1775: A Good Year for Revolution - Softcover

Phillips, Kevin

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0143123998 ISBN 13: 9780143123996

Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group, 2013

Synopsis

A groundbreaking account of the American Revolution—from the bestselling author of American Dynasty

In this major new work, iconoclastic historian and political chronicler Kevin Phillips upends the conventional reading of the American Revolution by debunking the myth that 1776 was the struggle’s watershed year. Focusing on the great battles and events of 1775, Phillips surveys the political climate, economic structures, and military preparations of the crucial year that was the harbinger of revolution, tackling the eighteenth century with the same skill and perception he has shown in analyzing contemporary politics and economics. The result is a dramatic account brimming with original insights about the country we eventually became.

About this title

About the Author

Kevin Phillips has been a political and an economic commentator for four decades. 1775 is his fifteenth book. He lives in Connecticut.

From Booklist

The year 1776 is often described as the year of this country’s birth. That is, of course, technically true. But Phillips, the acclaimed political analyst and historian, convincingly illustrates that it was in 1775 that the critical trends and events unfolded, so that our declared independence was a confirmation of facts already established on the ground: the lower houses of colonial legislatures had aggressively gained control, often driving out royal governors; the rhetoric of the Second Continental Congress became strident, even bellicose; and increasingly, that congress assumed the powers of a government. On a local level, various Patriot Committees enforced boycotts of British-made goods and made the lives of those deemed Tories very uncomfortable. Vast stretches of the Atlantic seaboard were “no go” areas for British troops. Independence was probably in the thoughts, if not on the lips, of many Americans by the end of the year. Phillips writes in a methodical and cooly dispassionate style, so those expecting a tribute to the “glorious cause” should look elsewhere. But he does provide a solid, well-argued, and informative re-examination of our beginnings as a nation-state. --Jay Freeman

Edition details

• Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
• Publication date: 2013
• ISBN 10: 0143123998
• ISBN 13: 9780143123996
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 672