One thing that I thought was really important to remember when studying the American Revolution and the events leading up to independence, is that the disassociation and alienation from the British was gradual rather than immediate. When you visit museums or hear people talk about the American independence it often seems like something that "just happened overnight". However, when you study the subject deeper we can take into account all the different events such as the different acts and embargoes inhibiting the colonies commerce, as well as Parliaments unresponsiveness in dealing with the dissatisfaction among the colonists.
Additionally, we often also forget that not all colonists were in favor of of the Revolution. In fact only about a third of the colonial population openly advocated breaking ties with Britain, while the rest sided with the British or remained indifferent. I also found it very interesting to learn that although the Second Continental Congress originally formed to organize against the British, it actually almost made another effort at reconciling with the British crown by passing the Olive Branch Petition, asking the king to convince Parliament to cooperate with the colonies.
These are things we often forget when we falsely think of the American Revolution as a process that formed as an immediate response and included the entire colonial population.
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