Who Refused Britain’s Call for Troops in the American Revolution

Unlike the French, the Habsburgs and the Russians, the British Empire was predominantly a naval power. This was both its great strength and a persistent weakness. It was a strength because, well into early 20th century, no rival could match Britain’s command of the seas. Naval dominance meant control over global shipping lanes—the lifeblood of […]

How Britain’s Imperial “Modernization” Shaped the American Revolution

Global Story of the Revolution What we often miss about the American Revolution is that it was a response to Britain’s empire-wide push for modernization—from India to Ireland, the Caribbean, and the colonies. The French and Indian War elevated Britain to unrivaled world power, but it also compelled the empire to overhaul its political, economic, […]

Boston Massacre Reconsidered: Was It A Massacre?

In this interview: “But really, what I came to realize is that the, you know, the things that we can know, are not necessarily the things that the parties at the time cared about hiding.” Watch this section in the video below (00:25:24). Was the Boston Massacre inevitable? For its time, was it truly a […]