The war was fought for freedom. Mercantilism was keeping the colonies in 3rd world status. We fought the British so the USA could flourish behind protectionist tariffs and build and industrial powerhouse.
The entire AMERICAN REVOLUTION 10-part series is on Youtube. Back when PBS wasn’t a super left network and there were some unusual finds on the series. It was noted that Benjamin Franklin was humiliated and embarrassed by the snotty British politicians at Parliament, which factored in accelerating Independence. Just for drama, there was an arrest warrant for Franklin and if Franklin didnt board the ship at the same time, he would have been arrested.
“Mercantilism was keeping the colonies in 3rd world status”.
In 1776, the American colonies enjoyed a higher standard of living than did Great Britain. We were hardly 3rd world for that time.