Recreating The American Republic

Political historians recognize the colonial years and the American Revolution, the early national era and the 1787 Constitutional Convention, the nineteenth century and the American Civil War as the three most important eras in American history. Recreating the American Republic offers the first comparative historical analysis and synthesis of these.

The first comparative historical analysis of the three most important eras of American history.

The early years of the American republic witnessed wrenching conflict and change. Northerners created an industrial order, which brought with it new relationships and conflicts at work and within families. Plantation slavery flourished and spread in the South as a powerful anti-slaverymovement took root in the North. Farmers, entrepreneurs, planters, and slaves moved west, sparking widespread conflict with Indians and among white Americans. Numerous groups - African Americans, poor white men, women - fought for citizenship and recognition as equals to other Americans, whileothers opposed their bids for equality. Ordinary citizens fought for the right to participate in politics and, in the process, helped to create a democratic political order.Featuring diaries, letters, speeches, newspaper debates, and memoirs of participants, The Early American Republic: A History in Documents recreates the conflicts and changes of that era. Rebecca Burlend recounts the hardships and victories of life on the Illinois frontier. In a letter to an ally,Thomas Jefferson explains his Indian policy. The Native American leader Tecumseh makes his case for Indian unity against white Americans. James Henry Hammond, a wealthy planter, instructs his overseer on how to manage slaves. Joseph Taper writes his former master about the freedom he enjoys afterescaping to Canada. A blackface minstrel tune and Frederick Douglass's account of being beaten up by white ship workers narrate the entrenchment of racism. A list of instructions from New York Democratic leaders shows how parties drew ordinary voters into politics. Congressional speeches reveal theviolent emotions that fueled the sectional crisis.Author Reeve Huston provides students with a context for understanding the documents and leaves them to interpret events and ideas for themselves. Introducing students to the human drama and to the political, social, and religious passions of the early republic, The Early American Republic: AHistory in Documents provides a deeper understanding of the foundational years of the nation.

With more than 1,300 cross-referenced entries covering every aspect of the American Revolution, this definitive scholarly reference covers the causes, course, and consequences of the war and the political, social, and military origins of the nation. This authoritative and complete encyclopedia covers not only the eight years of the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783) but also the decades leading up to the war, beginning with the French and Indian War, and the aftermath of the conflict, with an emphasis on the early American Republic. Volumes one through four contain a series of overview essays on the causes, course, and consequences of the American Revolution, followed by impeccably researched A–Z entries that address the full spectrum of political, social, and military matters that arose from the conflict. Each entry is cross-referenced to other entries and also lists books for further reading. In addition, there is a detailed bibliography, timeline, and glossary. A fifth volume is devoted to primary sources, each of which is accompanied by an insightful introduction that places the document in its proper historical context. The primary sources help readers to understand the myriad motivations behind the American Revolution; the diplomatic, military, and political maneuvering that took place during the conflict; and landmark documents that shaped the founding and early development of the United States.

This fascinating compilation of reference entries documents the unique relationship between mass media, propaganda, and the U.S. military, a relationship that began in the period before the American Revolution and continues to this day—sometimes cooperative, sometimes combative, and always complex. The Encyclopedia of Media and Propaganda in Wartime America brings together a group of distinguished scholars to explore how war has been reported and interpreted by the media in the United States and what effects those reports and interpretations have had on the people at home and on the battlefield. Covering press–U.S. military relationships from the early North American colonial wars to the present wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, this two-volume encyclopedia focuses on the ways in which government and military leaders have used the media to support their actions and the ways in which the media has been used by other forces with different views and agendas. The volumes highlight major events and important military, political, and cultural players, offering fresh perspectives on all of America's conflicts. Bringing these wars together in one source allows readers to see how media affected the conflicts individually, but also understand how the use of the various forms of media (print, radio, television, film, and electronic) have developed and changed over the years.

This book explores the economic factors that led to Britain forfeiting its North American colonies. Placing discussions within both a historical and political context, the development of the colonial economy is examined in relation to both slavery and the industrial revolution. In turn, changes to British tax policy post-1760 and the increased burden placed on American taxpayers are detailed, alongside the resentment and resistance to them. These factors, as well as nonimportation agreements and boycotts, are highlighted as the major motivations for the American Revolution. This book aims to provide an accessible foundation to the economic and political issues central to Britain’s colonial activities in North America. It will be relevant to students and researchers interested in the political economy and economic history.

One of the half dozen most important books ever written about the American Revolution.--New York Times Book Review "During the nearly two decades since its publication, this book has set the pace, furnished benchmarks, and afforded targets for many subsequent studies. If ever a work of history merited the appellation 'modern classic,' this is surely one.--William and Mary Quarterly "[A] brilliant and sweeping interpretation of political culture in the Revolutionary generation.--New England Quarterly "This is an admirable, thoughtful, and penetrating study of one of the most important chapters in American history.--Wesley Frank Craven