"John Chester Miller wrote this [book] in 1943. It's a history of the American colonies in the ten years prior to 1776, and it was dedicated to the Harvard fellows. So this book had all the makings of a very boring experience. Actually, nothing could be further from the truth. This book was very well written, with a vivid narrative and well stocked with quotes from period newspapers and letters. At times it is humorous, at other times it is profound. The best part of this book is that Miller really delved into the mentality of the American colonists as well as the politicians in the Mother Country. Miller examines all of the important events of 1765 to 1776, from the Sugar Act to the Stamp Act to the Deplorable Acts to the Boston Tea Party. He examines the interactions between the colonists and the English officials, and between the various communities within the colonies. The reader is left with an excellent understanding of the origins of the Revolution and why a population of English subjects would develop such an anger toward their own nation that they would declare independence from their own King and Parliament." GoodReads