The Fall of the First British Empire takes an often controversial view of British imperial policy in the age of the American Revolution, one that challenges long-held assumptions about the causes of America's war for independence.

In dealing with the origins of the conflict that led to Britain's loss of America, Robert W. Tucker and David C. Hendrickson place considerable emphasis on the relationship between the Seven Years' War and the difficulties between Britain and America in its immediate aftermath. They also examine the nature of the imperial-colonial relationship as it existed in 1763, challenging the widespread view that there was a well-defined status quo and that a new view of empire led the British to oppose it. In addition, they similarly question conventional accounts of British policy from the Stamp Act crisis to the decision for war in 1775.