Chapter 7 America Secedes From the Empire

 

Theme: When hostilities began in 1775, the colonists were still fighting for their rights as English citizens within the empire, but in 1776 they declared their independence, based on a  proclamation of universal, “self-evident” truths

 

Theme: A combination of Washington’s generalship and British bungling in 1776-1777 prevented a quick British victory and brought French assistance, which enabled the patriots to achieve victory after several more years of struggle

 

 

Discussion Questions:

 

1. What was radical and new in the Declaration of Independence, and what was old and traditional? What did statements like “all men are created equal” mean in their historical context, and what did they come to mean later?

 

2. Was military strategy of politics the key to American victory in the war? How did the two coincide?

 

3. Did the loyalists deserve to be persecuted and driven out of the country? What difference does it make to understand the Revolution as a civil war between Americans as well as a war against the British?

 

4. What has the Revolution meant to later generations of Americans, including our own? Do we still think of the United States as a revolutionary nation? Why or why not?