Some suggest that the war for American independence was not inevitable, that the British empire could have been saved. Do you agree?

We should also
point out that the fall of the British Empire and the loss of the American colonies following
the Revolution were not necessarily inter-related nor in the same time frame.

At the time of Lexington and Concord, barely more than 1/4 of the colonists seriously
supported independence, while at least an equal number were actively loyal to the Crown. 
Clearly, this was not a black and white sentiment on either side, and had things been handled
differently by the King, perhaps independence would have come much later.

I
actually believe King George III showed quite a bit of patience until 1773.  He was wiser and
more pragmatic than many historians give him credit for, in my opinion.  His subsequent
overreaction, however, to the Boston Tea Party (with the Coercive Acts) and his refusal to
negotiate with the cooler colonial heads following...