Independence was a tougher sale than you think

David McCullough's John Adams chronicles among other aspects of his life, his time in the continental congress and how difficult it was to persuade many of the necessity of declaring independence. The Quaker pacifist were the main opposition, not because they did not desire independence, but because they had the futile belief that independence could be negotiated with the King of England.

Today we are still dealing with that mindset in how to handle intractable enemies.

I highly recommend the book. You will learn a great deal about the American Revolution and the men who made it.