John Adams observed that the American Revolution took place, not on the battlefield, but rather “in the minds of the people...before a drop of blood was shed at Lexington.”  This course will examine the political debates leading to American independence, and, later, to the ratification of the Federal Constitution.  Famous works of the period, such as Paine’s Common Sense and The Federalist, will be placed in the wider context of American political writing from 1763 to 1789.