Colonial naval victories inspired colonists during the American Revolution because Britain had one of the greatest, if not the greatest, navy in the world at the time. For the Americans, to win naval battles meant that they were not only proving their ability to defend their territory and right to be sovereign, but that they could contend with the biggest European powers of the time. Many common Americans were unsettled by Congress' decision to go to war and wanted the country to return to Britain for protection. The winning of these naval battles proved to the common man that America could defend itself and had a place separate than that of Britain. So, these battles won on the seas helped boost support of the American cause and proved to the European powers that America was a sovereign nation.
