Tiny religious sect takes control of American government.

[ArsSkeptica]

40. Citation needed

IIRC from People's History of the American Revolution, our kerfuffle with the Brits started largely in response to taxation that directly affected those would could afford those things taxed, ergo, those of means. And when we consider the cadre to whom voting was limited once we were on our own (white landowners), perhaps one has cause to wonder what genuinely motivated those of means to financially back a devastating war unless it the possible ROI. If it were entirely principle, I'd think more of those wealthy elite back in the day would have served on the front lines instead of getting poor stand-ins to do it for them.

The principles stated in the Declaration make for good recruitment. Our first stab as a loose federation failed so abysmally because there were no government teeth to back up their accounts receivable. So instead, we got the bait and switch of the Constitutional Convention that enshrined a lot of rights, but lets not forget that the rights we most often think of first when rights come to mind were essentially the bone thrown to the anti-Federalists for the sake of the whole kit and kaboodle, 3/5 of a non-voting slave and all.

Principle may have played a significant part, but whether that significant part outweighed more crass motivations is entirely debatable. I'm not saying we'd have done better under the crown by a long shot. But us commoners were pretty much out of the equation other than as an afterthought.