Gordon S. Wood's The American Revolution: A History
1193 Words5 Pages
If you think about the American Revolutionary War and all the books that have been written on this subject you might start to think of all the battles that were fought, the patriotic images of that era, and the ultimate David versus Goliath scenario that pitted the rebellious Americans against the tyrannical government of King George III and the evil British Empire. However, The American Revolution: A History written by Gordon S. Wood, is a book that delivers the reader a greater understanding of the events that led to the building of this nation and doesn’t depict its history as simply black and white or good versus evil, “How the Revolution came about, what its character was, and what its consequences were-are the questions this brief history…show more content… Wood’s accounts of the British monarchy and the American colonists do not allow for patriotic overtones to cloud the readers interpetations of this era in American history. Rather, Wood’s chooses to provide an account of the human struggles and dilemmas that faced the American colonists in the creation of a central government and how the nation was established. This objectivity provides the necessary insight into the minds of the founding fathers that created this central government and the Constitution that still drives the United States. “But the Revolution, like the whole of American history, is not a simple morality play; it is a complicated and often ironic story that needs to be explained and understood, not celebrated or condemned.” Gordon S. Wood’s account of The American Revolution is not for the reader who is interested in celebrating fourth of July with sparklers and massive fireworks demonstrations, The American Revolution is for the “common man” who yearns for a complete and unabridged understanding of the history of the foundations which the United States was built, in all of its vibrant, dull, and unambiguous