This is CBS Eye on the World.

Here's John Bachelor.

Professor Joseph Ellis.

The cause is the new book, the American Revolution and its discontent.

It is now the summer of 1778.

The French Empire and the Spanish Empire have re-entered the contest

a global war with the United Kingdom,

the Navy's at sea.

The prize of all is the Caribbean Islands, the Sugar Islands.

That means that the British now must make a decision.

And the decision is, do we continue to pour men and money into fighting the colonies who are after all troublesome?

And they're part of us, or do we fight our enemies across the channel

and their allies in Spain for the grand prize of the Sugar Islands and Gibraltar and other parts of the world, the global war?

The Professor writes a scene that is, well, as Washington often said about this war, no one would believe it.

It must be fiction.

This is a moment when Lord Pitt stands to make a speech to the House of Lords saying, we must compromise.

Pitt has always been against this war.

Pitt was famous for winning the French, and what we call the French and Indian War over the French,

stop fighting our countrymen, make a deal, give them independence, and then he collapses.

Professor, this is a scene that tells me that George III wasn't listening to his best counsel.

He collapsed and died in the House of Lords.

Was there any thought now that it's time to get out, or were they too bloody minded already?

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