In early 1776, most people in Britain’s 13 North American colonies thought that if they could keep what they considered their basic rights, they wouldn’t mind remaining under British rule. By the end of that year, though, breaking away started to seem like a better option.

So, what happened to change their minds?

In his new book, Declaring Independence: Why 1776 Matters, Edward J. Larson writes that “the most consequential shift that year was not one of battle lines but of ideology: the rejection of monarchism as a core American value.”

To mark the 250^th anniversary of American independence, Larson, a professor of history and law at Pepperdine University, discusses how Thomas Paine’s Common Sense, key military battles, and meetings of the Continental Congress where the Declaration of Independence was drafted, helped set a path for the future.

Larson has lectured at universities worldwide on the history of science, religion, and law. He has also written more than a dozen books, including American Inheritance, a recent study of liberty and slavery at the founding; the Pulitzer Prize-winning Summer for the Gods about the Scopes trial; and works on voyages of scientific exploration.