Here is a brisk, accessible, and vivid introduction to arguably the most important event in the history of the United States--the American Revolution. Between 1760 and 1800, the American people cast off British rule to create a new nation and a radically new form of government based on the idea that people have the right to govern themselves. In this lively account, Robert Allison provides a cohesive synthesis of the military, diplomatic, political, social, and intellectual aspects of the Revolution, paying special attention to the Revolution's causes and consequences. The book recreates the tumultuous events of the 1760s and 1770s that led to revolution, such as the Boston Massacre and the Boston Tea Party, as well as the role the Sons of Liberty played in turning resistance into full-scale revolt. Allison explains how and why Americans changed their ideas of government and society so profoundly in these years and how the War for Independence was fought and won. He highlights the major battles and commanders on both sides--with a particular focus on George Washington and the extraordinary strategies he developed to defeat Britain's superior forces--as well as the impact of French military support on the American cause. In the final chapter, Allison explores the aftermath of the American Revolution: how the newly independent states created governments based on the principles for which they had fought, and how those principles challenged their own institutions, such as slavery, in the new republic. He considers as well the Revolution's legacy, the many ways its essential ideals influenced other struggles against oppressive power or colonial systems in France, Latin America, and Asia. Sharply written and highly readable, The American Revolution: A Very Short Introduction offers a concise introduction to this seminal event in American history. About the Series: Oxford's Very Short Introductions series offers concise and original introductions to a wide range of subjects--from Islam to Sociology, Politics to Classics, Literary Theory to History, and Archaeology to the Bible. Not simply a textbook of definitions, each volume in this series provides trenchant and provocative--yet always balanced and complete--discussions of the central issues in a given discipline or field. Every Very Short Introduction gives a readable evolution of the subject in question, demonstrating how the subject has developed and how it has influenced society. Eventually, the series will encompass every major academic discipline, offering all students an accessible and abundant reference library. Whatever the area of study that one deems important or appealing, whatever the topic that fascinates the general reader, the Very Short Introductions series has a handy and affordable guide that will likely prove indispensable.

The American Revolution: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions)

History

Allison, Robert J.

Americas

Oxford University Press

Looking at the Muslim world in the context of American ideas about freedom and slavery, Robert Allison traces the image of Islam in the American mind in the early years of the republic. Islam as a symbol had a particular resonance in the U.S. as the country constructed its ideology and system of republican government. Allison begins the story with Americans' first contacts with the Muslim world in the Barbary state of North Africa. In 1785 Algiers seized two American merchant vessels, and by 1815 some six hundred Americans would be held captive in the Muslim world. This provoked a debate in the U.S. forcing American diplomats in Europe, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, to take action. Allison examines the responsibiltiy the U.S. government felt it had to its citizens, the role private citizens had in directing the U.S.'s international policy, and what captivity meant to the captives as well as to their compatriots at home. The American war with Tripoli ended with Americans believing they had overcome the menace of despotism and freed themselves from the fate of other nations. With this came a new sense of national purpose which manifested itself in paintings, poetry, drama, and politics. Allison examines the literature and histories and considers Americans' visions of Muhammed, as well as the differences in ideas of political power, gender relations, and slavery.

The Crescent Obscured: The United States and the Muslim World, 1776-1815

Africa

America's History 5e V1 & Going to the Source V1 & Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano

Dumenil, Lynn

Shannon, Timothy J.

Henretta, James A.

EQUIANO, OLAUDAH

Ware, Susan

Brody, David

Brown, Victoria Bissell

Bedford/St.Martin's

America A Concise History 3e V1 & Abraham Lincoln, Slavery, and the Civil War & Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano

Johnson, Michael P.

World Turn Upside Down & Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass 2e & Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano 2e

DOUGLASS, FREDERICK

Calloway, Colin G.

Biographies & Memoirs

Australia (Country Fact Files)

Describes the landscape, climate, natural resources, culture, and industry of Australia.

Children's Books

Geography & Cultures

Heinemann/Raintree

Pocket Guide to Writing in History 6e & Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano 2e & Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass 2e

Blight, David W.

Rampolla, Mary Lynn.

Health, Fitness & Dieting

History of Western Societies 10e V2 & Sources of Western Societies 10e V2 & 1989 Democratic Revolutions & Nazi State & German Society & Olaudah Equiano

Education & Teaching

McKay, John P.

Hill, Bennett D.

BUCKLER, JOHN

Beck, Roger B.

Moeller, Robert G.

Kenney, Padraic

Schools & Teaching

Pocket Guide to Writing in History 7e & French Revolution and Human Rights & Christopher Columbus and the Enterprise of the Indies & Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano 2e

Hunt, Lynn

Sullivan, Blair

Symcox, Geoffrey

Born to a prominent Philadelphia family in 1779, Stephen Decatur at age twenty-five became the youngest man ever to serve as a captain in the U.S. Navy. His intrepid heroism, leadership, and devotion to duty made him a perfect symbol of the aspirations of the growing nation. Leading men to victory in Tripoli, the War of 1812, and the Algerian war of 1815, and coining the phrase "Our country, right or wrong," Decatur created an enduring legend of bravery, celebrated in poetry, song, paintings, and the naming of dozens of towns -- from Georgia to Alabama to Illinois. After the War of 1812, Decatur moved to Washington to help direct naval policy. His close friendships with James Madison, John Quincy Adams, and other political leaders soon made him a rising star in national politics. He and his wife Susan made their elegant home on Lafayette Square near the White House a center of Washington society. The capital and the entire nation were shocked in 1820 when Decatur died at the age of forty-one in a duel with a rival navy captain. In this carefully researched and well-written biography, historian Robert Allison tells the story of Decatur's eventful life at a time when the young republic was developing its own identity -- when the American people were deciding what kind of nation they would become. Although he died prematurely, Decatur played a significant role in the shaping of that national identity.

Stephen Decatur: American Naval Hero, 1779-1820

Historical

University of Massachusetts Press

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