3- to 4-page paper on the chapters “Allies” and “Loyalties”, pages 175 to 249, in Alan Taylor’s book, American Revolutions. Your writing should get to the bottom of page three and can continue onto page four if you wish. Military hostilities between colonists and the British began at Lexington and Concord in 1775, and representatives of the thirteen colonists meeting in Philadelphia signed on July 4, 1776 the Declaration of Independence that proclaimed the colonies’ separation from Britain. Britain was not about to let an important part of its Empire break away, and the conflict continued until a peace treaty granting independence was signed in Paris in September of 1783. Not all colonists thought breaking away from Britain was a good idea. Those favoring independence referred to themselves with many labels. Taylor usually uses the word “Patriots” to refer to those wanting to break away from Britain, but he also sometimes refers to them by other terms used at the time, like “rebels” or “Whigs”. Those opposed to the colonies’ separating from Britain were called “Loyalists,” and sometimes “Tories”. There were also many who had not made up their mind on the issue. They were not sure whether the colonies should break away from the British Empire or remain within it. These Taylor refers to as the “disaffected” or the “undecided”. You should pay attention to the numbers Taylor provides, of the proportions of colonists in each group. This was not a battle between “the Americans” and “the British”, but rather between rebels and those, including many colonists and the British government, that wanted the colonies to remain in the Empire. It was also a contest to get the undecided to join the rebels or their opponents. Some issues to keep in mind as you do the reading: What reservations did European powers and the Patriots have toward allying with each other and in what ways did European powers eventually end up aiding the Patriot cause? What severe difficulties did Washington’s soldiers face? What military blunders did the British commit, especially in terms of deploying their troops and moving them around? What important roles did women play in the War for Independence, and how did men react to their efforts? What success and failures did the British meet in trying to exploit colonial social cleavages? I want one well-formed essay that addresses the prompt in bold, above, while exploring the issues I ask you to keep in mind. I want a well-written essay, not a list of separate questions and answers to them.