Brian Holden,

At 17 I had to learn about modern history. I then found the American Civil War uninspiring. The French Revolution fired me up.

Some sixty two year later, days ago, I came across a text by A. Goodwin, a professor of Modern History, published in 1955, that set my understanding of the fundamental causes of the French event straight.

This article of yours shows that your ideas about the Americans independence wars may be a bit of fantasy.

What I say to you is; relax. People defeated by their society will never cause or start any change.

When change comes to America it will be from forces equal to those now governing that country.

Sir, I don’t wish to be unkind by urging you to come down to earth, put aside the indoctrinations of State and Church and start to see life in its stark reality.

America shares with Australia the blindly cruel exploitation of land and people.

Their Wars of independence, as you say, were dictated by greed, and it is that greed and that greed only, that will be their end.

You and I, blissfully, will not be about when it will happen