The First American Revolution: The American Colonies on the Eve of Independence (Harvest Books) [Paperback]

Clinton Rossiter (Author)

Book Description

Series: Harvest Books

From his monumental Seedtime of the Republic, Rossiter culled this account of colonial government, religion, social structure, and intellectual life. Index.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Clinton Rossiter (1917 – 1970) was a historian and political scientist who taught at Cornell University from 1946 until his suicide in 1970. He wrote The American Presidency along with 20 other books on American institutions and history. He won the Bancroft Prize and the Woodrow Wilson Foundation Award for his book Seedtime of the Republic.

Clinton Lawrence Rossiter III was the son of Winton Goodrich Rossiter and Dorothy Shaw. Winton Goodrich Rossiter died on February 14, 1954 at age 64, ending his prominent career as a New York stockbroker.

Clinton grew up in Bronxville, New York as the third of four siblings: Dorothy Ann Rossiter, William Winton Goodrich Rossiter (William also attended Westminster and Cornell University), Clinton, and Joan Rossiter. He was raised to give priority to family and social expectations. He attended Westminster preparatory school in Simsbury, CT and graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Cornell University in 1939, where he was also a member of the Quill and Dagger society. In 1942 Princeton University awarded him a doctorate for his thesis Constitutional Dictatorship : Crisis government in the modern democracies.

Immediately after American entry into World War II, Rossiter joined the U.S. Naval Reserves and served for three years as a gunnery officer, mostly on the USS Alabama (BB-60) in the Pacific theater, reaching the rank of lieutenant.

He married Mary Ellen Crane in September 1947. They had three sons (all Cornell graduates): David Goodrich Rossiter (1949), Caleb Stewart Rossiter (1951) (Caleb also attended Westminster) who is three years older than Winton Goodrich Rossiter (1954).

Product Details

• Paperback: 266 pages
• Publisher: Mariner Books; Revised edition (February 23, 1956)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0156311216
• ISBN-13: 978-0156311212
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 4.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #372,155 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The First American Revolution: the American Colonies on the, July 7, 2000

By 

P Hyatt (Pine Beach, NJ USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The First American Revolution: The American Colonies on the Eve of Independence (Harvest Books) (Paperback)

Challenging read, but informative. Presents a good overview of the economic relationship between the colonies and England, and how that relationship led to the Revolution. Interesting explaination of the influence of religious beliefs and the growth of religious freedom as a cause of the war. Good introduction to the concept of multiculturalism as it began in colonial America, and very good explanation of the growth of colonial political separation from England prior to the Revolution. One complaint as a teacher - no citations for the many quotations used throughout the book. Credit is given to the individual responsible for the quote, but the actual source of the information is not included.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good for the price, January 18, 2004

By 

A Customer - See all my reviews

This review is from: The First American Revolution: The American Colonies on the Eve of Independence (Harvest Books) (Paperback)

Although Clinton Rossiter writes in a slightly outmoded style, this is worth having for the price.

5.0 out of 5 stars Great read. Wonderful book., January 20, 2012

By 

D Chambliss - See all my reviews

This review is from: The First American Revolution: The American Colonies on the Eve of Independence (Harvest Books) (Paperback)

If you want inside the colonial mindset, this is a great read. Just wonderful. Gets inside the events that led to the revolution as seen through the eyes of the participants.