THE VIOLENT MEN

These are the portraits of the men of the Continental Congress, from the closing of the port of Boston in May, 1774, and the opening of the Congress' first session that September, to the final approval of the Declaration of Independence in July, 1776. The moderates who wished to maintain ties with Britain, the fiery opponents led by John Adams, the divided groups -- here they are together with the issues that pulled them apart and the common bonds that drew them together. A dramatic story of a phase of the Revolution probably least familiar to most readers this again offers supplementary reading of value.