"Becoming America: The Revolution Before 1776" Book Review by Top Papers

The paper asserts that Jon Butler's "Becoming America: The Revolution Before 1776" is a thoughtful survey regarding the colonial period prior to the Revolutionary War. The paper relates that much to the chagrin of many American scholars, Butler asserts that the thirteen colonies were developing and displaying distinctive traits of what would later become modern America. The paper discusses how Butler writes of five important factors that were critical to this process, including ethnic diversity, economic growth, political inclinations, individual wealth, and religious pluralism. The writer asserts that while Butler appear to find the conglomeration of this group to be the driving force behind the development or "becoming" of America, he believes the tremendous ethnic diversity present during that time was the most critical factor.