American Revolutions: A Continental History, 1750-1804

For those of you looking to understand the American Revolution, I highly recommend it. It frames the revolution in relation to power dynamics with other foreign powers, including England, France, and Spain. There is also a healthy dose of politics related to the slave trade, women’s rights and Indian diplomacy.Those who want to dismiss this as liberal propaganda miss the point. The history of the U.S. is as fractured and bloody as it is experimental and groundbreaking. While Taylor does attempt to sympathize with some of the losers, that doesn’t change the unprecedented circumstances that framed our system of government. Well written and well researched. This should be in every historian (amateur or professional’s) library

Alan Taylor is a Pulitzer Prize winning author and this book takes a "warts and all" look at America's formative period during 1750-1804, focusing above all on the Revolution, but looking at it from a 360 degree perspective including pro-Independence Americans ("Patriots"), British Loyalists, Indian nations, and America's enslaved population...and the clashes among them.The narrative moves swiftly and fluently with all manner of new discoveries and generalizations beyond the bland versions of history we learned in school. This is NOT tendentious "woke" history, but it is unvarnished and so the period comes across in part as a glorious creation of the Founding Fathers, but also (typical in human affairs) as the outcome of bitter and bloody struggles and plenty of personal self-interest. The book also usefully underlines how fragile and prone to disintegration the American Union was after the Revolution (and, indeed, until the Civil War by force of military conquest put an end to any concepts of secession.)If you want the "new, non-mythological" but responsible history of America (but not a "woke" crusade), I would suggest combining this book with Prof. Jill Lepore's fairly recent overall history of America entitled "These Truths." Lepore's book sometimes verges on "woke," but maintains basic scholarly integrity and is an eye-opener.

This is an accomplished and readable single volume history of the American Revolution. The various intertwining conflicts in North America are efficiently placed in the broader context of European Great Power rivalry. One does not have to agree with all of Taylor's conclusions, and he no doubt over-simplifies in places. However, he succeeds in providing broad and detailed history lessons that remind us that armed revolutions are always messy and murderous, that there is nothing inevitable about their outcomes, and that the founding fathers were all too human, buffeted by events as much as masters of them. A recommended read.

The detail, coherence and historical extent of this work give it a textbook-like quality. As such it deserves careful reading, with portions of it definitely worth rereading and study. The author seems evenhanded in his perspectives on the peoples, nations and events of the period. He is good at placing the American Revolution in context, with important background information on British, European and economic events relevant to what happened in America. I was impressed by the author's intelligence and wit, evident of all places in his acknowledgements, but also embedded through this rich work.

Best narrative of this period that I’ve ever read. Taylor summarizes the history and motivations of the various factions in an unbiased fashion. He has answered and clarified many of the ambiguities that have reappeared in American history, and makes our founding myth appear human for the first time to me.

I'm not the brightest bulb on the tree, so I need things to be easy and well explained. This book does that. I think you will find that there is so much history that is untold or taught. To me, this book explains the struggle and fight that Americans went through to be free.

Very satisfied with the condition of the book. .Close to new condition. Excellent shipping.

One of the very best histories of the US in the 1750 - 1804 period I have come across in a long life as a history buff.Dispenses with the frequent puffery of (or unfounded attacks upon) our founders, our early citizens, and the empires of the period, while destroying many myths about our early "heroic and united" beginnings. Detailed information on many of the political, religious, profane, and principled actions and practices of the period, by citizens, friends, and foes alike.Commentary in the context of contemporary mores is very much appreciated, as opposed to condemnation or exaltation according to mores of our own time (late 20th - early 21st centuries). Nice to confirm our antecedents were real, imperfect people, struggling with their own issues and seeking comfort, wealth, distinction, common good and private security, and enjoyment, much as we all do in each age and context.A US history I will keep ahead of many others not so careful with context or truth, or devoid of the extensive scholarship and documentation of this volume.

Esta historia tiene una perspectiva continental que integra los otros espacios coloniales además de la presencia indígena y el rol de los esclavos

I have read four or five books by Alan Taylor and I have found them informative enjoyable reads. Nothing more needs to be said.

Clear and detailed history - without the rose-tinted hogwash we see in so many American history books

American Revolutions demolishes the myths of the American Revolution as we were taught in school. It is an outstanding and very readable history of the American Revolution providing the perspectives of the British, the Loyalists, other British colonies and the diverse tribes of American Indians. This book is strongly recommended.

This book takes the reader back to another time, yet it has so much relevance to today's political environment. I'm only a fraction of the way in but so far it is excellent.