It's September 22, 1761. American Independence is 5,399 days away.

For our final prelude episode, we are telling a breakup story. When King George III ascended to the throne of Great Britain, his reign began with a honeymoon period where he was adored by his subjects on both sides of the Atlantic. But as storm clouds gathered on the horizon, the relationship between the King and his subjects in America became increasingly strained, all leading to the eventual legacy of King George III as the King who lost an Empire.

This is our 3rd and final Prelude episode. Our first official episode covering the events of July 1774 will be released next week.

Sources:

The Last King of America: The Misunderstood Reign of George III by Andrew Roberts

The Men Who Lost America: British Leadership, the American Revolution and the Fate of the Empire by Andrew Jackson O'Shaughnessy

The King’s Three Faces: The Rise & Fall of Royal America, 1688-1776 by Brendan McConville

The Royalist Revolution: Monarchy and the American Founding by Eric Nelson

Major Problems in the Era of the American Revolution, 1760-1791 by Richard D. Brown

American Revolutions: A Continental History, 1750-1804 by Alan Taylor

Liberty Is Sweet: The Hidden History of the American Revolution by Woody Holton

It’s July 3rd, 1754. American Independence is 8,037.

For our second prelude episode we take a look at the war that shaped the destiny of the American Colonies more than other conflict – the French and Indian War. What begins as a series of disasters for British and Colonial forces eventually turns into a triumphant victory, but one that came at a cost nobody could foresee.

This is the 2nd of 3 Prelude Episodes setting the stage for our series.

Key Sources:

The War That Made America: A Short History of the French and Indian War by Fred Anderson

Major Problems in the Era of the American Revolution, 1760-1791 by Richard D. Brown

American Revolutions: A Continental History, 1750-1804 by Alan Taylor

Liberty Is Sweet: The Hidden History of the American Revolution by Woody Holton

It’s June 10th, 1688. American Independence is 32,165 days away.

Our series starts way back, almost 100 years before Independence way ever conceived of as an idea in the American colonies. In 1688 turmoil and religious tension set Englishmen on both sides of the Atlantic in conflict with their Royal Government, and unknowingly planted the seeds of conflict with the king that would eventually grow into the American Revolution.

This is the 1st of 3 prelude episodes setting the stage for our series.

Key Sources:

Rebellion: The History of England from James I to the Glorious Revolution by Peter Ackroyd

The King’s Three Faces: The Rise & Fall of Royal America, 1688-1776 by Brendan McConville

The Royalist Revolution: Monarchy and the American Founding by Eric Nelson

Our First Revolution: The Remarkable British Upheaval That Inspired America's Founding Fathers by Michael Barone

Liberty Is Sweet: The Hidden History of the American Revolution by Woody Holton

American Revolutions: A Continental History, 1750-1804 by Alan Taylor