The American Revolution began in earnest at Lexington on April 19, 1775, and was formalized with the passing of the motion for independence by the Second Continental Congress on July 2, 1776. We, Americans of the 21st century tend to take our freedom and constitutional protections for granted, but they were hard won, and the result which was achieved was never a foregone conclusion. Surely the United States would eventually have broken out of the British Empire, but the path might well have been similar to that of Canada, without a revolutionary war. Throughout the time of hard struggles and confusion, American people changed many of their views and tactics. A lot of political ideas and institutions were improved and fought for.…