Compare the social and political climate in England in the 1760s with the colonies. How did immigrants from outside England affect the sociopolitical conditions of the colonies? Were there significant differences in the colonies between the coastal cities and the backcountry?

Summarize and explain the decisions made in the British House of Commons regarding their debts following the French and Indian War and why these decisions were challenged by the colonists. How could Britain have avoided these economic problems? How could Britain have better managed the political fallout in North America? Why was the response so different in Canada?

Explain the actions of the colonists in the 1760s and 1770s and the responses by the British government that led to the political break and the Declaration of Independence. How did the colonists protest these actions? Were the grievances of the colonists legitimate?

Analyze the Declaration of Independence. What were the main arguments for independence? How did the United States live up to these ideals in 1776 and how did it fall short? Did the Declaration of Independence mark a completely new philosophy in government in North America, or was it more of a fulfillment of ideas of the English constitution?

How did American troops fight the Revolutionary War? How did the tactics differ from the British? How was the American army ultimately able to fend off the more numerous, better-trained British army and its adjuncts?