Blackwell Reference Online

Extract

The American Revolution marked an epoch in world history and a reversal of power between the few and the many, the center or imperial power and its scattered margins. In overall population, the North American colonies were heavily outnumbered by their British opponents; they had no tradition of inter-colonial government, had never maintained a regular army, were less well prepared for war and were frequently outgunned on land and sea. Moreover, their communications with each other, even their information about each other, were in many cases more tenuous and limited than their traditional connections with Britain. Several colonies had more friction and rivalry with their neighbours than with their common mother country. Yet, through more than seven years of conflict (and with the indispensable military and naval help of France, and financial aid from Britain's other European rivals), America's revolutionary generation ultimately achieved by force the overthrow of their ancient government while maintaining their dedication to the rule of law. This achievement was more extraordinary in the eighteenth-century context of power and resources than it may look to us in the light of what we know about subsequent history. This book has been designed to recreate these events in their historical context and in historical perspective. Although the first British Empire emerged badly shaken from ... log in or subscribe to read full text