Kirkus Reviews QR Code
THE WILL OF THE PEOPLE by T.H. Breen

THE WILL OF THE PEOPLE

The Revolutionary Birth of America

by T.H. Breen

Pub Date: Sept. 17th, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-674-97179-0
Publisher: Belknap/Harvard Univ.

An examination of the effects of the American Revolution on ordinary people, with some anxious glances at our political divisions today.

In the latest from esteemed historian Breen (Law and Governance/Library of Congress; George Washington’s Journey: The President Forges a New Nation, 2016, etc.), the celebrated names of the Founding Fathers appear only rarely. Instead, the author pursues quieter, somewhat neglected stories that begin to answer the question: How did everyday people deal with the stress and contention of the war? Breen digs into a wide variety of documentary evidence, including journals, letters, newspapers, and published sermons. In his assiduous research, he discovered some remarkable things, perhaps most notably the restraint that those who supported the Revolution employed when dealing with the Loyalists. Yes, he notes throughout, there were countless instances of violence and loss of life, and there were those who retained a deep bitterness for the rest of their days, but the overwhelming response was a faith in the law and a belief in liberty. Local committees examined individual cases, settled disputes, and issued punishments, which, in many cases, they would suspend if the violators pledged allegiance to the new country. Breen also looks at the Loyalists themselves—their own actions and fears—and helps us to understand their motivations. By exploring numerous sermons from the day, he shows how religious leaders encouraged the Revolution, especially by emphasizing Old Testament analogies. The author does not ignore the intractable issue of race. He shows us that the Northern revolutionaries, especially, were quite aware of the hypocrisy of bellowing about freedom while countless people were hopelessly enslaved. In several places—and at the very end—Breen wonders if, in our current era, we will be able to employ the essential lessons about unity that he has extracted from the past.

Enlightening, revolutionary thinking.