Contested Commonwealths: Essays in American History (Studies in Eighteenth-Century America and the Atlantic World)

United States historian William Pencak here collects thirteen of his essays, written beginning in 1976. Some deal with colonial and revolutionary crowds and communities in Massachusetts—the impressment riot of 1747, the popular uprisings of the 1760s and 1770s, and Shays' Rebellion. Others discuss the popular ideology of the American Revolution as expressed in songs and almanacs, while several revisit revolutionary era statesmen George Washington, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, and loyalist Peter Oliver. Interpretive essays argue that revolutionary economic thought turned smuggling from a vice into the ''natural law'' of free trade; and that focusing on the Civil War and the years 1861 to 1865, leads to a glorified conception of the national past that is better understood as shaped by ''An Era of Racial Violence'' that extended from 1854 to at least 1877. Pencak's essays do not conform to standard interpretations of the revolutionary era that stress the importance of republican ideology or socio-economic conflict. Rather, he looks at colonial experiences of the French and Indian War as definitive in shaping dislike of Britain. He stresses that the popular thought expressed in songs and almanacs portray America as an open society, a land of plenty, threatened by British restrictions rather than a land where ancient Roman virtue or traditional British liberties flourished. Moving to the early republic, Pencak looks at Shays's Rebellion from the point of view of those who suppressed it, and finds that they were genuinely concerned that Massachusetts's newly-formed republic was threatened by westerners. Westerners who presented themselves as an army and sought to restructure a constitution formed only six years before. George Washington was, in effect, the chief executive of the new nation from 1775 to 1797 and borrowed heavily from his wartime experiences to shape his presidency. United States historian William Pencak here collects thirteen of his essays, written beginning in 1976. Some deal with colonial and revolutionary crowds and communities in Massachusetts-the impressment riot of 1747, the popular uprisings of the 1760s and1770s, and Shays' Rebellion. Others discuss the popular ideology of the American Revolution as expressed in songs and almanacs, while several revisit revolutionary era statesmen George Washington, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, and loyalist Peter Oliver. Interpretive essays argue that revolutionary economic thought turned smuggling from a vice into the "natural law" of free trade; and that focusing on the "Civil War," and the years 1861 to 1865, leads to a glorified conception of the national past that isbetter understood as shaped by "An Era of Racial Violence" that extended from 1854 to at least 1877. Pencak's essays do not conform to standard interpretations of the revolutionary era that stress the importance of republican ideology or socio-economicconflict. Rather, he looks at colonial experiences of the French and Indian War as definitive in shaping dislike of Britain. He stresses that the popular thought expressed in songs and almanacs portray America as an open society, a land of plenty, threatened by British restrictions rather than a land where ancient Roman virtue or traditional British liberties flourished. Moving to the early republic, Pencak looks at Shays's Rebellion from the point of view of those who suppressed it, and finds that they were genuinely concerned that Massachusetts's newly-formed republic was threatened by westerners. Westerners who presented themselves as an army and sought to restructure a constitution formed only six years before. George Washington was, in effect, the chief executive of the new nation from 1775 to 1797 and borrowed heavily from his wartime experiences to shape his presidency. John Adams was, until the end of his life, influenced by relationships he formed with the Massachusetts provincial elite in the 1760s. Based upon both contemporary sources and the scholarly literature, Pencak's work invites us to reconsider some of the most important people, communities, and ideas that shaped the American republic The Knowles Riot And The Crisis Of The 1740s In Massachusetts (with John Lax) -- Metropolitan Boston Before The American Revolution : An Urban Interpretation Of The Imperial Crisis (with Ralph J. Crandall) -- The Social Structure Of Revolutionary Boston : Evidence From The Great Fire Of 1760 -- Play As Prelude To Revolution : Boston, 1765-1776 -- The Fine Theoretic Government Of Massachusetts Is Prostrated To The Earth : The Response To Shays's Rebellion Reconsidered -- Politics And Ideology In Eighteenth-century Almanacs : Benjamin Franklin's Poor Richard And Nathanael Ames, Sr.'s An Astronomical Diary -- The Beginning Of A Beautiful Friendship : Benjamin Franklin, George Whitefield, The Dancing School, And A Defense Of The Meaner Sort -- John Adams And His Contemporaries -- The Extended Presidency Of George Washington (1775-1797) -- Peter Oliver (1713-1791), Chief Justice Of The Massachusetts Superior Court -- From Racket To Natural Law : The Permutation Of Smuggling Into Free Trade -- The Great War For The Empire Reconsidered As A Cause Of The American Revolution -- The Civil War Did Not Take Place. William A. Pencak. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. United States historian William Pencak presents thirteen of his essays, written beginning in 1976. Some deal with colonial and revolutionary crowds and communities in Massachusetts - the impressment riot of 1747, the popular uprisings of the 1760s and 1770s, and Shays' Rebellion. Others examine popular ideology in songs and almanacs, and the thought and behavior of George Washington, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, and the loyalist Peter Oliver. Interpretive essays argue that colonial outage that their participation in the French and Indian War went unrecognized by the British led to the American Revolution; that revolutionary economic thought turned smuggling from a vice into the 'natural law' of free trade; and that focusing on the 'Civil War,' and the years 1861 to 1865, leads to a glorified conception of the national past that is better understood as shaped by 'An Era of Racial Violence' that extended from 1854 to at least 1877.