What were the main reasons the colonists won the American Revolution? Please keep it simple as that would be preferable.

Due to the fact the war was fought on the colonist's land, they knew the land better than the British and could play defensive. The colonists also used guerilla warfare a lot, securing a definite American victory.

the answer to your question is

the treaty of hopewell

i believe it would influence their own way of understanding things. it shall be a foundation where they can draw or start an argument.   historians are also  scientists that  have their tools of analysis and expertise to unlock a variety of difficulties such as relationships of man, origin, politics, economy, and culture. based on facts and understanding on these areas, they may shade light to extract ideas and develop options to validate a hypothesis or debunk it.