MILES HAS STATED THE BRITISH EAST INDIA COMPANY SUPPORTED THE COLONISTS DURING THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION. This point made my head spin initially, as I was taught the colonists rebelled against everything British, especially the EIC and its despised tea.
While researching the basis for Miles’ claim, I not only realized he was correct, but discovered a new way of understanding the Revolution, which I share in this paper. First, here’s the relevant section from Miles’ paper on Thomas Jefferson:
The revolution] succeeded because the East India Company and other powerful entities supported it .. Not because of any solidarity or fellow feeling, but because the EIC felt it would be easier to negotiate with and dominate a fledgling country like the US than an old powerhouse like England. In fact, the EIC had already infiltrated the colonies thoroughly, and mostly owned them, so the American Revolution was more a war over ownership between England and the EIC, or two arms of the aristocracy, than between England and the colonies[1].