In 1763 colonists across British North America could not have been prouder to be members of the British Empire. Fighting shoulder to shoulder with redcoat soldiers, the colonists had trounced their mutual enemies in the French and Indian War. In towns and cities across America, colonists toasted King George, his ministers, and his military. In New York City, grateful colonists erected a statute to their great king, a testament to the belief that their future lay with him. 

 

On July 9, 1776, a crowd of American soldiers and sailors tore down this same statue, and melted down its precious lead into 42,088 musket balls to fire at the king’s army. The two sides were now at war—delegates in Philadelphia had finalized the Declaration of Independence just five days earlier—and that war would rage for the next seven years.

 

In this four-part course, University of Maryland historian Richard Bell explores the tumultuous thirteen years between 1763 and 1776. These weekly sessions will examine four of the extraordinary events that turned thirteen loyal British colonies into a united confederation willing to go to war to achieve independence.