00:00 Thomas Paine's pamphlet "Common Sense" was a bestseller that argued for removing America's links with the British monarchy and made a positive case for republicanism, selling half a million copies by the end of 1776.

05:05 The American Revolution is seen as having universal significance, but there are also conservatives like John Adams who are nervous about the direction the revolution is taking, particularly in regards to Thomas Paine's pamphlet "Common Sense" and its practical suggestions for the new republic. The world is indeed watching the revolution, with many people outside of America projecting their hopes onto it and seeing it as the future of a good society. The British evacuate Boston and establish themselves in New York, which is seen as a more loyal city than Boston and a strategic location for the British to control the Hudson Valley and cut off New England.

09:34 The British authority has collapsed across the colonies, leading to the Second Continental Congress urging the colonies to set up their own governments and prepare for war, while John Adams sees the Prohibitory Act as a de facto declaration of independence by the British government and believes that a formal declaration will eventually follow.

13:51 The Declaration of Independence was necessary as a justification for the American colonies' actions and to gain support from France, and it marked a shift from wanting to be a self-governing dominion within the British Empire to creating their own American empire, with the king as the target of their grievances.

18:07 The Declaration of Independence is a Lockean argument about the social contract that justifies setting up a new government, and it is seen as the ideological underpinning of the United States.

22:29 The British are facing challenges in the war, including the fear of French and Spanish involvement, the need to defend Britain and the Caribbean, and the debate over whether to continue the war or cut their losses.

27:02 The British King is determined to prevent American independence and works to strengthen his cabinet ministers, but the British struggle to figure out how to regain control of America and expand beyond their current coastal holdings, with New York becoming a focal point; there were opportunities for the British to destroy Washington's army early in the war, but they hesitated and ultimately did not have the will or capacity to do so.

31:10 The British are already feeling ambivalent and like they've lost the war, while the Americans are also feeling defeated, but Washington's crossing of the Delaware and the British defeat at Saratoga attract the attention of European powers and convince them to back the American rebels.

35:23 Washington's successful surprise attack at Princeton and Burgoyne's slow progress and subsequent defeat at Saratoga create an image of Washington as a skilled commander and raise the stakes for the British in 1777.

39:39 Burgoyne surrenders at Saratoga, but is allowed to return to Europe to replace troops, highlighting the futility of the British war effort and drawing parallels to colonial counterinsurgency campaigns.

43:58 The podcast discusses the new phase of the American Revolution with the entrance of France into the war and the British focus on protecting their territories and interests around the world.