British colonial disputes after 1763 set the stage for revolution, and the fight over taxes, rights, and authority soon grew into war and a new political order. This course shows how Americans argued over events, principles, and evidence, then explains why the Revolution succeeded and why the first national system proved too weak to last. By the end, the Articles of Confederation and the Constitution make sense as connected answers to the same founding crisis.
The course covers British taxation after 1763, colonial claims about rights and representation, and the escalation from protest to open war. It also examines Patriot and Loyalist accounts of the Boston Massacre, the case for independence and republican government, the reasons for colonial victory, and the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation that led to the Constitution.