Rating: 
Summary: Provides a different angle on the Revolution...
Review: This book really opened my eyes to the 'ideas' behind the Revolution. There are so many books written on 'what' happened or 'how' it happened but really penetrating the 'why' of it has been a challenge or, at least, overly simplistic or optimistic. It is arguable that a majority either did not want a break with Britain or were not overly aware that such a break was being considered. Most considered themselves to be English and thought that the English constitution had simply become corrupt, progressively moreso, and here in the land they had colonized was an opportunity for British subjects to replicate the best the English constitution held. Bailyn approaches this topic from an angle that very few have thought about prior, at least not in such detail and on such a scale, that of reading through the writings of the pamphleteers. Orwell and Marx were pamphleteers. Remember, this was long before mass media. Television, radio and other forms of instant communication were not to be found. The pamphlets were one of the prominent means of communicating ideas. It is in exploring these ideas and ideals that we begin to see from another angle just what it was that led to the break with Britain. It was gradual and it was subtle, not intentionally so in the beginning nor premeditated. Call it the Zeitgest, but it was not so simple as we are often led to believe. Bailyn explores in depth through what was written in the pamphlets and really seems to get into the minds of the writers and those whose ideas were the impetus toward a full scale revolution. This book provided me with a fresh perspective. While his prose is lucid and clear, the subject matter is thick with detail and requires active engagement with the book. But this makes it all the more worth your while. I really believe that if you seek to understand the Revolution, you must have this book.
Rating:
Summary: brilliant
Review: This is absolutely the best book on the revolution that I have ever read. Not only is it necessary reading for any student of the revolution, but also for any student or advocate of capitalism. It does a wonderfully thorough job of tracing the capitalist influences of the American revolutionaries. Moreover, it was this book that introduced me to the wonders of John Trenchard, Thomas Gordan, and Algernon Sidney. In addition to this, the book is extremely well written. What more can you ask for?
Rating:
Summary: An extensive analysis of the American Revolution
Review: This is probably the finest book on the American Revolution published in the second half of the twentieth century. No-one can truly claim to understand the Revolution without having read this book in its entirety. In it, Mr. Bailyn gives a full and thorough analysis of the causes and perceptions of the Revolution on both sides of the Atlantic. The politics, journalism, and thought of the time are all carefully scrutinized and both painstakingly and wittily described. Seldom has one book so completely altered the understanding of a period as has The Ideological Origins.
Rating:
Summary: The Lost Soul of America
Review: This is the critically acclaimed book by Bernard Bailyn that stands in contradistinction to Charles Baird's Economic Interpretation. With unusual courage, Bailyn attempts to understand the founders as they understood themselves. In the preface, Bailyn recalls the "intense excitement" and "sense of discovery" he felt at Harvard Universtiy when he studied the ideological themes of revolutionary America. This excitement and sense of discovery is passed along to the reader. This is a very scholarly work. The extensive footnotes are fabulous. I especially enjoyed the chapter called "Power and Liberty". Bailyn develops the pre-revolutionary idea that the ultimate explanation of every political controversy is the disposition of power. Power is defined as "dominion" or the human control of human life. With dozens of fascinating examples, Bailyn illustrates why power is essential to the maintenance of liberty, but dangerous and in need of restraint lest it extend itself beyond legitimate boundaries. I found it refreshing to read a book about America's founding that didn't condescend or politicize. It wasn't until I read this book that I fully appreciated how impoverished my public school education was on the topic. You wont be disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: GREAT BOOK!
Review: This was an incredibly interesting book. Realizing that Bailyn is quite an accomplished historian-scholar, I put off reading this - I assumed it would be brilliant but very difficult to get through. Well, I was correct about the brilliant part - but wrong about the "difficult to get through" part. It was increadibly readable. Also, the main points of the book are important to understanding American political thought. Interestingly, the country's revolutionary thinking originated from the very country we were fighting againt - ENGLAND! In arguing the continuous debates over the tension between liberty and power, the pamphlet writers of the day turned to 17th and 18th century thinkers to make their case. The best parts of the book are the last two chapters. In the second to last, originally the last chapter until the enlarged edition came out, Bailyn discusses concepts like democracy, representation, and slavery. In the final chapter, "Fulfillment," apparently written much later, Bailyn focuses on the Constitutional Convention and the arguments between the Federalists and Anti-Federalists; particularly, what they felt about virtue residing among the country's people and how best to form a government. One final note: Bailyn's sources from other scholarly journals will lead the read to many interesting gems - especially a few of the articles from William and Mary Quarterly (a must-have journal for anyone interested in the time-period).
ENJOY!
Rating:
Summary: GREAT BOOK!
Review: This was an incredibly interesting book. Realizing that Bailyn is quite an accomplished historian-scholar, I put off reading this - I assumed it would be brilliant but very difficult to get through. Well, I was correct about the brilliant part - but wrong about the "difficult to get through" part. It was increadibly readable. Also, the main points of the book are important to understanding American political thought. Interestingly, the country's revolutionary thinking originated from the very country we were fighting againt - ENGLAND! In arguing the continuous debates over the tension between liberty and power, the pamphlet writers of the day turned to 17th and 18th century thinkers to make their case. The best parts of the book are the last two chapters. In the second to last, originally the last chapter until the enlarged edition came out, Bailyn discusses concepts like democracy, representation, and slavery. In the final chapter, "Fulfillment," apparently written much later, Bailyn focuses on the Constitutional Convention and the arguments between the Federalists and Anti-Federalists; particularly, what they felt about virtue residing among the country's people and how best to form a government. One final note: Bailyn's sources from other scholarly journals will lead the read to many interesting gems - especially a few of the articles from William and Mary Quarterly (a must-have journal for anyone interested in the time-period).
ENJOY!
Rating:
Summary: Magnificent
Review: This work is a classic. Bailyn brilliantly traces the ideological background of the revolutionaries. He shows how they were steeped in the radical libertarian and republican opposition literature of 17th and 18th century England. He overturms traditional interpretations that stress Locke as the primary influence by demonstrating the vital importance of such men as Algernon Sidney, John Milton, John Trenchard & Thomas Gordon, Lord Bolingbroke, and a host of others. Despite this, Bailyn does not deny the centrality of Locken natural rights philosophy, as many more recent scholars have. He sees the basic philosophy behind the revolution as one which views power as the eternal enemy of liberty. Power must be watched and restrained tightly, otherwise it will exceed its bounds and bring about the end of liberty and the initiation of slavery. He also delves into various issues relating to this philosophy that surrounded the break from Great Britain as well, including the unsettling consequences of their revolutionary agenda(e.g. new views of slavery). In the revised edition of the work, Bailyn extends his analysis to the new U.S. Constitution. Contrary to many other scholars, Bailyn maintains that the new Constitution did not represent a repudiation of the Revolution, but rather, its fulfillment. I myself am still a bit skeptical concerning this point, but his scholarship is sound, and his reasoning is suggestive and challenging. Above all, I would have to say that this work is an absolute *must* for any individual who is interested in early-American history or political philosophy. Moreover, it is also very instructive for liberty loving Americans, as it reveals the nature of the truly radical libertarian foundations of our nation.
Rating:
Summary: Tough Reading, But Mandatory for Serious Students
Review: To be very concise, this is not for casual reading. It's a history of the evolution of ideas, not a blow-by-blow on events leading up to the Revolution. As a result, it's very dry reading. If you're interested in the Revolution and just want to be familiar with this work, go find the review in the William & Mary Quarterly and read it. If you are a serious student of the Revolution, though, you MUST invest the time in reading this book. It is, perhaps, the single most important work on Revolutionary ideas and has shaped further research on the period for the last 30 years. It is impossible to discuss the Revolution with any credibility without a familiarity with its main ideas.
Rating:
Summary: outstanding
Review: To understand the thinking of the founding fathers of the Constitution and the influences upon them, this book is it! I dont think one can claim to truly understand the American Revolution which lead to this great document without having read this book!
Rating:
Summary: Understanding
Review: When it comes to American history, it is arguably so that the most important dates or events, whivhever you prefer, is the American Revolution. The dates run from about 1764, with the passage of the Sugar Act to 1783 the Peace of Paris was decided, or even as late as 1787 when Delaware became the first state in the Union. However you look at it, there is no one text that gives you a better, more thorough telling and understanding of the most important time in out history, before we officially had a country to even have a history, than The Ideological Origins of the American Revolution by Bernard Bailyn. This is the most thorough and most balanced fusion of primary documents and secondary analysis. Every topic is important every conclusion is crucial to understanding the truth about this great and terrible period in our history. It receives my highest recommendation.
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