Critical Thinking Questions

14. How did the colonists manage to triumph in their battle for independence despite Great Britain’s military might? If any of these factors had been different, how might it have affected the outcome of the war?

15. How did the condition of certain groups, such as women, Black people, and Native people, reveal a contradiction in the Declaration of Independence?

16. What was the effect and importance of Great Britain’s promise of freedom to enslaved people who joined the British side?

17. How did the Revolutionary War provide both new opportunities and new challenges for enslaved and free Black people in America?

18. Describe the ideology of republicanism. As a political philosophy, how did republicanism compare to the system that prevailed in Great Britain?

19. Describe the backgrounds and philosophies of Patriots and Loyalists. Why did colonists with such diverse individual interests unite in support of their respective causes? What might different groups of Patriots and Loyalists, depending upon their circumstances, have hoped to achieve by winning the war?