An Unlikely Revolution

 

No event has shaped the United States more profoundly than the American Revolution. What began as a dispute between loyal British subjects and their government over taxes, representation, and individual rights evolved into one of history's most unlikely military and political triumphs. In the span of only a few years, thirteen scattered colonies challenged—and defeated—the most powerful empire on Earth, forever changing not only their own future but the course of world history.

 

The Road to Rebellion

 

The Revolution did not begin with the "shot heard 'round the world" at Lexington and Concord. Its roots reached back more than a decade to the end of the French and Indian War, when Britain's enormous victory left it burdened with debt and eager to tighten its control over the American colonies. New taxes, trade restrictions, and limits on westward expansion steadily eroded the goodwill that had existed between Britain and its colonial subjects.

 

Visionary writers such as Thomas Paine transformed growing frustration into a powerful argument for complete independence, while statesmen including Jefferson, Adams, Franklin, and Washington emerged to lead a movement few believed could succeed.

 

Following the Journey

 

The articles in this collection trace that remarkable journey from growing political unrest to open rebellion and, ultimately, to victory. We'll examine the events that pushed the colonies toward revolution, follow Washington's army through its darkest hours and greatest triumphs, and explore the pivotal battles that turned the tide of the war. Along the way we'll also discover that the Revolution was won not only by soldiers on the battlefield, but by persuasive writers, determined civilians, courageous diplomats, and invaluable allies—especially France, whose military and naval support proved indispensable at Yorktown.

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Finally, we'll explore the aftermath of the revolution as the colonies struggled to overcome the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation and unite with the compromise of the Constitution.