The revolutionary break came to a head through growing distance between Britain and the colonies. Colonial merchants wanted access to French, Dutch, and other markets instead of remaining inside a single English trading system. At the same time, they still expected British power to provide protection if those wider relationships went wrong. Resistance to contributing toward that protection made the imperial bargain increasingly difficult to sustain. A party analogy turns the constitutional crisis into a clear conflict over benefits, obligations, and freedom of action.
Notable Point · 1:22:00-1:23:35
Trade freedom, imperial protection, and an unsustainable bargain
The final revolutionary argument contrasts colonial demands for open trade with continued reliance on British protection and resistance to paying for it.