The Glorious Cause: The American Revolution, 1763-1789 (Oxford History of the United States)

This outstanding narrative history, the first volume to appear in the Oxford History of the United States, offers an intimate view of the development of the Revolutionary War, the battle between the colonies and the motherland, and the establishment of the American republic. Beginning with the Treaty of Paris in 1763 and continuing to the election of George Washington as the first president, Robert Middlekauff charts the growing conflict between England and America and portrays the drama and anguish of the colonies' struggle for independence. Beginning with the French and Indian War and continuing to the election of George Washington as first president, Robert Middlekauff offers a panoramic history of the conflict between England and America, highlighting the drama and anguish of the colonial struggle for independence. Combining the political and the personal, he provides a compelling account of the key events that precipitated the war, from the Stamp Act to the Tea Act, tracing the gradual gathering of American resistance that culminated in the Boston Tea Party and "the shot heard 'round the world." The heart of the book features a vivid description of the eight-year-long war, with gripping accounts of battles and campaigns, ranging from Bunker Hill and Washington's crossing of the Delaware to the brilliant victory at Hannah's Cowpens and the final triumph at Yorktown, paying particular attention to what made men fight in these bloody encounters. The book concludes with an insightful look at the making of the Constitution in the Philadelphia Convention of 1787 and the struggle over ratification Recounts The Events Leading Up To The Revolution And Discusses The Major Leaders, Campaigns, And Battles Of The War. Prologue: Sustaining Truths -- Obstructed Giant -- Children Of The Twice-born -- Beginnings: From The Top Down -- Stamp Act Crisis -- Response -- Selden's Penny -- Chance And Charles Townshend -- Boston Takes The Lead -- Bastards Of England -- Drift -- Resolution -- War -- Half A War -- Independence -- War Of Posts -- War Of Maneuver -- Revolution Becomes A European War -- War In The South -- Fugitive War -- Inside The Campaigns -- Outside The Campaigns -- Yorktown And Paris -- Constitutional Movement -- Children Of The Twice-born In The 1780s -- Constitutional Convention -- Ratification: An End And A Beginning -- Epilogue: Enduring Truths. Robert Middlekauff. Includes Index. Bibliography: P. 669-674. When George III acceded to the throne in 1760, his English subjects were singing with spirit once more.