How useful is the source to historians studying the impact of the American Wars of Independence?

This source shows the British Commander Cornwallis surrendering 8,000 British soldiers and sailors to an American and French force at Yorktown on 19 October 1781. This lithograph (print) was published in America in 1846.

This source is useful to show the impact that losing the wars of independence had on the British, as it clearly shows that the American troops appear to dominate over the British. This has relevance as in the years after the Treaty of Paris was signed, which formally granted the Americans the right to their land, American gradually began to become a formidable power in comparison to the United Kingdom. As well as this is shows the impact as Britain surrendered with 80,000 troops to the Americans, who were in comparison not as professionally trained and a much smaller army. This is useful to show the humiliation the British felt as a result of the defeat. As well as this the war cost the British £80 million, thus meaning that trade was impacted as a result for a sort while. Moreover it shows Lord Cornwallis who led the Battle of Yorktown, which was an embarrassing loss for the British. Despite this loss, the impact on Cornwallis was minimal- he was later promoted to Governor General of India and enjoyed success in helping the East India Company establish themselves in India. This shows that an impact of the war was resulting in the British focusing on other colonies.

The source was made after the wars by an American artist, who is trying to show the humiliation the British felt upon losing the wars of independence. This is clear from the positioning of troops, and as well as this, the purpose is to make Americans feel proud of their achievements. This suggests that an impact of the wars, was that it resulted in making the Americans more patriotic and sealing their identities as separate from the British. The lithograph would have been widely circulated around America, meaning that the impact would have been to cement the wars of independence as a significant event in the shaping of the America psyche.