On the Hinge of History – Michael Auslin

On the semiquincentennial of the outbreak of the War of Independence , we read back to 1775 and the subsequent years of the Revolution as all but fated to occur.

Richard Ryerson ’s compelling essay on Lexington and Concord asks three critical questions: how did so many colonists come to believe they had a right to armed rebellion?.

Frida Ghitis: Even after conflict erupted at Lexington and Concord , there was a powerful movement to end hostilities as quickly as possible.

She says the history of the decade from 1765 to 1775 was one of repeated missteps, overreaction, precipitous withdrawal, poverty of imagination on the part of London .

Ghitis asks: What if small things might have led to a different path than the one followed?.

The great fear of pro-independence leaders was that if the colonies were not united in voting for Independence , Britain would be able to drive a wedge between them.

Ryerson : Americans today justly celebrate the courage, wisdom, and luck that led, not merely to a declaration of Independence, but victory in a long and difficult war.