The Creation of America: Through Revolution to Empire by Francis Jennings - 9780521662550 - Compare Discount Book Prices & Save up to 90%

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		The Creation of America: Through Revolution to Empire by Francis Jennings ISBN-10: 9780521662550 ISBN-10: 0-521-66255-9 ISBN-13: 9780521662550 ISBN-13: 978-0-521-66255-0 Hardcover 2000-08-28 Cambridge University Press Find Lowest Price
Editorials

Product Description In the standard presentation of the American Revolution, a ragtag assortment of revolutionaries, inspired by the ideals of liberty and justice, rise to throw off the yoke of the British empire and bring democracy to the New World. It makes a pretty story. Now, in place of this fairytale standing in for history, Francis Jennings presents a realistic alternative: a privileged elite, dreaming of empire, clone their own empire from the British. Jennings shows that colonies were extensions from Britain intended from the first to conquer American Indians. Though subordinate to the British crown, in the opposite direction they ruled over beaten native peoples. Adding to this dual nature, some colonists bought Africans as slaves and rigidly ruled over them within their colonies. To justify conquests and oppression, they invented the concept of racial gradation in a system of social castes. We live with it still. In this full scale reconception, the experience of tribal Indians and enslaved Blacks is brought into the whole picture. The colonists were enraged by efforts of crown and Parliament to forbid settlement in tribal territories. Especially Virginians rose under great speculator George Washington to seize the western lands in defiance of the crown's orders. We witness the founders' invasion and attempted conquest of Canada and the "conquest" of Pennsylvania as Quakers and German pietists were deprived of citizenship rights and despoiled of property through armed force and legal trickery. British sympathies were so strong that George III had to hire Hessians as soldiers because he could not trust his own people. And Britain also had movements for reform that won freedom of the press and refusal to legislate slavery while the Revolutionaries tarred and feathered their opponents and strengthened the slavery institution. Revolutionary rhetoric about liberty and virtue is revealed as war propaganda. Illegal "committees" and "conventions" functioned like soviets of the later Russian revolution. The U.S. Constitution was the fulfillment of the Revolution rather than its "Thermidor." The work is meticulously documented and detailed. By including the whole population in its history, Jennings provides an eloquent explanation for a host of anomalies, ambiguities, and iniquities that have followed in the Revolution's wake.
Book Description In the standard presentation of the American Revolution, a ragtag assortment of revolutionaries, inspired by the ideals of liberty and justice, throw off the yoke of the British empire and bring democracy to the New World. In place of this fairytale, Francis Jennings presents a realistic alternative: a privileged elite, dreaming of empire, clone their own empire from the British. Jennings shows that the colonists intended from the first to conquer American Indians. Though subordinate to the British crown, the colonists ruled over beaten native peoples. Some colonists bought Africans as slaves and rigidly ruled over them, and the colonists invented racial gradation to justify conquests and oppression. Jennings reaveals as war propaganda the revolutionary rhetoric about liberty and virtue. Including the whole population in this meticulously documented history, Jennings provides an eloquent explanation for a host of anomalies, ambiguities, and iniquities that have followed in the American Revolution's wake.
Reviews

A Fine History by a Fine Historian Jennings is always interesting and provocative, but also careful and accurate. It is unfortunate that one reviewer below (Robert) has lessened the score of this terrific book with a one-star review. The reviewer seems not to have read very carefuly; anyone interested can use Amazon's Search function to read Jenning's description of the Adams/Hancock episode on page 155-157. Jennings retells historian David Hackett Fischer's story about the pompous Hancock; nothing unkind is said about Adams at all.
Fascinating! This is a really revealing book on american history, it approaches this subject matter from a different perspective, it shows that the "revolution" was fought rather for more cynical and materialistic reasons, as oppose to the "abstract" idealism that many were lead to believe... This book is a real eye opener, and many have dismissed it because of some its claims. (Especially by those who have a deeply held romantic notion that somehow all wars are fought on absolute ideals, this book is not for them) But for others who are looking for historical perspective that may be different from the one they were spoon fed in school, then I truely recomend this fascinating book to you...
The Creation of American: Through Revolution to Empire This book is trash. It contains a number of historical errors such as when Jennings states that Gov. Samuel Adams dispatched troops to suppress Daniel Shay's rebellion in Western Massachusetts following the American Revolution. Bowdoin, not Adams, was Governor at the time and he acted to protect our Government. He states that Samuel Adams and John Hancock were cowards for not being on the firing line at Lexington. He conveniently overlooks the fact that one of the missions of the British troops was to arrest Adams and Hancock so that they could be sent to England for trial and probable hanging. The Patriots had Adams and Hancock under guard to advoid their capture. It would have been a great loss to the American cause has the British been successful. I assume that Jennings would criticize Churchill and Roosevelt for not participating in the intial landings on Normandy Beach during WWII. He characterizes George Washington as an embezzler and John Adams as hollow hero. Our Nation would not exist today had it not been for their efforts, along with many others. They put their lives, fortunes and future on the line to build our country and certainly we all in debt to those individuals who managed to the compromises necessary to bring the widely diverse interests of the several states to focus on a common goal. Jennings write in his book that he was a one time a member of a political organization whose goal was to overthrow our government. This book perhaps was written in frustration over the failure of that organization to accomplish its aims.
Get the REAL American History Here I loved this book! It is the most realistic, no-nonsence presentation of the American colonial story as I have ever see, in or out of school. Jennings tells it like it was, sans the "romance" and "heroics" often portrayed in school texts and by those historians who want to cast a rosy glow on the American story; he portrays the struggle for empire (not just "freedom"), depicting not just the challenges with which American settlers confronted England, but he tells of the struggles between the varied inhabitants of the early colonies, from the landed genty to slaves, from the native Indians to the land-seeking westward travelers. There are stories both amazing and cruel in this book, and Jennings pulls no punches in calling a thief a thief (even if one did become President) and a tyrant a tyrant (even though one became Secretary of State). Jennings' report is told in just plain "straight-up" language, without the usual laudatory embellishments. In the end, I was still proud to be an American, seeing how this nation was put together by real human beings... some heros, some not. The only fault I found with this book was the manner in which some historic episodes and events got repeated from one chapter to the next. True, Jennings may have been casting a new light, fresh discussion, on a previously-discussed event, but this repetition sometimes seem to interfer with the logical progression of the historic chronology Nevertheless, I recommend this book to anyone who wants to know what reeeally happened in the formation of this nation.
Very important book, should be required in history class Both of us loved this book and we bought a copy for a friend who also thought it was great. I couldn't believe the 3-star rating it got, but saw one reviewer found it "turgid." We found it an easy read, but we are both college graduates. More important the information and analysis was exciting and outstanding, full of connections and insights that we were never taught in school. Jennings made so much sense of the reality and dynamics of the American Revolution by including the usually-omitted "Indians." Thank you, Mr. Jennings.

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