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As If an Enemy's Country: The British Occupation of Boston and the Origins of Revolution (Pivotal Moments in American History)

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Richard Archer's "As If an Enemy's Country: The British Occupation of Boston and the Origins of Revolution" details the how and why the American Revolution broke out where and when it did. The British military occupation of Boston in the late 1760s , as presented in this book, was the key event that radicalized regional politics and gave birth to a permanent coalition of previously separate power bases and political forces. The notorious Stamp Act and taxes on tea and other imports all played an integral role in the development of events, of course, but it was the display of naked military force thrust into a civilian community that went beyond all else in laying the groundwork for April, 1775. British ministries and military leadership were confident that dissent would be quashed by stationing a few thousand troops in a continual, highly visual presence. Instead, the tactic fed fuel into the fire and dramatically demonstrating that the British government viewed the American colonists not as true Englishmen but as a distinctly separate and inferior Other. Revolution was no longer unthinkable.


Archer's account of these events is both revealing and riveting, showing them as complexities with fascinating characters too often lost in quick surveys of the historical past.

Occupying armies have had much the same effect throughout history. Richard Archer describes the British occupying army that landed in Boston in 1768. He writes a detailed book with names and descriptions, the laws and acts passed and the reasons for the actions of both the politicians and the army.

There is very little of the social aspects of the time described. The point is emphasized that this was an army whose mission was to protect the interests of the British Empire, not individual citizens. Little is mentioned of the higher tax rates in England, the emphasis is on the lack of representation.
Bit by bit, detail by detail, demonstration by demonstration is explained. This book is much like a political and military report.
The broader interest for most would be the social ramifications of such a force and time in history. Instead this is a detailed account of how this occupying force; where 1 in 5 in Boston were wearing the red coats of the British army, led the citizens into the radicalization that led to the Revolution.
If you want a lighter reading or a broader history you need to look elsewhere, but if you are interested in this one specific occurrence in American history this book will give you the ultimate in clarification.

History, despite the series of great, often socially cataclysmic, events taught in school or emphasized by civic commemorizations, is composed of increments and a nexus of myriad causes and effects. Author Richard Archer focuses on the background of the occupation of Boston by regiments of British soliders that led to the famous Boston Massacre. It is a story of economics. Straddled with huge debts from the Seven Years War with France and a home populace intolerant of increased taxes, England sought to place the financial burden onto the colonies in America, which as we all know had no representation in Parliament. The story unfolds on how Boston merchants abetted by newspapers and the rabble attempted to remedy the situation over the ensuing years and how the many missteps in policy, in factional disputes, and in later massive military presence slowly radicalized the populace. We also learn of the racism within New England, where slavery existed, and how the free Afro-Caribbean drummers of the British troops were regarded with disdain. The rich details of this scholarly book are like brush strokes in a developing painting. While the action moves slowly until the crescendo of the Massacre itself, the picture is of cautious skirmishes, fear and protest, taunts and simmering anger, blunders, and layer upon layer of political ploys. As we read, the rising tension of the populace is perceived. This is a valuable book that offers a historical microcosm. [Indeed, I recall a time when my university city was under occupation by state, regional, and local police and also by the military. I understand exactly what those Bostonian citizens felt. I saw similar fear in the eyes of isolated but armed police, one with gun drawn, when confronting a taunting crowd and I witnessed many abuses by police on innocent citizens. That situation, too, was a series of larger political and local societal errors.] Thus, the book warns us, in this age of sound bites and knee-jerk emotional appeals, to be very cautious before reaching conclusions and initiating actions. "As If an Enemy's Country" is a fine addition to the history of the American Revolution, and it leaves the reader with much to ponder.

What was our country's most pivotal moment? If the British government had not imposed taxes on the colonies, would it have been necessary for British troops to occupy Boston? "As If an Enemy's Country", part of the Pivotal Moments in American History series, shows why that occupation became the spark that ignited opposition to British rule and led to the American Revolution.

After the Seven Years War, known in America as the French and Indian War, Britain needed to raise taxes to pay for the defense of its North American colonies. Since the British people didn't want to pay higher taxes, the obvious solution was to get the colonists to pay. Archer describes in detail how the resistance to these taxes eventually forced the British to occupy Boston to enforce its customs laws and to protect its revenue agents. With one man in five wearing a red coat, it was inevitable that tensions would rise, culminating in the Boston Massacre, during which five colonists were killed.

Readers will learn how the colonists worked cooperatively to oppose the British. One of their most effective tools was the Nonimportation Agreement, a pledge by the merchants of Boston to stop importing British goods until all revenue acts were repealed. Violators' names were published in Boston newspapers and citizens were urged to boycott their businesses. One merchant who did not sign the agreement "questioned whether a society had the right to pass legislation that was compulsory for individuals to obey if they had not supported the measure." However, he was forced to comply because "there was a social good that superseded individual liberty." This belief that our Founding Fathers had back in 1769 continues to be debated to this day.

Getting a grasp on the basis for revolution in the 1760-1776 is difficult now, as the current structure of American society and government is vastly different from that which existed in the colonies. From the perspective of the early 21st century, it is hard to imagine how it was possible that Boston did not have an institutionalized law enforcement agency that could enforce customs laws and prevent 'mob' violence. Similarly, the fear of quartering standing armies is almost incomprehensible now, given that the United States has the largest military establishment in history and that military spending if done locally is considered a positive good. What then could have led to revolution? "As If an Enemy's Country" does as good a job as reasonably possible at this stage in providing an explanation. The first two chapters alone are worth the price of the book in clarifying and British governmental attitudes and motives that precipitated the crisis, and the author also makes the attitudes and responses of residents and leaders of Boston to the situation understandable. An important point in this respect is his showing that it was not necessary that the people of Boston be manipulated by a secretive group of leaders for them to be outraged by the Stamp Act and take spontaneous action. The description and analysis of the Boston Massacre is clear and even-handed.

There are a couple of very minor drawbacks. More detailed maps showing where the events described occurred would have been helpful, as would a description of the structure of the government of colonial Massachusetts.

This book was so much more than I had expected. The author places you in the middle of Boston during the occupation and makes you an intimate with what transpired there.

A must read for all middle school children so they know where we came from and why this country is the greatest on earth.

This book has many points of our history that lead one to see how incidents and deeds led to the birth of our revolution and growth.