Rating: 
Summary: The effects on society of the American Revolution.
Review: A good book about the American Revolution. If people are reading this book for the military history, they should not since this is not Mr. Wood's intent. The battles are summarized, but the book mainly details the effects on American society of the Revolution. Wood gives us a good idea why the Revolution took place, and the result of the Revolution. America matured as a result of this conflict, but not all issues were settled (as in the case of slavery).
This is my fourth book which I have read in this series. They are all solid books and give the reader an idea why this event had so much impact on World History. Even though these books are short, they still pack a lot of information into them.
Rating: 
Summary: Amazingly comprehensive given its brief size
Review: Gordon S. Wood is one of the deans of scholarship on the American Revolution, and this volume in the Modern Library Chronicles series (each volume dedicated to providing a brief but sound introduction to a specific subject) is the distillation of a lifetime of study of the subject. Although short, this is not a book lacking in content. Some of the reviewers seem to misunderstand the subject: the American Revolution was not primarily a military adventure but an intellectual one. Therefore, the book rightfully dedicates most of its pages to the ideas that drove the revolt against Britain and the formation of a completely original form of government based upon equality and the sovereignty of the people. The genius of the book is not merely that Wood finds space to mention every significant aspect of the American Revolution, but that he is able in a very brief space explain the why and the wherefore. For instance, in explaining why the people making up the new nation did not respect the rights of Native Americans and consider them equals, Wood explains that the widespread view was that independent individual owned and cultivated land, and since the Indians were hunters, they could not could that they were potential citizens like themselves. Therefore, they could only treat them as foreigner nations. Wood does not condone their conclusions, but he does a great job of explaining their thinking. Likewise, when he addresses the question of slavery, he points out that while the founders did not carry through with the logical implications of the notion that all men are created equal, the foundations where nonetheless laid for its eventually expungement. As he writes, "The Revolution had a powerful effect in eventually bring an end to slavery in America. It suddenly and effectively ended the social and intellectual environment that had allowed slavery to exist everywhere for thousands of years without substantial questioning." The book contains a host of similar insights. Although I have read other and longer books on the Revolution, I have read few that were filled with as much insight. The book proceeds on a series of topics that are largely chronological, beginning with the changes in American society following the end of the French-Indian Wars and the refocusing of the British government on the colonies after several decades of some neglect, and ending with the Constitutional Convention in 1787 in Philadelphia. His focus is overwhelmingly on the ideas that drove the Revolution. He is almost entirely unconcerned with the battles of the War, which he does not view as especially decisive. As he points out, the odds of the British defeating the colonists were long at best, given the overwhelming hostility felt against the Crown and the widespread sentiments for independence. Wood spends approximately fifteen pages on the actual military campaign. There is little regret for this because he is so superb in discussing the nonmilitary aspects. Although the account is first rate, an additional reason this is such a valuable book is the exceptional bibliographical essay that closes the book. Wood provides a ten-page survey of the literature on the Revolution, and if one is unfamiliar with the period, he or she will have a host of suggestions of additional books to read upon completion of Wood's book. I really find it difficult to praise this book too strongly. This book is ideal for someone unfamiliar (or even those familiar desiring a brief survey) with the central factors of the Revolution and wanting a brief but superb analysis of the events leading to the creation of the United States.
Rating:
Summary: Extraordinarily insightful
Review: I echo the previous comments. While brief, the book delves deeply into the "Whys" of the Revolution. The first 50-60 pages alone, which summarize the events, are worth the read...but don't stop there. Dr. Wood really hits his stride in the subsequent 100+ pages. Very well done.
Rating:
Summary: The thesis does not match the title
Review: One should think in grandiose terms when considering this title. The American Revolution. If you purchase this book you will not read more than a cursory account of battles against redcoats, Washington's crossing of the Delaware, the battle of Yorktown, or any of the other events that make up the Revolutionary War. That is because this book is not about the war, and only a small number of pages are devoted to it. I have to point out that the advertising for this book did not make this clear. The American Revolution in question is a revolution in spirit, and of ideas and mannerisms. That is the thesis of Wood's work here. It is about the change in political theory and practice that occurred both before and after the war itself. Thus, we read about how relations changed among men, not between armies. Besides that, the reader will find an extremely compact (162 pages) retelling of the basic story. I'm not sure there's much new here for a knowledgeable reader, but it's a fairly lively and well written recounting of the story.
Rating:
Summary: A nice, brief introduction to the topic
Review: This 166-page book introduces us to the American Revolution, with an emphasis on its causes and effects--economic, political, legal, social, racial, and religious. The writing style is a bit too factual and dry for me, perhaps because Wood is just briefly covering the topic, but I would have liked to see more details on the leaders and events to "bring them to life." For example, Wood writes that "it was mob violence that destroyed the Stamp Act in America," but there is little given us about the violent acts themselves, and the people who instigated them. Also, few details are presented about the battles of the Revolutionary War. (Read A. J. Langguth's Patriots to learn more about Samuel Adams, George Washington and others, as well as about most of the military campaigns.) Wood's book is particularly useful for its discussion of the effects of the war: on the class structure, slaves, indentured servants and the Indians, monetary inflation, education, governments, and on the role of women. Wood summarizes some surprising trends: For example, he points out that wealth was distributed more unequally after the Revolution even though Americans believed that society was more egalitarian. He also gives us some fascinating details, such as that some women objected to the use of the word "obey" in the vows taken at their weddings in the last quarter of the 18th century. This is a good overview of the American Revolution, although it is not written in the most exciting style. In addition, there is a good list of other sources of information, with comments about them at the end of the book.
Rating:
Summary: A Spirited Overview.
Review: This is a perfect book for those of us who have forgotten many of the specifics concerning the way in which America obtained its freedom. Wood offers a concise summary of the main revolutionary events and also discusses the factors which proceeded rebellion. This is not a book for historians but is an excellent introduction to the era. Oftentimes we forget about the neoclassicism of the age and the way in which Rome and Greece influenced the political outlooks of the men who forged our republic. Wood's examination of equality and the philosophical influences that embody our state are quite enlightening. I wish that this text were used in the schools as it would undeniably foster a high level of appreciation for just how unique the American form of government actually is.
Rating:
Summary: A Spirited Overview.
Review: This is a perfect book for those of us who have forgotten many of the specifics concerning the way in which America obtained its freedom. Wood offers a concise summary of the main revolutionary events and also discusses the factors which proceeded rebellion. This is not a book for historians but is an excellent introduction to the era. Oftentimes we forget about the neoclassicism of the age and the way in which Rome and Greece influenced the political outlooks of the men who forged our republic. Wood's examination of equality and the philosophical influences that embody our state are quite enlightening. I wish that this text were used in the schools as it would undeniably foster a high level of appreciation for just how unique the American form of government actually is.
Rating:
Summary: Good, Factual Overview of the Birth of the Republic
Review: This slim volume (just shy of 200 pages with a short chronology, a few maps and a bibliography) contains the essentials of the Revolutionary Age in America - the intellectual underpinnings of `republicanism', the increasing passion for independence after successive tax acts, the war itself, and the making of the Constitution. As his account unfolds, Wood finds time to briefly cover early American art, slavery, manners, diplomatic maneuvers, and other social, economic and political aspects of this momentous period in Western history. He sticks to the facts in this account, and avoids what he calls in the preface, "celebrating or condemning" the Revolution itself. This book is best read if you want a quick precis of the Revolution, and if you are interested in further reading, you can consult his fine bibliography for other sources. One line sticks in my mind from this book: in describing the increasing passion for egalitarianism in the new Republic, Wood offers an outstanding one-line summary: "For many Americans," he writes, "living in a free country meant never having to tip one's cap to anyone."
Rating:
Summary: Excellent But Thin
Review: To undertake a brief synthesis of a subject as broad and well-researched as the American Revolution would seem an unenviable task for even an accomplished researcher. One must address issues of why Americans began to resist British rule in the 1760s, how they accomplished the separation, how they began to build an American nation, and also propose when the American Revolution ended. One also must consider such controversies as whether the American Revolution was revolutionary. In The American Revolution: A History, however, Gordon S. Wood has tackled the historiography of this period comprehensively in just over 160 pages. As with his other work, Wood focuses less on chronology and accounts of events than on the social and ideological transformations that defined the Revolutionary era. He sets the stage with an American giant emerging both in terms of population and commerce in the 1760s at the end of the French and Indian War. With the large expansion came inevitable growing pains that led to resistance to British authority. Not understanding the underlying circumstances, the British predictably moved to punish resistance and reinforce their power. As is well known, this reaction was not met well by the Americans. Wood then moves quickly through the Declaration of Independence, and even more rapidly through the battles of the war, coming out on the other side in territory familiar to him from decades of scholarly work: republicanism and constitution-making. He closes with a discussion of the United States Constitution and the transition to a federal system. Although Wood's analysis is comprehensive and thorough, there are gaps. His treatment of certain groups, including loyalists, slaves, Indians, and women, is minimal, and his approach generally tends to discount the actual lived experience of Americans during this period. He glosses over some of the internal conflicts among the colonies and states, most notably the debate over independence, which was not, even in the spring of 1776, a foregone conclusion, and the debate over the Constitution of 1787. Finally, Wood's ideological focus and topically based organization occasionally blurs the timeline of events in a particularly confusing way, such as in his discussion of state constitutions of the late 1770s and 1780s. Overall, however, Wood has performed an excellent service for those unable to delve into the enormous historiography of the American Revolution with a comprehensive and enjoyable read.
Rating: 
Summary: America's Revolution of the Mind: 1763-1787
Review: What was the American Revolution? While most people would probably identify the American Revolution with the American War of Independence, Gordon S. Wood sees it as something more: a complete change in the ideological and political structure of British America, from the Royal colonies of 1763 to the Unites States of 1787. Within a single generation, America twice revised its views about the government and sovereignty. Wood does not disregard the material causes for independence, the interest groups and the petty local politics that fed fuel to the conflict between the colonies and the mother country, but his focus is on the ideological and philosophical issues - the British, who saw Parliament as the source of authority to all of the British Empire, whether the constituents voted for the MPs or not, and the Americans, who held to the principle of "no taxation without representation", and the ideology that contrasted liberty and self rule with the tyrannical power of the divine rights of kings. With the deepening, crisis, the Colonists, although willing in principle to acknowledge that Parliament had the right to regulate external commerce and navigation laws "from the necessities of the case, and a regard to the mutual interests of both countries" (p.44), could no longer reconcile that view with the British all-or-nothing perspective, in which sovereignty lay within Parliament and Parliament alone. The widespread violence and King George III's declaration that the colonies were in open revolt helped push the Americans into declaring their independence. Under the Articles of Confederation, the Founding Fathers of the United States formed an alternative form of government to the Imperial system - no longer a centre and a periphery, but a collective of equal, cooperating states. With the Northwest Ordinance, the Americans acknowledged the Western settlers as the equals of the thirteen original colonies. Proportionally representative legislative councils were seen as the instrument of government, the protection against executive tyranny. The failure of the all-powerful legislatives to adequately answer the needs of the public good, and the lack of cooperation between the states, led to another change in the American political philosophy. Local legislative councils changed from being the ultimate expression of Public sovereignty, to one element in a complex national system, meant to keep checks and balances between the states and the Federal Union, and between the branches of government. The ultimate purpose was to keep sovereignty in the hands of "we, the people of the United States of America" There is far more in Wood's book then I can do justice to in a short review. But Wood's detailed investigation of the political and ideological aspects of the revolution means that much remains neglected. The social changes of America are hardly more then alluded to, and the economic changes are never coherently explained. The worst neglect, though, is the Military history aspects of the Revolution - the American War of Independence is dealt with almost entirely in about 6 pages. Nor are the major personalities of the Revolution given due attention: Adams, Jefferson, Hamilton, Henry and Washington are mentioned but only in the context of their ideas or public actions. There is only a single exception - Wood's short discussion of Washington's choice to re-enter political life and participate in the 1787 Philadelphia Convention. In the past couple of years, I've tried to read three different accounts of the American Revolution, and have been unable to finish any of them. Gordon S. Wood's short book is a fascinating read and a good introduction to the Revolution and to the changes it brought on America.
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