"The American Revolution"

Paper Summary:

This paper analyzes "The American Revolution" by Edward Countryman, which examines the American Revolution in terms of the different groups that participated in it. In particular, the book discusses groups usually ignored by historical accounts, such as blacks and women. The paper also focuses on Countryman's thesis that the American Revolution was more complex than usually depicted, underscoring the notion that people shifted from one group to another, one area to another, and one allegiance to another. The paper concludes that Countryman's book succeeded in creating a different image of American colonial life based less on dour Puritans and mercantilism and more on the diversity that already marked this part of the world.

From the Paper:

"Countryman first points out the nature of this dynamic system and then considers some of the forces at work among the different groups, regions, and nationalities involved. He does not ignore the usual actors in this drama or the usual factors bringing about the revolution, such as the issue of taxation, but he offers more depth on why these individuals and forces came to the fore and on some of the other elements that are not as well known. Much of his emphasis is on the people, not just individuals but the people as a whole. As tensions increased in the period leading up to the revolution, violence also increased between groups and people: "Crowds or mobs or popular uprisings were central to the public life of colonial and revolutionary America" (68). Taxation and other efforts by the British to control and direct American economic interests to the benefit of Britain and the detriment of the colonies served as a reason for many of these acts of violence."

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