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The Unknown American Revolution Essay (Book Review)

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Author’s Thesis and Argument

Although the American Revolution has been dominated by the narratives of America’s founding fathers, the author argues that it was made possible by the less privileged and not the elite groups. In his book, Gary unveiled that the American Revolution’s chaos was through the power of Native Americans, enslaved people, and African Americans, not the people in power. He argues that the non-elite population played a pivotal role in fueling the start of the revolution and victory. Gary emphasizes their importance in history as people sacrificed their endeavors to reinvent America (Nash, 2005). The author gives a new perspective on the struggle to recreate America by introducing his audience to classes and races that fought for American society.

Summary of the Book

The book boldly explains the origins of the American Revolution and colonial life. Throughout the book, Gary narrates the chronological events of the war while emphasizing the events in which people of different gender, class, and race stood up to fight for American independence. Each chapter follows a chronological order of events that led to the revolution and the actions taken during the fight for freedom. The chapters tell the efforts of men and women who fought for America despite discouraging and debilitating times. Gary’s chapter, for instance, Years of Insurgence and Building Momentum, helped explain how and why American Revolution was realized (Nash, 2005). The author substantiates his book from the histories of writers such as Ira Berlin, Stoughton Lynd, and Howard Zinn. He succeeds in synthesizing the works of his predecessors whose research in the 70s unearthed forgotten dimensions and characters of the American revolution.

Strengths and Weaknesses of the Book

The authors have done a masterful job with rarely used resources. Being based on unexploited resources, the authors change the contours of revolutionary history. This makes the book among the most important books in American history studies. The book’s chapters were written concisely in chronological order and has a clear format to follow. In general, it is a nice study guide and resource for students who want to review the forgotten topics of the American Revolution. However, the weakness of Gary’s book is in giving the significance of women’s voices. Colonial women were not active political actors, as he mentions. He narrates the actions of elite women such as Mercy Otis and Abigail Adams. The author could have dug deeper to unearth the effect of the revolution war on homes and how women’s experiences influenced the American Revolution.

What the Book Reveals About American History and The Class Lectures

The book helps give more information on the unfamiliar and dimly recognized voices of the unknown participants of the American Revolution. The book offers insights into historical perspectives and shares the experiences of ordinary Americans. In context to American history, the book provides the reasons for the revolution and cites it resulted from colonial opposition to British attempts to impose more control over colonies. Unlike class lectures, the book highlights the lives of revolutionaries and reminds readers of the heterogeneous nature of revolution (Nash, 2005). It added to our understanding that although America’s founding fathers led the change, all classes, genders, and races of America participated in the fight for freedom. It also indicates that women, the poor, immigrants, and Native Americans were significant contributors to the revolution. The book reveals that the rich and famous do not have a history-making monopoly but rather a people’s revolution.

Reference

Nash, G. B. (2005). The unknown American Revolution: the unruly birth of democracy and the struggle to create America. Penguin.

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IvyPanda. (2022, December 27). The Unknown American Revolution. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-unknown-american-revolution-book-review/

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IvyPanda. 2022. "The Unknown American Revolution." December 27, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-unknown-american-revolution-book-review/.

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