American Revolutions: A Continental History, 1750-1804

This is an outstanding volume by one of America’s great, contemporary historians. The prodigious research is a hallmark of Taylor’s writing. The detail and writing style in the strong narrative is clear, informative, at times, entertaining, and very readable. I highly recommend it. The author presents a comprehensive, unbiased illumination of the climate of the time and complex historical figures who shaped America’s future in ways that have seemed obscure until now. It reveals the political and emotional agendas that shaped actions and conflicts, and ways participants moved toward realizing their individual and collective goals. Characters from all levels of society are brought to life in this tapestry of a tumultuous time. It is often hard to tolerate ambiguity in revered “Founding Fathers” and other iconic personas, but to learn about them as people, including their dreams, ambitions, lives, personal and political agendas, as well as their short comings, provides an in-depth assessment of the time and its aftermath. In this way Taylor has given us an enthralling gift by pulling together a comprehensive accounting on the numerous and varied forces at play. When Taylor places America’s development in the context of global affairs, it is a timely reminder that we have been connected to a host of other nations from the beginning. This is an essential read if we hope to enhance our understanding of what shaped our history and strengthen the possibility of learning from the past.

Simply put, this is the best book I have ever read on the American Revolution as Alan Taylor examines the war and the contributions from and the impacts on all those involved, not just minutemen vs redcoats. I highly recommend this book.

This is an excellent book that is dense with primary sources. It is a myth buster that looks deeply into the dark side of revolution. There are 12 chapters, and each chapter is divided into sections. The author provides numerous primary quotes from diaries and official documents. My only complaint is that the amount of supporting quotes in support of hisl topics become tedious and redundant. Never the less, I strongly recommend this award winning authoty

Alan Taylor is a Pulitzer Prize winning author and this book takes a "warts and all" look at America's formative period during 1750-1804, focusing above all on the Revolution, but looking at it from a 360 degree perspective including pro-Independence Americans ("Patriots"), British Loyalists, Indian nations, and America's enslaved population...and the clashes among them. The narrative moves swiftly and fluently with all manner of new discoveries and generalizations beyond the bland versions of history we learned in school. This is NOT tendentious "woke" history, but it is unvarnished and so the period comes across in part as a glorious creation of the Founding Fathers, but also (typical in human affairs) as the outcome of bitter and bloody struggles and plenty of personal self-interest. The book also usefully underlines how fragile and prone to disintegration the American Union was after the Revolution (and, indeed, until the Civil War by force of military conquest put an end to any concepts of secession.) If you want the "new, non-mythological" but responsible history of America (but not a "woke" crusade), I would suggest combining this book with Prof. Jill Lepore's fairly recent overall history of America entitled "These Truths." Lepore's book sometimes verges on "woke," but maintains basic scholarly integrity and is an eye-opener.

Alan Taylor has created a remarkable history of the American Revolution, and its aftermath----Articles of Confederation, the Constitution and the furor of contention over enslavement. Read this book.

For those of you looking to understand the American Revolution, I highly recommend it. It frames the revolution in relation to power dynamics with other foreign powers, including England, France, and Spain. There is also a healthy dose of politics related to the slave trade, women’s rights and Indian diplomacy. Those who want to dismiss this as liberal propaganda miss the point. The history of the U.S. is as fractured and bloody as it is experimental and groundbreaking. While Taylor does attempt to sympathize with some of the losers, that doesn’t change the unprecedented circumstances that framed our system of government. Well written and well researched. This should be in every historian (amateur or professional’s) library

One of the very best histories of the US in the 1750 - 1804 period I have come across in a long life as a history buff. Dispenses with the frequent puffery of (or unfounded attacks upon) our founders, our early citizens, and the empires of the period, while destroying many myths about our early "heroic and united" beginnings. Detailed information on many of the political, religious, profane, and principled actions and practices of the period, by citizens, friends, and foes alike. Commentary in the context of contemporary mores is very much appreciated, as opposed to condemnation or exaltation according to mores of our own time (late 20th - early 21st centuries). Nice to confirm our antecedents were real, imperfect people, struggling with their own issues and seeking comfort, wealth, distinction, common good and private security, and enjoyment, much as we all do in each age and context. A US history I will keep ahead of many others not so careful with context or truth, or devoid of the extensive scholarship and documentation of this volume.

The detail, coherence and historical extent of this work give it a textbook-like quality. As such it deserves careful reading, with portions of it definitely worth rereading and study. The author seems evenhanded in his perspectives on the peoples, nations and events of the period. He is good at placing the American Revolution in context, with important background information on British, European and economic events relevant to what happened in America. I was impressed by the author's intelligence and wit, evident of all places in his acknowledgements, but also embedded through this rich work.

Great read, well writen with a good balance of adoration and criticism for an important historical event

American Revolutions demolishes the myths of the American Revolution as we were taught in school. It is an outstanding and very readable history of the American Revolution providing the perspectives of the British, the Loyalists, other British colonies and the diverse tribes of American Indians. This book is strongly recommended.

This book takes the reader back to another time, yet it has so much relevance to today's political environment. I'm only a fraction of the way in but so far it is excellent.

This is an excellent, mostly objective, review of the founding of the United States. The author's approach to history is both informative and easy to read. The work does an excellent job of investigating the American creation myth and putting it in a clear historical context. A must read for anyone who wants to understand the Trump phenomenon from a cultural/historical perspective.

Esta historia tiene una perspectiva continental que integra los otros espacios coloniales además de la presencia indígena y el rol de los esclavos