The American Revolution: Writings from the War of Independence
by John Rhodehamel
Great and
Enjoyable Book for American Revolutionary History Reviewer: medmeeting from USA
Whether this is a topic that
excites you, or not, I believe this is a must read book (even if in part) for
every American to learn the principles for which this country was founded and
the great sacrifices made to attain independence.
What greater words for understanding the thoughts and context of the American
Revolution than the participants (Revolutionaries, Redcoats and British)
themselves! If you have even a nominal interest in their beliefs, causes,
commitments, suffering, losses, and successes then this is the book for you!
The book is comprised of the 124 letters, diaries written by the participants
themselves (and newspaper articles). While we can discuss some interpretations
of some writings, or excerpts, overall it provides clear insights into the
motives and principles (sometimes adverse to each other) of the participants and
the significance of independence to their ideals.
The first letter is from Paul Revere discussing his historical ride for Liberty,
including his fear of "having his brains blown out" when captured. (Did you know
he never finished his ride due to his capture and having his horse confiscated?)
Two very informative letters:
John Laurens letter to his father (Henry Laurens - a slave owner) (January,
1778) endorses freeing the slaves for two reasons: first to support the
revolution; second, "I have long deplored the wretched State of these men and
considered in their history, the bloody wars excited in Africa to furnish
America with slaves - the Groans of desparing multitudes toiling for the
Luxuries of Merciless Tyrants - I have had the pleasure of conversing with you
sometimes upon the means of restoring them to their rights..."
George Washington's letter to Henry Laurens (Henry's communication - which
supposedly included army intelligence - to Washington is not found in this
volume, so we have to speculate on its contents) regarding freeing slaves for
the revolution.
Washington responds in March 1779, "The policy of arming slaves ... is .... a
moot point..." because the enemy would follow with the same action. "then....
who can arm the fastest, and where are our arms? Besides, I am not clear that a
discrimination will not render Salvery more irksome to those who remain in it;
most of the good and evil things of this life are judged of by comparison;"
Since both Henry Laurens and George Washington owned slaves, it is inciteful to
learn of their ongoing discussions of this issue as they fight and sacrifice for
their own freedoms. We gain some idea of the conflicts with the total goal of
freedom, with the near term exigencies of war and revolution. Slavery was not
fully accepted by some who had slaves, so the question seems a matter of when
and/or how slaves should be freed. (This is challenging for us to comprehend
today)
Other Representative Contents:
Paul Revere: Memorandum on the Events on April 18, 1775
"The war begins: Massachusetts, April, 1775"
John Adams to Abigail Adams:
"Congress Votes for Independence, July, 1776"
Benjamin Franklin to Lord Howe:
"It is impossible we should think of submission"
George Washington to Lund Washington, December 10-17, 1776
"American Retreat, Pennsylvania, December, 1776"
Thomas Paine: "The American Crisis, Number 1, December 19, 1776"
Philadelphia, December, 1776
Peter Oliver: "The Origin and Progress of American Rebellion"
"A Tory View of Frontier Warfare, Summer 1778"
Nathaniel Green to Alexander Hamilton
"Plight of the Southern Army: South Carolina, January, 1781"
Nathaniel Green to Thomas Jefferson, April 28, 1781
"Appeal for Support from Virginia, April, 1781"
George Washington: Circular to the State Governments
"An Appeal for New Troops: October, 1780"
Also, includes
Chronology
Biographical Notes
Notes on the Text
Notes
Index.
Overall, a great, great book to understand our countries origins that I would
very highly recommend to any person with the slightest interest in the truth of
American Revolutionary History.
American Scripture : Making the Declaration of Independence by Pauline Maier
Dry,
but full of information
Reviewer: juntosocietydotcom from Kyle, TX United States
Presented here is an in-depth look at the behind the
scenes struggles that went into the drafting of the Declaration of
Independence. At times, the book is a bit dry, but then, how exactly does
one impart excitement and suspense into Congressional debate? The book
reads in somewhat of a textbook fashion, but is abundant with well
researched findings and tidbits of little known information. Maier takes
the reader on a microscopic look at the behind the scenes process of this
famous drafting.
Maier meticulously gives credit to the proper recipients and dispels many
myths along the way. Each new chapter is a story in and of itself. Maier
prefaces each chapter with a brief narrative, then follows with a logical
and well laid out progression of points and events. For example, in the
opening narrative of Chapter 1, Maier introduces some of the prominent
Delegates of the Continental Congress and the events of Lexington and
Concord. This is followed by a more indepth account of how the Congress
addressed the problems facing our young nation and the early events of the
war. Sub-chapter 2 then delves into the debates between 'independence' and
'compromise'. Sub-chapter 3 introduces Thomas Paine's Common Sense, and
its effect on the Congress. Sub-chapter 4 examines the opposition to
forming a republic and also looks at the official grievances against the
King. The chapter concludes with sub-chapter 5 taking a look at the final
decision of independence and how that decision came to be.
This book is not so much a look at the Declaration itself, but rather, how
it came into being. If you want to learn more about the Declaration
itself, pick up The Declaration of Independence by Carl Becker. If you
hold Thomas Jefferson just short of godlike status, you may not care much
for this book, but you will learn from it.
Perhaps one of the most overlooked aspects of this book is the wealth of
information provided in the Appendices and Bibliography. Here you will
find a few examples of local resolutions on independence as well as the
Congressional editing of the original submission. When you look through
the Bibliography, be prepared to find several other books you will want to
add to your 'must read' list.
From Resistance to Revolution: Colonial Radicals and the Development of
American Opposition to Britain, 1765-1776 by Pauline Maier
The
Framers: Neither Anarchists nor Statists Reviewer: instapundit from Knoxville, TN USA
As Gordon Wood pointed out in the New York Times, this
is a terrific piece of work. It's also an underappreciated piece of work
in today's debate over the scope of government. On the one hand we have
people like Garry Wills arguing that, since the Framers weren't
anarchists, the Constitution supports modern-day Big Government. On the
other, we have equally-wacky people on the right arguing that, since the
Framers were revolutionaries, Timothy McVeigh is some sort of hero.
In fact, both are equally wrong. As Maier's book points out, the colonial
era was not one in which people accepted the 20th Century Weberian notion
of the state as holding a monopoly on legitimate violence. Many sorts of
"insurrectionary" violence -- of the sort that Gordon Wood calls "out of
doors" political action -- were implicitly, and explicitly, recognized as
legitimate.
But that's not the same as saying that all violence was okay. In fact, as
Maier points out again and again, colonists recognized fundamental limits
on the scope, degree, and targets of popular resistance. Violence might be
okay, but mostly against property -- and when against individuals, only
nonlethal violence in most situations. Maier's book shows a far more
sophisticated theory than appears in today's left- and right-wing
caricatures of the Framers. It's also wonderfully readable and copiously
documented. It should get more attention -- and with luck it will.
The Ideological Origins of the American Revolution by Bernard Bailyn
Amazing
discussion of american revolutionary thought., Reviewer: Patrick Luck from Mt Pleasant, TX USA
This book is one of the best books I have ever read on the
subject matter of American Revolutionary thought. Bailyn masterfully
synthesises the source material to show the influences and assumptions the
founding fathers and people of America were working under. He shows how
they essentially took the thought process of the previous 100 years of
English thought to the next logic conclusion for their situation. He shows
how they didn't break from the past but harnessed it to their needs. Of
course, the other large conclusion one takes from the book is just how
much the thoughts behind the revolution were affected by Enlightenment
thought: Montesqui, Locke, the ancient romans, and how little Christianity
influenced it in any substantive way. The obvious 'flaw' of this book is
how it essentially ignores the questions of socio-economics and of how the
founding fathers 'betrayed' their ideals on the question of slavery. But,
I would contend that both are outside the realm of the argument.
Socio-economics are obviously important but do not explain the forms that
ideology take. and the betrayal of slavery is essentially a story of the
constitution and the great sectional compromise, not of revolutionary
idealogy. All in all, an excellent source of what our founding fathers
were thinking when they founded the country.
The Federalist Papers by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison (Editor), John Jay (Editor),
Clinton Lawrence Rossiter (Editor), Charles R. Kesler (Editor), Rossiter
I'm amazed
at the wisdom and vision of our founding fathers Reviewer: Maria Beilke from Glendora, CA United States
If you are going to read "The Federalist Papers," you must also
read "The Anti-Federalist Papers" in order to get the complete picture. Both
books cross-reference each other, and both are instrumental in understanding how
our government was designed and how it was intended to work. In addition to the
Papers, this edition also contains the Declaration of Independence, the
Constitution, and an excellent introduction by Charles Kesler.
In a time when each colony had its own "constitution," the Federalists believed
in creating one strong centralized government (with one Constitution) that could
effectively represent the people. The authors and supporters of the Constitution
knew that they could not afford to lose the vote in the state ratifying
conventions. In an effort to win over his home state (New York), Alexander
Hamilton, with the assistance of James Madison and John Jay, began a collection
of 85 essays and published them under the pseudonym of "Publius" (named after
one of the founders and heroes of the Roman republic, Publius Valerius Publicola).
The Papers, published in 1787 and 1788, analyze and defend the proposed
Constitution of the United States.
Obviously, the Federalists succeeded in winning the colonists' support. But even
though the anti-federalists lost, their ideas were also brilliant and made an
important contribution to the history of our government, which is why you should
also read "The Anti-Federalist Papers."
This book is a must-read for all Americans. After reading this book, you will
have a renewed appreciation and admiration for the wisdom and vision of our
founding fathers.
Hamilton: Writings by Alexander Hamilton, Joanne B. Freeman (Editor)
The
best one-volume Hamilton collection ever assembled. Reviewer: R. B. Bernstein from Brooklyn, New York USA
With this volume, Alexander Hamilton
assumes his rightful place in the ranks of the Library of America -- not
only as a key historical figure in the founding of the Republic, but as a
master of political argument and writing. With care and sensitivity, Prof.
Joanne B. Freeman of Yale University has assembled the best and most
comprehensive one-volume Hamilton collection ever assembled -- but she has
done something even more important: She has presented us with a thorough,
judicious, and enlightening documentary life of Hamilton. This book will
be indispensable to anyone who wants to understand the origins of the
Constitution, of the American economy, and of the nation's political
system and public life. It also will be indispensable to anyone who wants
to understand Alexander Hamilton as a political, constitutional, and
economic thinker, as a key shaper of American government and public
policy, and as a human being.
Declaration of Independence: A Study in the History of
Political Ideas by Carl L. Becker
Even
though dated, still one of the best on the subject., Reviewer: R. B. Bernstein from Brooklyn, New York USA
Carl L. Becker's book on the Declaration of Independence
first appeared nearly eighty years ago, and yet it is still a valuable and
stimulating study of its subject. It is dated now, for two large reasons:
First, Becker wrote before the revolution in studying the history of
ideas, and thus unavoidably predates the close-focus examination of the
controversy between Great Britain and her American colonies in the years
from 1765 to 1776. Two recent books should be read alongside Becker's
monograph -- Pauline Maier's AMERICAN SCRIPTURE: MAKING THE DECLARATION OF
INDEPENDENCE (New York: Knopf, 1997; Vintage paperback, 1998), and John
Phillip Reid, CONSTITUTIONAL HISTORY OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION, abridged
ed. (Madison: University of Wisconsin Press, 1995).
Second, Becker focuses on Jefferson as *the* author of the Declaration,
neglecting that he was actually the draftsman selected by the Continental
Congress and his colleagues within the drafting committee. Thus, the
Declaration -- no matter what Jefferson said about it in later life -- was
not primarily a window into his own thinking about natural rights and
democracy, but rather the final statement by Congress as to the reasons
for breaking ties with Britain. To be sure, later generations have read it
as an expression of Jefferson's mind -- rather than of "the American
mind," as he put it. But, as Maier shows in AMERICAN SCRIPTURE,
Jefferson's thinking was nowhere near as unique or advanced on these
subjects as later hero-worshipping biographers have suggested.
In particular, as Maier has shown, the age-old dispute about whether
Jefferson was or was not influenced by Locke is somewhat beside the point.
Even so, Becker's fine book is indispensable for deciding whether we
should read the Declaration through Lockean or Jeffersonian lenses, and
whether we should regard it as a codification of American aspirations or
as a hypocritical catalogue of principles we cannot live up to.
R. B. Bernstein, adjunct professor of law, New York Law School
The American Revolution: A History (Modern Library
Chronicles) by Gordon S. Wood
Amazingly
comprehensive given its brief size Reviewer: Robert W. Moore from Chicago, IL USA
Gordon S. Wood is one of the deans of scholarship on the
American Revolution, and this volume in the Modern Library Chronicles
series (each volume dedicated to providing a brief but sound introduction
to a specific subject) is the distillation of a lifetime of study of the
subject. Although short, this is not a book lacking in content. Some of
the reviewers seem to misunderstand the subject: the American Revolution
was not primarily a military adventure but an intellectual one. Therefore,
the book rightfully dedicates most of its pages to the ideas that drove
the revolt against Britain and the formation of a completely original form
of government based upon equality and the sovereignty of the people.
The genius of the book is not merely that Wood finds space to mention
every significant aspect of the American Revolution, but that he is able
in a very brief space explain the why and the wherefore. For instance, in
explaining why the people making up the new nation did not respect the
rights of Native Americans and consider them equals, Wood explains that
the widespread view was that independent individual owned and cultivated
land, and since the Indians were hunters, they could not could that they
were potential citizens like themselves. Therefore, they could only treat
them as foreigner nations. Wood does not condone their conclusions, but he
does a great job of explaining their thinking. Likewise, when he addresses
the question of slavery, he points out that while the founders did not
carry through with the logical implications of the notion that all men are
created equal, the foundations where nonetheless laid for its eventually
expungement. As he writes, "The Revolution had a powerful effect in
eventually bring an end to slavery in America. It suddenly and effectively
ended the social and intellectual environment that had allowed slavery to
exist everywhere for thousands of years without substantial questioning."
The book contains a host of similar insights. Although I have read other
and longer books on the Revolution, I have read few that were filled with
as much insight.
The book proceeds on a series of topics that are largely chronological,
beginning with the changes in American society following the end of the
French-Indian Wars and the refocusing of the British government on the
colonies after several decades of some neglect, and ending with the
Constitutional Convention in 1787 in Philadelphia. His focus is
overwhelmingly on the ideas that drove the Revolution. He is almost
entirely unconcerned with the battles of the War, which he does not view
as especially decisive. As he points out, the odds of the British
defeating the colonists were long at best, given the overwhelming
hostility felt against the Crown and the widespread sentiments for
independence. Wood spends approximately fifteen pages on the actual
military campaign. There is little regret for this because he is so superb
in discussing the nonmilitary aspects.
Although the account is first rate, an additional reason this is such a
valuable book is the exceptional bibliographical essay that closes the
book. Wood provides a ten-page survey of the literature on the Revolution,
and if one is unfamiliar with the period, he or she will have a host of
suggestions of additional books to read upon completion of Wood's book.
I really find it difficult to praise this book too strongly. This book is
ideal for someone unfamiliar (or even those familiar desiring a brief
survey) with the central factors of the Revolution and wanting a brief but
superb analysis of the events leading to the creation of the United
States.
American Colonies (The Penguin History of the United
States, 1) by Alan Taylor, Eric Foner (Editor)
An
excellent start to what promises to be a major new series Reviewer: pnotley@hotmail.com from Edmonton, Alberta Canada
On first glance it might appear odd that Alan Taylor
should be one of our leading historians of the revolutionary era. Taylor's
two previous works were about the Maine frontier and the life of James
Fenimore Cooper's father. What, ask the skeptical, of interest has ever
happened in Maine? And Cooper is easily the writer that even conservatives
would most like to chuck out of the canon and replace with the Simpsons.
But the readers of those two books were richly rewarded as Taylor produced
complex, well documented narratives about the ironies and limitations of
early American democracy. Taylor's new book deals with the colonial era,
the first volume of a the Penguin history of the United States, edited by
Eric Foner. In one respect Taylor's work is superior to any previous
volume. His work does not deal solely with the 13 American colonies.
Instead it deals with all the colonial powers and the aboriginal societies
on what is now the current day United States. As well as the English and
the Spanish, we also get the Dutch, the French and the Russians. Taylor
covers Florida to New Mexico, and California to Oregon. Taylor discusses
both Hawaii and Alaska, and because both had a major effect on the
thirteen colonies, Quebec and the West Indies. Only Puerto Rico is
excluded from Taylor's wide canvas. One can only wonder whether future
volumes will go into as much detail about the aboriginal population, the
consequences of the Mexican war of independence, and the squalid farce of
the "Hawaiian Republic."
Early on Taylor reminds us of the essential truth of the colonial
era. Colonial America was not a virgin land, but a widowed land, not a
land of freedom, but one of chains. Until 1776 two-thirds of the people
who came to this hemisphere did so in chains. (After 1776 the ratio
sharply changed to the benefit of freedom.) Untold tens of millions of the
aboriginal inhabitants died after 1492, mostly from disease, but also from
the vicious behavior from European colonists. Taylor is very good here, as
he points out that this European cruelty was in the beginning at least,
not so much "racist" as "Christian," in origin. At the same time we can
see its precedents in the Spanish conquest of the Azores and Canary
Islands, the English conquest of Ireland, and Russian atrocities against
Native Siberians. Taylor is very good on Indian (his term) society, and
how they ranged from nomadic hunter gatherers to complex urban empires. He
is also excellent on ecology, whether it is Indian land practises or why
the population of the Western hemisphere was vulnerable to epidemic
diseases. He notes that it is anachronistic to view them as
environmentalists. But he also notes that whether in New England or
California their activities produced complex and fertile ecosystems where
the Europeans just saw anarchic wilderness, and which they promptly
changed for the worse. At the same time he points out how many "tribes"
encountered in later centuries where the combined remnants of many tribes
shattered by plague and genocide, how Indians could use European markets
and firearms to their own advantage while ultimately becoming dependant on
them, and how horses increased the power of some tribes, while increasing
tribal inequality and damaging their environment.
There is another irony to the American success story, which Taylor
also brings out. The rise of the yeoman republic, the key to early
American democracy, was a historical accident. Most male immigrants from
England were not very religious and most of them went to Virginia and the
West Indies. Most British attention was concentrated on the cash crop
colonies. But the small minority who went to relatively poor New England
were able to earlier achieve a proper gender balance and then quickly
start reproducing at a level unprecedented in Europe. The same thing
happened in quasi-feudal Quebec, but at a lower level and ultimately too
late to defeat British power. Another irony is that one reason why so many
English and Scots went to find prosperity in America was because British
capitalism was much more successful in depriving farmers of their property
than feudal France.
Taylor has provided a superb synthesis of the existing literature.
Given the chronological and geographic scope of his subject, Taylor's work
does not have the compelling thesis one finds in such histories as Gordon
Craig on Germany, Christopher Hill on Britain or Denis Mack Smith on
Italy. Indeed the last chapter, on the Pacific, is somewhat
anti-climactic. Taylor is not the most compelling of writers, though there
is some black humor when he quotes the rationalizations of Milford,
Connecticut in its demands for more Indian land: "Voted that the earth is
the Lord's and the fulness thereof; voted, that the earth is given to the
Saints; voted we are the Saints." And those who don't like Cotton Mather
will be grimly unsuprised to learn that this callous Divine wrenched off
the jawbone of Metacom (the King Philip of King Philip's war) when the
latter's skull lay on display, and then went on to debate whether
Metacom's 9 year old son should be executed. (They sold him into slavery
instead.) Only six and a half pages are devoted to setting the stage for
the American revolution, so we do not get as much on the roots of American
democracy as one might like. And his discussion of the Great Awakening
does not fully confront Jon Butler's coldly unsentimental critique of it.
Taylor does make one factual error: Spinoza did not emigrate to the
Netherlands as a response to its wonderful tolerance; he was born there
and would in fact encounter the limits of Dutch liberty. But otherwise
this is a wonderful textbook that sets the standard for contemporary
scholarship.
Great and
Enjoyable Book for American Revolutionary History 
Dry,
but full of information
