As we have seen in this unit, the origins of the American Revolution were complicated. While the Declaration of
Independence has long been viewed as the beginning of the Revolution, in reality, the storm had been brewing
for decades by the time Thomas Jefferson drafted the Declaration of Independence in 1776.
In this essay, you will be analyzing and evaluating the causes of the American Revolution using both primary
and secondary sources.
In the process, you will be practicing one of the key skills in the historical thinking: evidence-based
argumentation. Learning to make a clear argument that is supported by specific evidence is essential to the
kind of critical thinking that your time in college should help you develop.