In 1763 the colonists could not have been prouder to be members of the British Empire. In towns and cities across America, colonists toasted King George for protecting them in the French and Indian War. In New York City, grateful colonists even erected a statute to their great king. A little over a decade later, in July 1776, a crowd of 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. Why had so much changed so fast? Why did ordinary people in cities like Boston and Philadelphia begin to push back against royal authority in the 1760s and 1770s? What does the coming of the Revolution look like when viewed from the bottom up?