American History

   The book is divided into seven sections. The first section deals with the origins of the revolution. The author outlines the major and immediate causes of the revolutionary war. The second section discusses British policies in the colonies. The third section describes the revolution proper  the formalist and royalist views of the war. The author discusses the initial battles of the revolution and the diplomatic tactics of the leading revolutionaries (like Jefferson and Franklin). The fourth section deals with the war proper. Major battles are described in detail this includes an evaluation of the strengthsweaknesses of both the revolutionaries and the British army. This section also discusses the creation of the federal constitution (which governed the direction of the war).
    The fifth section focuses on the creation of a federal republic. It is noteworthy that Lockian philosophy heavily influenced the content of the federal constitution. There was an emphasis on democracy, state rights, individual liberty and happiness, and political institutionalization. The sixth section deals with the habits and customs of the Republican society. According to the author, the so-called Republican Society is far removed from the ideal notion of an equalized society. This is in fact, a society embellished in an imperfect form of democracy which separates the slave from the master, the workman from the owner, the common citizen from the political aristocrats (142). The Republican Society is democratic in form (political) but oligarchic in essence.
    The last section deals with the creation of the Federal Constitution. The US Constitution defined the nature and character of the American government. Two governments were established the state government and the federal government. As such, the powers of government were divided between these two bodies. Dispute on state representation in Congress was resolved by creating a bicameral Congress. In essence, according to the author, the Constitution was a coagulation of political values  with reference of course to the ideals of the revolution. Needless to say, the Constitution may be regarded as the final step of nation-building. With its ratification, the United States of America became a full-pledge nation.
    In a sense, the main objective of the author is to show that the American Revolution is a process  a process of nation-building. All facts and evidences relevant to the study of the revolution are viewed as fundamental elements of this process. Simple cause and effect schema are used as supplementary tools for analysis. The whole thematic content of the book, therefore, is solid from beginning to end, as its vantage point is the same.
    To this, the author succeeds in making his point clear and objective. There is, however, one error which the author could have committed. Historical facts are sometimes accidental. Indeed, history has shown that events often occur in random. Indeed, if this is the case, then some events discussed in the book may have occurred out of randomness  far removed from the thematic direction of the book. The book however is an objective guide to the history of the American Revolution.