumseh and his Western Confederacy were well primed for the war, having precipitated the conflict by attacking and being defeated by Governor-General William Henry Harrison at the Battle of Tippecanoe in November 1811. The loss significantly fractured Tecumseh’s carefully and painstakingly crafted alliance, but thousands of Native American warriors remained committed to the cause, and eagerly took up the call to arms in alliance with the British.The audacity of the Tecumseh-Brock partnership pushed the frontier of the United States considerably south and east, leaving their alliance in operational control of large portions of northwestern Ohio, in addition to virtual control of all of the Michigan territory. Due to concessions made by Native Americans under the terms of the Treaty of Greenville in 1795, the United States held a number of strategic military posts in the Michigan, Indiana, and Illinois Territories. Many of those were either attacked or even captured during the war. Perhaps the most prominent was Fort Dearborn in modern day Chicago, Illinois. The Miami tribe also endured its own type of civil war, punctuated by the Battle of the Mississinewa in December 1812.General Brock was subsequently reassigned, and later killed in action during hostilities along the New York-Canadian border. His replacement was General Henry Procter. Procter exhibited many of the qualities of a career British military officer. As such, he undervalued Native American military prowess, and underestimated Tecumseh’s abilities. The two had a nearly polar opposite relationship to that enjoyed by Tecumseh and Brock. The results saw a complete reversal of the earlier successes, as William Henry Harrison methodically reconquered northwestern Ohio and Michigan, leading to the abandonment of not only Fort Detroit, but Fort Malden on the Canadian side of the Detroit River. This was hastened by the victory of Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry over British naval forces on Lake Erie in September 1813. Procter had been ordered to withdraw with his forces to the east, to consolidate with British forces closer to stronger Britannic posts and populated regions. Tecumseh reluctantly joined, but did so by receiving Procter’s grudging agreement to face Harrison’s forces in battle during the withdraw. The British and Native Americans were drastically outnumbered by Harrison’s pursuing forces, and their battlefield loss at the Battle of the Thames in October 1813 was compounded by Tecumseh’s death during the battle.The Muscogee had initially rejected Tecumseh’s call for alliance when he visited them in 1811. He was actually absent from his home at Prophetstown in northwestern Indiana when Harrison marched an army toward it, resulting in his victory at Tippecanoe. The cause for Tecumseh’s absence was a diplomatic tour seeking the alliance of Southeastern tribes, particularly the Muscogee. A faction of Muscogee known as the “Red Sticks” had vowed to support Tecumseh, though formal tribal leadership had declined to actively join Tecumseh’s confederation of tribes. The Muscogee division festered, until hostilities erupted at the Battle of Burnt Corn in 1813, when a unit of Alabama militia attacked a party of Red Sticks, returning from securing ammunition from a British fort in Florida. In response, the Red Sticks chose to “take up the hatchet” by attacking by attacking United States Fort Mims in southern Alabama. It was a bloody encounter, in which nearly all of the 500 individuals within the fort(including civilian men, women, and children, in addition to the post’s soldiers) were either killed or captured. The United States organized a campaign under the leadership of General Andrew Jackson, who methodically conquered the territory of the Muscogee, culminating in the Battle of Horseshoe Bend in March 1814, during which hundreds of Muscogee were killed. Jackson was aided by Native American allies from the Cherokee, Choctaw, and even allied Muscogee tribes. The Creek War(or Red Stick War) decimated the Muscogee, who soon sued for peace.The borders between Maine and New York and Canada were nothing more than lines on a map. This led to a an ever-changing front of military action, with land regularly changing hands, dependent upon which side’s forces had most recently been successful on the battlefield. However, these were sparsely populated regions, and the territorial occupations reflected more those of defensive lines on a shifting field of battle, rather than that of international territorial conquest.The United States made frequent and significant incursions into British held Canadian territory, while the British similarly did so south of the border. The British also led significant campaigns which temporarily left its military in control of United States territory in the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland and Washington DC, and in Louisiana near New Orleans. However, the American victories at Fort McHenry in Baltimore and the Battle of New Orleans led those advances to be completely reversed and nothing more than military campaigns from which the British withdrew, leaving the territory firmly in control by the United States. Ultimately, the terms of the Treaty of Ghent ended the war “status quo ante bellum”, returning all conquered or occupied regions of both nations to what they had been prior to the War of 1812.