Letters to and from Caesar Rodney, 1756-1784

Letters to and from Caesar Rodney, 1756-1784

Author: George Herbert Ryden

Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Press

Published: 2017-01-30

Total Pages: 496

ISBN-13: 1512818534

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Over 500 letters from the correspondence of a Delaware political figure in the Revolution and signer of the Declaration of Independence, published for the first time.


Between Authority and Liberty

Between Authority and Liberty

Author: Marc W. Kruman

Publisher: UNC Press Books

Published: 2014-03-24

Total Pages: 244

ISBN-13: 1469620383

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In a major reinterpretation of American political thought in the revolutionary era, Marc Kruman explores the process of constitution making in each of the thirteen original states and shows that the framers created a distinctively American science of politics well before the end of the Confederation era. Suspicious of all government power, state constitution makers greatly feared arbitrary power and mistrusted legislators' ability to represent the people's interests. For these reasons, they broadened the suffrage and introduced frequent elections as a check against legislative self-interest. This analysis challenges Gordon Wood's now-classic argument that, at the beginning of the Revolution, the founders placed great faith in legislators as representatives of the people. According to Kruman, revolutionaries entrusted state constitution making only to members of temporary provincial congresses or constitutional conventions whose task it was to restrict legislative power. At the same time, Americans maintained a belief in the existence of a public good that legislators and magistrates, when properly curbed by one another and by a politically active citizenry, might pursue.


The War Of The American Revolution: Narrative, Chronology, And Bibliography [Illustrated Edition]

The War Of The American Revolution: Narrative, Chronology, And Bibliography [Illustrated Edition]

Author: Robert W. Coakley

Publisher: Pickle Partners Publishing

Published: 2014-08-15

Total Pages: 398

ISBN-13: 1782896457

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Includes over 20 maps and illustrations The American Revolution, the Bicentennial of which we are celebrating in 1975 and 1976, was an event of utmost significance in the history of both this country and the world. It brought into being a nation, dedicated to the ideals of liberty and justice, that was destined to become, in less than two centuries, the leader of the western world. And it marked the beginning of vast changes that would sweep that western world in the century following, thrusting aside old monarchical institutions in favor of representative government and free economic institutions. Albeit fought on the battlefields much like other eighteenth century wars, it also carried within it the seeds of change in the military sphere that were to sprout and grow in the French Revolution less than two decades later. It was, in this sense, a war of transition between the epoch of limited wars fought by professional armies and people’s wars fought by the “nation in arms.” Our first national army, the Continental Army, was created to fight the Revolution. As the forebear of the United States Army of today, the Continental Army established many of the traditions and practices still honored in our service. The War of the American Revolution was, until Vietnam at least, the Army’s longest war. It is altogether fitting and proper then that the United States Army should pay particular attention to the study of its origins during the bicentennial years and commemorate the events of the Revolution in which the Continental Army and its adjunct, the militia, participated. The purpose of this small volume is to provide a ready reference for such study and observance. The American Revolution has been intensively studied and written about in the two hundred years that have elapsed since 1775. There is much good scholarship as well as popular writing, both old and new, covering all aspects of the conflict and the political and social changes that accompanied it.


Ten Crucial Days

Ten Crucial Days

Author: William L. Kidder

Publisher: Knox Press

Published: 2020-09-15

Total Pages: 440

ISBN-13: 1682619621

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On December 25, 1776, the American Revolution seemed all but defeated just six months after the Declaration of Independence had been adopted. George Washington’s army had suffered a series of defeats in New York and had retreated under British pressure across New Jersey and then the Delaware River to temporary sanctuary in Pennsylvania. This left the British army in a string of winter cantonments across the middle of New Jersey, the New Jersey state government in total disarray, and the Continental Congress fleeing Philadelphia now perceived as the next British target. Loyalists in New Jersey felt empowered and Patriots felt abandoned. Washington needed not only a battlefield victory, but also to reestablish Patriot control in New Jersey. Otherwise, it would be impossible to raise a larger, long-term army to continue the fight and convince the citizens that victory was possible. The story of these ten crucial days is one that displays Washington’s military and interpersonal abilities along with his personal determination and bravery to keep the Revolution alive through maintaining the psychological confidence of the Patriots, while reducing the psychological confidence of his British political and military opponents. Throughout these ten days, Washington was faced with changing situations requiring modifications or outright different plans and his well-thought-out actions benefitted from elements of luck—such as the weather or British decisions—which he could not control. While most books look at these ten crucial days focusing on the military actions of the armies involved, this account also considers what was happening in other parts of the world. Leaders and ordinary people in other parts of America, in Britain, and in France were also dealing with the Revolution as they understood its condition. Without the instantaneous communication we have today, they were dealing with dated information and were missing knowledge that could influence their thoughts about the Revolution. This lack of immediate communication was also true—although to lesser extent—for the individuals directly involved in the events in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.


The Other Loyalists

The Other Loyalists

Author: Joseph S. Tiedemann

Publisher: State University of New York Press

Published: 2009-04-17

Total Pages: 223

ISBN-13: 1438425988

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Fascinating stories of ordinary people in the Middle Colonies who remained loyal to the Crown.


Naval Documents of the American Revolution: American theatre: Aug. 1, 1776-Oct. 31, 1776. European theatre: May 26, 1776-Oct. 5, 1776

Naval Documents of the American Revolution: American theatre: Aug. 1, 1776-Oct. 31, 1776. European theatre: May 26, 1776-Oct. 5, 1776

Author: United States. Naval History Division

Publisher:

Published: 1972

Total Pages: 1680

ISBN-13:

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In the tradition of the preceding volumes - the first of which was published in 1964 - this work synthesizes edited documents, including correspondence, ship logs, muster rolls, orders, and newspaper accounts, that provide a comprehensive understanding of the war at sea in the spring of 1778. The editors organize this wide array of texts chronologically by theater and incorporate French, Italian, and Spanish transcriptions with English translations throughout.


Naval Documents of the American Revolution

Naval Documents of the American Revolution

Author: United States. Naval History Division

Publisher:

Published: 1972

Total Pages: 1678

ISBN-13:

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In the tradition of the preceding volumes - the first of which was published in 1964 - this work synthesizes edited documents, including correspondence, ship logs, muster rolls, orders, and newspaper accounts, that provide a comprehensive understanding of the war at sea in the spring of 1778. The editors organize this wide array of texts chronologically by theater and incorporate French, Italian, and Spanish transcriptions with English translations throughout.