This book demonstrates how the course of the American Revolution and the creation of a national entity were influenced by the political, economic, and social diversity of the thirteen colonies. The author relates the burdens of earlier wars to colonial economic distress, which was then exacerbated by Britain's attempt to modernize and rationalize its empire. In addition, the author explains how the uneven economic development and diverse sectional interests influenced the ideological and constitutional struggles with Britain, and after independence was declared, among Americans. Highlighting the tensions between public and private interests among participants of the Revolution is a unique aspect of this volume.