American Revolution, The

This audiobook is narrated by a digital voice. The American Revolution did not begin with the first shots fired at Lexington and Concord in 1775. Rather, it emerged from decades of mounting tension between the thirteen American colonies and their British rulers, rooted in fundamental disagreements about governance, taxation, and the rights of colonial subjects. Understanding the origins of this conflict requires examining the complex web of political, economic, and social factors that transformed loyal British subjects into determined revolutionaries. The relationship between Britain and its American colonies had been evolving since the early seventeenth century. Initially, the colonies enjoyed considerable autonomy under a policy of "salutary neglect," where British authorities allowed colonial assemblies to govern local affairs with minimal interference. This arrangement worked well during the early colonial period, when Britain was preoccupied with European conflicts and the colonies were small, scattered settlements struggling for survival. However, the conclusion of the Seven Years' War in 1763 marked a turning point in British colonial policy. The war, known in America as the French and Indian War, had been enormously expensive for Britain. The national debt had nearly doubled, and British officials believed that the American colonies, who had benefited from British protection against French expansion, should help pay for their own defense. This seemingly reasonable proposition would prove to be the catalyst for revolution.