Idealistic vs. materialistic motivation Essay

Both the Americans and the British fought in a more open order with more significant gaps than was the norm in Europe because the general absence of cavalry made the infantry less vulnerable to attack, while the enclosed nature of much of the terrain encouraged deployments that reflected the topography. Heavily-encumbered regular units, maneuvering and fighting in their accustomed formations, were vulnerable in the face of entrenched positions and unsuited to the heavily wooded and hilly terrain of the Canadian frontier; they were also not ideal for the vast expanses of the South. Artillery and fortifications played a smaller role than in conflict in Western Europe. Compared to the armies of Frederick the Great, both the American s and their opponents were lightly gunned. The Americans did not inherit a significant artillery park, while, for both sides, the distances of America and the nature of communications discouraged a reliance on cannon; they were relatively slow to move. As a result, although cannon played a role in battles such as Monmouth Court House, battles were not characterized by the efficient exchanges of concentrated and sustained artillery fire seen in Europe. This benefited the Americans as the British had greater access to artillery, and had used it with considerable success in European campaigns in the Seven Year’s War (French and Indian War). The motivation was more materialistic. We were actually able to unify and motivate these groups even through their separate motivators were so different. But they weren’t mutually exclusive. Today in the United States, we have two kinds of motivators going on at an indigenous level: one is a unification of the population against terrorism, and the other is the preservation of the â€Å"American way. † What we’re trying to motivate ourselves to do – as the nation focuses on the preservation of the American way – is to preserve democracy and the free enterprise system. This two-rack motivator encompasses the right to be free from fear on a daily basis and the right not to have your property destroyed by an enemy force. References: Black, J. (2002). America As a Military Power: From the American Revolution to the Civil War. New York: Praeger/Greenwood.