The events leading up to the American War of Independence played a key role in what could be defined as double agent operations. What is a double agent? Merriam-Webster describes a double agent as serving one government when in reality the agent is spying for another government. One of these double agents was Dr. Edward Bancroft. Researchers played the epic game of tug of war with the idea that Edward Bancroft was a double agent spying on both Britain and the United States of America. This would be true if the United States of America were a country operating under its own government and fighting against an invading power. The American Revolutionary War began in 1775, Congress signed the Declaration of Independence in 1776, and Edward Bancroft's spying for Britain began around 1774. By Merriam-Webster standards, Edward Bancroft , considered a double agent, was in fact just a loyalist wishing the colonial uprising would be suppressed and the colonies would remain subjects of Great Britain. Edward Bartholomew Bancroft was born on January 20, 1745, in Westfield, Massachusetts, to Edward and Mary Bancroft. Edward Bancroft had one sibling, a brother Daniel, born in 1746. The elder Bancroft died at the age of 28, leaving the widow Mary to care for little Edward and John. The widowed Bancroft met David Bull whom she married in 1751. The new family moved throughout the area of ​​the New England colonies and eventually settled in Hartford, Connecticut. David Bull became the owner of a local tavern in Hartford. Edward Bancroft would not be able to have a normal education. His mother understood the need for study, and in 1759 Silas Deane, a graduate of Yale College, became Edward Bancroft's private tutor. These studies would prove... middle of paper... up to two million with zero representation in Parliament. Once again, Edward Bancroft was hinting at a future policy of taxation without representation. However, Edward Bancroft did not believe in American independence but only wanted to establish permanent colonial dependence with Britain. He only wanted all colonists to have the same rights as the English. Again, this proved that Edward Bancroft was a loyalist, but at the same time cared about how the colonies were governed. His personal beliefs could be influenced, but it would depend on who was pushing him. library/center-for-the-study-of-intelligence/csi-publications/csi-studies/studies/vol.-55-no.-4/edward-bancroft-scientist-author-spy.htmlhttp:// books. google.com/books/about/Edward_Bancroft.html?id=NOmSuwAACAAJ