2. The Origins of the Revolution

About this Lecture

Lecture

In this module, we think about the origins of the American Revolution, in particular we focus on: (i) the differing socio-economic character of the British Colonies in North America; (ii) the communications networks between the British Colonies in the second half of the 18th century; (iii) the differing religious character of the British Colonies in North America; (iv) the financial and fiscal system in North America; (v) the continued pressure of taxation on the North American colonies from Britain; and (vi) how the dispersed societies of the thirteen colonies were able to come together in the revolutionary period.

Course

In this course, Professor Ed Gray (Florida State University) explores continuity and change in the revolutionary period from 1754 to 1800. In the first module, we take a look at what North America looked like in 1763. After this, we turn to look at the origins of the American Revolution. In the third module, we look at the war itself and examine how the colonists were able to defeat the most powerful nation in the world - Great Britain. In the penultimate module, we look at the two Constitutions of the early United States in an international context. In the final module, we examine the consequences of the revolutionary period for how the United States interacted with the rest of the world.

Lecturer

Professor Edward Gray is Professor of History at Florida State University (FSU). He specialises in early U.S. history, Native American history, the history of colonial North America, and the history of the Pacific in the age of Captain James Cook. He has written a number of books within this field, including Tom Paine’s Iron Bridge: Building a United States (W.W. Norton & Co., 2016).