ABSTRACT
While the Great War for Empire had left Great Britain the primary global imperial power, the cost of the war and of now defending a more enormous empire placed even higher demands on a nearly empty British treasury. Great Britain, on the other hand, could boast a population several times that of the colonies as well as a professionally trained army of at least 50,000 men and a navy second to none in quantity and quality. Naval operations during the American War for Independence are often overshadowed by the land war. Women were part of the war in a variety of ways. The War for Independence made the American Revolution possible, a revolution that was realized in the drafting and ratification of the Constitution in 1787-1789. Civilian control over the military was maintained throughout the process of securing independence and establishing a national government.
