A narrative history of the largely unexplored events-starting almost a century before-that inspired the colonists to launch the American Revolution. Repressive actions by the Crown against its colonies in the years following the French and Indian War may have been the direct causes, but historian Carr takes a longer view, and argues that "the cumulative effect of more than one hundred years of British disrespect, mismanagement, and exploitation prepared the minds of the colonists for revolution."--From publisher description.