The American Revolution was at once a war for independence, a civil war, and a world war. It impacted millions – from Canada to the Caribbean and beyond. Few escaped its violence.

The new light-rail train, linking Queens and Brooklyn, would signal a shift in the city’s center of gravity, toward one less tethered to the office towers of Midtown.

Even while warning about national security and human rights abuse, the U.S. government across five Republican and Democratic ...