The Cause: The American Revolution and its Discontents, 1773-1783

The Cause: The American Revolution and its Discontents, 1773-1783

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  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-07-06 17:31:02
  • Update Date：2025-09-07
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Joseph J. Ellis
  • ISBN：1631498983
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Reviews

Brandon Westlake ，

This is Ellis' most comprehensive work， covering the causes or rebellion and the ensuing fight for freedom。 I struggled to understand what difference he was bringing to the discussion; the description of the book did not make clear exactly what unique contribution to historiography the book would provide， nor did Ellis explain in his introduction。 After finishing the book， I found it hard to name it。 Much of what Ellis includes would already be known to many scholars。 He does， however， synthesiz This is Ellis' most comprehensive work， covering the causes or rebellion and the ensuing fight for freedom。 I struggled to understand what difference he was bringing to the discussion; the description of the book did not make clear exactly what unique contribution to historiography the book would provide， nor did Ellis explain in his introduction。 After finishing the book， I found it hard to name it。 Much of what Ellis includes would already be known to many scholars。 He does， however， synthesize the arguments of past historians （Ch。 1 discusses Bailyn and Wood）， so there is that significance。 This is a great book for a popular audience who is looking to bridge the gap between academic work and History Channel "history"， but again， for most historians， what Ellis has to say is nothing new。 The characters he mentions he is giving voice to are names that most historians are already familiar with: Dickinson， Mercy Otis Warren; although， again， for a popular audience， maybe not so。 Ellis does a good job at making the military history readable， particularly with the southern campaign in the war。 His final chapter on the legacies of the Revolution also bring in new research into the larger impact of the revolution。 。。。more

Josh Coe ，

“Do we really need another book about the American Revolution？” “What’s left to say？” These were my first thoughts when I read the description of this book。 We already have 1776 by David McCullough， the （in progress） Revolution Trilogy by Rick Atkinson， Nathaniel Philbrick’s American Revolution Series， Washington: A Life by Ron Chernow， and Ellis’s own significant contributions to the subject， including the Pulitzer-winning Founding Brothers。 But Ellis’s prowess made me pick it up， and I’m grate “Do we really need another book about the American Revolution？” “What’s left to say？” These were my first thoughts when I read the description of this book。 We already have 1776 by David McCullough， the （in progress） Revolution Trilogy by Rick Atkinson， Nathaniel Philbrick’s American Revolution Series， Washington: A Life by Ron Chernow， and Ellis’s own significant contributions to the subject， including the Pulitzer-winning Founding Brothers。 But Ellis’s prowess made me pick it up， and I’m grateful I did。 A book charting the single fraught decade between 1773-83 could easily have been three times as long， and an author as capable as Ellis could have taken this opportunity to display his considerable research and writing skills。 Instead， Ellis focused on only the elements most essential to an accurate retelling of the narrative， uncovering forgotten characters and motivations along the way。 He succeeded at cutting through myths and modern perceptions to allow the reader to “occupy the past” and experience it as it was lived。 One result of his restraint and self-editing is that every paragraph yields interesting information to be pondered and digested， making this single 300-page volume feel weightier than many multi-volume works on the subject。 The clarity of the writing allowed me to appreciate Ellis’s major themes of sovereignty and liberty。 He understands the revolutionary struggle as a battle for sovereign control， first by the King George III and the British Parliament， and then by the leaders of the fledgling United States。 Ellis also emphasized the importance of the idea of liberty for the revolutionaries， but asks the obvious question， “How did a liberty-obsessed rebellion fail to extend liberty to all its constituents？” Ellis provides adequate answers to this question， and makes a point to recount the contributions and experiences of many factions of American society involved in the Cause， including African American slaves， Native Americans， and women。 If I have any complaint at all， it is with the profiles of minor figures that separate each chapter of the book。 I believe I understand the purpose of them， as some of the profiles highlighted individuals from the disadvantaged groups listed above， and I usually really enjoy creative formats。 But these entries felt like little more than Wikipedia articles。 For some， they may be welcome glimpses into the personal lives of lesser known individuals。 To me， they were a bit cumbersome and not quite long enough to enrich my reading。 In all， an excellent book that managed to find something fresh amid well-trodden ground。 Thank you to NetGalley and W。 W。 Norton & Company for the advance copy！ 。。。more