Recommend a book on the peri-revolutionary period in America

In My Humble Opinion
1

I enjoy history a great deal, but was never particularly interested in the Revolutionary war period. My interest has picked up, though, in the last few years and I’d like to do some reading.

Here are the things that have made me want to go back and learn more:
[ul]
[li]PBS doc on Alexander Hamilton (American Experience, I think it was)[/li][li]HBO’s series on John Adams (based on David McCulloch’s bio)[/li][li]the movie 1776, which I saw for the first time last year (!)[/li][li]the Diana Gabaldon Outlander novel series[/li][/ul]

Here’s what I’d like; I realize no one book is going to have it all, but it would be nice to have one that gives a nice overview, then other books to fill in details and perspectives.
[ul]
[li]Starts around 1750-1765 maybe, not sure of a good start point but I don’t want to go back decades before that. Then again, should I go back to the French & Indian War?[/li][li]I’d probably like to go up through the Constitution and the War of 1812, but that can wait.[/li][li]Focuses on culture/people – not just dry recitations of historical events. Context, in other words, and portraits of “the founding fathers/mothers” as real people.[/li][li]Provides info about what was going on in ALL the colonies, not just Boston/Philadelphia.[/li][li]Throwing in a little perspective from the English point of view wouldn’t be a bad idea.[/li][/ul]

DO NOT WANT:
Military history & stragegy – “and then the xxx regiment outflanked the blah blah blah”. No. Just no. Who won, why, and why was the battle significant – that’s all I need.

2

I would recommend two books by Joseph Ellis I just read: His Excellency: George Washington and American Sphinx: the Character of Thomas Jefferson. They provide a deep analysis of the personalities and ways of thinking of those two men.

3

Undaunted Courage is one of the best books written about the Lewis and Clark Expedition and the events leading up to and following it.

Mayflower, by Philbrick is terrific book that goes through the pre-Mayflower trip, a bit about the trip, a whole lot about after arrival in America, and a significant amount about many of the issues leading to revolution.

Benjamin Franklin, by Isaacson is an outstanding book about his life and the huge part he played in convincing the French to side with America during the war. It goes into great detail about the enmity between Franklin and John Adams.

4

A second for* Undaunted Courage*. Another book by the same author, Joseph Ellis, is Founding Brothers. *Thomas Jefferson: An Intimate History * by Fawn Brodie is also most interesting. *Founding Mothers * by Cokie Roberts might be of interest to you as well.

5

I always enjoyed “The Swamp Fox, Francis Marion”. It’s been about 10yrs since I read it. IIRC its lite on military strategy, and that’s mostly guerrilla tactics in the bogs of South Carolina (at least its exciting).

6

Two of my favorites are: Pauline Maier, From Resistance to Revolution and Gordon Wood, The Radicalism of the Revolution.

Neither are military in nature, so you’ll miss the fighting and the strategies/international aspects.

Maier’s book runs in the 1965-1975 period, and focuses on the switch in thinking among (some of) those in North America from being British subjects who are protesting government actions to citizens of a free and independent nation. It is, IIRC, a little Boston/Philly heavy, but it really captures the social/cultural changes and brings women into the equation more so than many other works.

Wood delves more into the political and constitutional struggles and transformations from 1760-1820, and tries to salvage the reputation of War for Independence as being truly revolutionary. His book is much broader than Maier’s in terms of geography and time, but is rather narrowly focused on the political scene, especially in the making of the various state and federal constitutions.

7

Thanks, keep 'em coming.

Webner, I’ve read a bit about Jefferson (as well as reading a nice chunk of his writing) but I could stand more. Also appreciate the George Washington rec.

Chefguy (and MLS): I have to say meh on Lewis & Clark – I know a bit about the expedition. Same with Mayflower on the other end, that’s WAY early. And, I’ve already read it. :smiley: Also have read more than one book about Jamestown as well as The Island at the Center of the World: The Epic Story of Dutch Manhattan and the Forgotten Colony That Shaped America by Russell Shorto. I highly recommend it, too! So I feel I’ve got a good handle on the early period, I’m more interested in the 1750-1800ish era. Thanks for the rec on the Franklin book; again I’ve read some by/about him, but more is good.

As for Founding Brothers and Founding Mothers, I’d heard of both and wondered if they’d come up here. Good to know.

As for the Swamp Fox … well … I’ll take a look. :slight_smile:

Anyone know of a good basic overview of the Revolution, sort of a soup-to-nuts review to get the timeline and moving pieces down?
ETA: akennett, just saw your post, thanks! Both look good.

8

I like a couple of the recommendations made and in addition, I’ll throw in Crucible of War: The Seven Years’ War and the Fate of Empire in British North America, 1754-1766 by Fred Anderson. Though it has some elements of a military history, it is primarily interested in the changing political circumstances engendered by the war and how that set the stage for the American Revolution.

9

Ron Chernow’s biography of Alexander Hamilton is excellent.

Link

10

Barbara Tuchman is delightfully readable.

The March of Folly describes several historical periods in which governments acted contrary to their own interests, including the Trojan Horse legend and the Vietnam War (which is really the focus of the book). But the extensive section on how Britain lost America does a better job of clarifying just how messed up things were to cause the separation than anything I’ve read.

The First Salute is entirely about the Revolutionary period. The title refers to the first time any foreign nation saluted the new US flag (the Dutch, in the Caribbean). It does deal with military affairs but in a broad-brush way; it’s mostly about personalities (one of Tuchman’s strengths is giving you a sense of the personalities involved). It also contains my all-time favorite image of George Washington.

Although we now tend to take American victory for granted, in 1781 Washington was strapped for cash and recruits, everyone was tired of the war, and the French made it clear this was the last year they would send significant aid. Washington decided to gamble while he still had French naval support; he even gave up his cherished dream of retaking New York (the French knew it was too vulnerable to British seapower to remain in American hands after their fleet left, and talked him out of it). Instead, he risked everything on a convergence on Cornwalllis down in Virginia. His troops and the French fleet had to arrive at almost the same time. Before radio, this was one of the most difficult things to pull off; Napoleon called it the most dangerous thing in war (because the enemy is liable to fall on one of your converging wins first and crush it, or, in this case, realize the trap was being sprung and evacuate Yorktown.

So Washington was under enormous tension as his forces moved south – this was literally his last, best chance to do something other than hang on waiting for Britain to get tired, and in making the movement he exposed his troops to defeat in detail, as well as the risk it would all come to nothing if Cornwallis – an able general – realized what was going on.

After the long march, his troops were finally crossing the river to invest Yorktown…but where was the French navy? Cornwallis could send for help at any moment. Washington fretted, but, as always, tried not to show it; his unflappable “Roman dignity” was much admired in those days.

Rochambeau, approaching on a boat, if I recall correctly, described seeing Washington standing on the docks, looking out into the Chesapeake Bay as his men moved into position, when the first white sails of the French fleet rose above the horizon.

The commander-in-chief began jumping up and down like a schoolboy, waving his arms with unrestrained joy!

It was the moment he knew he might win after all. A rare glimpse behind the mask of self-control he wore at almost all other times.
.

11

With a disclaimer that I have not actually read this book yet, I would try Colin Calloway’s The Scratch of a Pen: 1763 and the Transformation of America. It’s a history of how the British victory in 1763 set the stage for the Revolution, with an emphasis on how it affected the culture and peoples of North America. It looks fascinating and I will definitely check it out myself.

12

I find the French and Indian/Seven Years War extremely interesting. There is so much less written about it than the Am Rev, but it was an extraordinary conflict with global implications, in many respects setting the stage for the Am Rev.

I did not read Anderson’s Crucible of War recommended above, but I did read and recommend his The War That Made America; a short history of the French and Indian War. A similarly well-written concise history is The French and Indian War; deciding the fate of America by Walter Borneman.

The Birth of America by William Roe Polk is a tad broader in scope, :wink: pretty much starting with native americans, and proceeding up to the 1770s.

In some ways, I found the Am Rev a difficult subject simply because so much has been written about it, both as general treatises and concerning specific individuals or other aspects. You might find it worthwhile to identify a specific topic or two that you want to begin with. I found Ben Franklin to be an amazing individual. I also developed an interest in Benedict Arnold. Through a Howling Wilderness by Thomas A. Desjardin describes an astounding event when BA and troops decided to stroll from Maine to Quebec in the dead of winter. Benedict Arnold: Patriot and Traitor by Willard Sterne Randall is an interesting, if long, bio.

A couple of other fun, lighter reads are Everyday Life in Early America by David Freeman Hawke which addresses various aspects of 17th century American life, and Patriot Battles by Michael Stephenson. The first half discusses all manner of aspects of the war from both sides. How the armies were raised, equipped, popular sentiment, etc. The second half discusses various battles, which you may wish to skim.

13

If you are ok with Historical Fiction, **Burr **by Gore Vidal covers the period just after the war as in a really great read. Your mentioning the Hamilton doc is what made me think you might be interested.

14

Lewis and Clark is THE story of the 1800-ish era and American expansionism. It’s Jeffersonian policy put into action and it cemented America’s claim to the Western Territories. MEH?! How dare you! :wink:

15

I was disappointed by his Washington bio His Excellency, but here’s another vote for Joseph Ellis’s Founding Brothers, which is a wonderful, Pulitzer-winning exploration of the Founding Fathers and their sometimes-fraught relationships with one another.

James Flexner’s Washington: The Indispensable Man is a very good, one-volume bio of Washington, the greatest American. We wouldn’t have the country we do had it not been for him, and his sacrifices and leadership in both war and peace. Ditto Richard Brookhiser’s Founding Father: Resdiscovering George Washington, which is more of a pop/cultural history of Washington’s place in the American imagination - but definitely worth a look.

David McCullough’s 1776 is a great overview of that critical year. The book Liberty!, the companion volume to the PBS series, is also good, as is the old American Heritage book on the war, The American Revolution (may be out of print now).

Another vote for Ron Chernow’s Alexander Hamilton, which is enormous but simply masterful. I’ve read that he’s now working on a bio of Washington, which I can’t wait for.

I’ve heard good things of Benson Bobrick’s Angel in the Whirlwind as a fine one-volume history of the Revolution, but haven’t read it myself.

16

1776 is a great book, but it’s very heavy on military events and the OP wants to stay away from that.

17

Well, there is quite a bit on the military front in McCullough’s book, but he also covers the British and American contemporary political scenes in an interesting way.

Here are the exact titles, now that I’ve been to the library: The American Heritage Book of The Revolution, ed. by Richard M. Ketchum (Amer. Herit. Publ. 1958), and Liberty! The American Revolution by Thomas Fleming (Viking 1997).

18

Thanks all. I’d meant to post a thank you earlier, but forgot. I have a nice fat list now and will be off to the library soon. Thanks Elendil’s Heir for bumping and reminding me!

19

The Battle for Empire: The Very First World War 1756-1763 by Tom Pocock is worth checking out.