Revolutionary Summer: The Birth of American Independence

I love all the details surrounding this most significant summer in America's history. The author manages to place the reader in the midst of everything that was happening that historic summer and how it changed America's future.

"Revolutionary Summer" is an account of the critical months, from May to October 1776, in our nation's birth. Professor Ellis skillfully weaves both the political and military events into a compelling narrative. The result is a work of art and a dramatic, page-turning tale. The author is at pains to tell the story from the point of view of the actors at the time, without the benefit of 20/20 hindsight. This attribute is especially gratifying when it comes to military engagements, which always look different after the fact. The result is a very fair-minded assessment of how the summer unfolded and the challenges faced by, above all, General George Washington.Professor Ellis is also particularly insightful and judicious in his treatment of how the British side viewed the growing crisis in the colonies. And it was great fun to read the views of those (William Pitt and Edmund Burke) who warned that the king was making a grave mistake.The book is also an excellent guide to how public opinion shifted so rapidly from a minority favoring independence to an overwhelming majority. Those who favored a reconciliatory approach towards the British Crown soon found themselves undermined, and forced to conclude that independence was our only choice.For anyone interested in the Founding period, this book is a delight. Even if you have read countless books about the Revolutionary War, you will be amply rewarded by reading this one.

I am neither a history buff, nor a fan of war books. But, this book brings to life the key players and their thought processes throughout the early days of the American Revolution, development and signing of the Declaration of Independence, and subsequent war from the invasion through the treaty with France and withdrawal of troops from New York. I love that it gets inside the minds of the commanders and other key players so that we can understand their dilemmas, their characters, and their rationales for various military decisions. So much is left out of traditional history books in their dry recounting of events and facts! It is fascinating to read about how the principles of our nation were cobbled together in relative haste, not knowing what lay in the future or what the outcome would be, but a solid belief that remaining under the power of the King without representation and heavily taxed, was intolerable....especially once the King had rejected all efforts to come to some sort of reasonable compromise. I loved every page, and don't overlook the illustrations in the back of the book of the key players and the first submarine!!

It seems that our revolution against British rule in the late-18th century carries endless fascination for Americans who want to understand the significance of these events. They were, indeed, remarkable. Who would have thought that a rowdy, untrained army with limited (and sometimes non-existent) funds, no formal military training, serious early leadership issues, and a fractious political congress sitting in remote Philadelphia could have battled the greatest military and naval power in the world to at least a draw and then a smashing victory on the distant shores of Virginia?Joseph Ellis, one of America's leading historians of the Revolutionary period, takes a brief but incisive look at the remarkable year - 1776--when the armed rebellion against British rule spilled out of eastern New England, on into New York harbor and beyond. This is the familiar story, never better told, of an embryonic army fighting a well-trained and far larger British army; a Congress of representatives sitting through their first summer in hot, humid Philadelphia, trying their best to reach common agreement on the goals of the revolt; and a newly-appointed General-in-Chief, George Washington, who blew his first engagement with the British in Brooklyn but who saved his army with his daring dash across the East River to the relative safety of Manhattan.Resentment of the powers of the British crown were not limited to the newly-formed colonies in North America. In fact, the British Parliament had had a long history of gradually growing power relative to the King. The Glorious Revolution of 1688 saw Parliament dethroning a king, James II, and essentially appointing new monarchs, William of Orange and his wife, Mary, James' daughter. Two great British political theorists, John Locke and Edmund Burke, took the rights of self-determination to another level, even more threatening to the crown.But Ellis tells his story without much in the way of political theory. It is a story of bloody fighting, dark despair, gaping differences between the colonies, and the gradual coalescence of revolutionary opinion that this was a fight worth fighting. Few historians have said so much about this revolution in so few words. Indeed, Ellis' mastery of the detail of the revolution enables him to convey only the most important events with all their meaning.In the end, of course, the lesson Washington learned in Brooklyn became the guiding principle of the Revolution: it is more important not to lose battles than to win them. This elongated the war, draining British will and resources. More importantly, it allowed the French fleet to gradually close off the North American continent from easy British entry, complicating Britain's ability to resupply its troops and equipment.No account of the American Revolution moves as quickly and accurately as this wonderful small volume by Joseph Ellis.

Another great book by Joseph Ellis. Well written and brings you into the period perfectly

Great read.

The book presents an informative and interesting account of some of the key developments and personalities of the revolutionary days.

I expected rather a roman with historical evidence than a history book when I read the description but the book does a great job at showing the circumstances around 1776!

ok