Customer Reviews

Orators of the American Revolution

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I purchased this book as a continuation of the search for information about James Otis, who is my Grandfather thrice removed. The more I read, the prouder I am - and I'm late to the library, life itself having stood in my way these many years.

This book is a must-read for anyone searching for those who truly paved the way for the country we know now as America - during dark days when it most assuredly meant your neck if you dared question the British Government of Control. It is a self-described testimonial to the Great Men of The American Revolution, and, perhaps even more importantly, the Pre-Revolutionists - who somehow have never seemed to take their rightful place in History's "Recognition of the Event" along with George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and the rest - as they surely deserved.

James Otis, in particular, stands apart, as by his natural gift for putting thought and feeling into words that others could relate to, was the actual "Catalyst" for the American Revolution; the man who, by his defiance of personal danger, blazed the trail for those who were inspired by him, such as John Adams, who was present in the courtroom during his daring exposure of the "Writs of Assistance" for what it was - the intrusion into the homes of the people without due cause. The oft-repeated phrases such as "A Man's Home is His Castle", (a direct reference to the King) "Taxation Without Representation" can be traced to the fountainhead of James Otis. (page 541 in "The Adams Jefferson Letters" , John Adams remarked: 'Samuel Adams contribution to the Revolution is beyond all calculations; I know of but one Superior to him and that was James Otis'. "

I truly believe, after having read this much about him, that the only comprehensible reason for the lack of recognition afforded him might be - possibly - traced to the fact that he lost his mind, Victorian attitudes being what they were back then. There could have been several reasons for this medical condition; the violent attack he suffered at the hands of a mindless nondescript in the heat of the disputes; early Alzheimers, which was an unrecognized diagnosis at the time; the unimaginable stress he endured within the times in which he lived and during the dangerous Revolutionist protest he undertook to liberate the rest of us; or a chemical imbalance easily treated today with prescription drugs.

God Bless Those Men, Every One. (I say this not so much as religious symbolism, of which they strove to moderate in their united stand for the principle of "The Separation of Church and State," but as a tribute to a beloved Heritage; a beloved Tradition.) These simple truths, must endure through us to our "Posterity" as the precious rights they fought and gave their lives for, were willed to us - for if life not sacrificed on the field of battle, then through the selfless devotion they contributed to the developing and nurturing of the fledgling Constitution throughout their lives.

And, in the immortal words of Abigail Adams - "Don't Forget The Ladies". Some of them sacrificed their entire lives too, living entirely through their husbands passionate work. The book pays homage to those that History chose not to afford nearly enough credit to, and perhaps, in the case of James Otis - that will, of necessity, have to change in time.

Additional recommended books regarding American History:

** "Miracle at Philadelphia" by Catherine Drinker Bowen
** "Three men of Boston" by John r. galvin
** "Jefferson" by Thomas Jefferson (Library of America)
** "Paul Revere's Ride" by David Hackett Fischer
** "American Colonies" by Alan Taylor
** "The First American" (Franklin) by H.W. Brands (Library of America)
** "1776" by David McCullough
** "John Adams" by David McCullough
** "Defiance of the Patriots - the Boston Tea Party" - Benjamin L. Carp