WASHINGTON DC – AUGUST 20: Iwo Jima statue in Washington DC on August 20, 2012. The statue honors the Marines who have died defending the US since 1775.

At the beginning of the American Revolution, the fractured colonies were up against the British Empire like a David against Goliath. For 150 years, the colonists had already experienced an unusual amount of freedom managing their own affairs. This was not because of Britain granting the freedoms, but their preoccupation with local affairs, foreign conflicts, inefficiency, geography, and neglect. Read Full Essay at Constituting America