The ideals of freedom and individual rights that inspired America's Founding Fathers did not spring from a vacuum. Along with many other defining principles of our national character, they can be traced back to one of the most pivotal events in British history--the late-seventeenth-century uprising known as the Glorious Revolution. Writer Barone brings the story of this unlikely and largely bloodless revolt to American readers and reveals that, without it, the American Revolution might never have happened. Unfolding in 1688-1689, Britain's Glorious Revolution resulted in the hallmarks of representative government, guaranteed liberties, the foundations of global capitalism, and a foreign policy of opposing aggressive foreign powers. The story is a rich and riveting saga of palace intrigue, loyalty and betrayal, and bold political and military strategizing.--From publisher description.