Faces of Revolution: Personalities & Themes in the Struggle for American Independence Review

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Faces of Revolution: Personalities & Themes in the Struggle for American Independence ReviewThis is an excellent collection of essays dealing with, as the title suggests, the key people and ideas of the revolutionary period. It is extremely well-written and well-argued and draws upon a lifetime of scholarship.
His biographical vignettes flesh out the personal characteristics and ideas of key figures (great description of John Adams: "driven and uneasy"). Particularly interesting among these were the two lesser known figures: Thomas Hutchinson and the unknown Harbottle Dorr. The conservative (especially in temperament) Hutchinson found himself unable to respond to--effectively, if at all--or understand revolutionary ideas or motivations. Harbottle Dorr, who I suspect will never appear in a textbook, kept a fascinating collection of Boston newspapers, which he indexed and annotated throughout the period; his story is a deep insight into what was driving "regular" revolutionaries and how they were engaging the ideas of the time.
The thematic essays are also particularly good. "1776 in Britain and America: A Year of Challenge--A World Transformed" was especially enlightening. It places American events and ideas in the broader context of what was occurring in Britain; this annus mirabilis witnessed the publication not only of Paine's "Common Sense," but also Gibbon's "Decline and Fall," Smith's "Wealth of Nations," and Bentham's "Fragment on Government," among several other lesser known works. This was a world in flux, with ubiquitous economic growth and a population explosion--as well as vast movements of people. Existing government structures were insufficient in dealing with these dramatic changes, and so new ideas and ideologies--building on previous authors, such as Locke--circulated to address the new problems. The other thematic essays, in some way or another, also attempt to place the ideas and themes in a broader perspective--either of the physical world or the world of ideas.
All in all, a great compilation of essays.Faces of Revolution: Personalities & Themes in the Struggle for American Independence Overview

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