France, July 4 -- The United States' journey to independence began almost three centuries before the declaration of 1776, as European powers competed for North America's east coast and English settlements grew into the Thirteen Colonies.

For much of the 20th century, the story of the revolution was told mainly through familiar figures such as Washington and Franklin. The civil rights movement and the rise of social history encouraged historians to look anew at who fought and supported the cause - a perspective shift that continues today.

A "more accurate view of the past" is now emerging as a result, Christopher Brown, a historian of the British Empire at New York's Columbia University, told the Associated Press news agency.

Can France...