Abstract
The periods following the Seven Years' War was one of imperial struggle, mob violence, bloody warfare, and political crisis. ‘1763–1789: Revolution, Constitution, a new nation’ describes how America went from being a European colony to an independent nation. In revolutionary situations, a single event can sometimes trigger the final jump from hesitation to irreversible action. This moment came in 1776 when Thomas Paine, a recent British immigrant, published Common Sense, which eloquently called for independence. This book spread at a remarkable speed, electrifying the Patriot cause. Once independence was proclaimed, Americans confronted the challenge of self-government even though war was still raging. It took just thirteen years for thirteen British colonies to win independence and establish a new nation.
