Customer Reviews

The Birth of the Republic, 1763-89 (The Chicago History of American Civilization)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Edmund Morgan remains America's most readable colonial historian after a half-century of writing. This short volume is still my favorite book about the American Revolution. Written in clear, readable prose that anyone with half-a-brain could understand and enjoy, "The Birth of the Republic" covers all the major bases from 1763 to the Constitutional Convention in 1789. Primarily a political history, readers seeking for a military history should look elsewhere. But for almost fifty years, this book has remained in print, luring readers into a deeper appreciation of our most important piece of history: when the American colonies began to separate themselves from the British Empire, deciding that one's political liberties were more sacred than loyalty to a crown. While in retrospect we can now see that there was little tyranny actually being practiced against the colonies, the fear itself of what dangerous precedent might bring remains with us today. A truly marvelous book, both for a general audience and for those with historical awareness. I first read this book as a student; now, as a history teacher, I give it to my own students with the greatest of anticipated joy: that they too will find this short book as wonderful as any they have ever read.

Originally published in 1956 and revised in 1977, this book is probably familiar to a couple of generations of college students. This may well be the most accessible overview of the formative history of America. As an overview, of course, it does not go into great detail about the myriad of topics debated by historians still today, but it does hit most of the predominant features of the Revolutionary story. Morgan builds his work around the premise that the Founding Fathers did indeed operate on principle in building a new nation and that the struggle eventually framed itself as a pursuit of equality among all men. He admits that many of the decisions made by the leaders of the Revolution did equate to economic or property gains for themselves, but he argues that this is not contradictory at all with a commitment to liberty because liberty in the 18th century essentially hinged on land ownership. He also rationalizes the contradiction of slavery's continued existence being incorporated into the Constitution by arguing that the convention delegates acted out of urgent concern for the future of a government in its death throes at the hands of a powerless Congress as set up by the Articles of Confederation--without such compromise, the important new Constitution could not have been ratified by a sufficient number of states before the young nation collapsed at the feet of the British and Spanish.

Morgan first examines the increasingly rocky relationship between the English Parliament and the colonies--specifically, the debate over taxation and infringement of liberties that led up to the declaration of independence. He devotes a few pages to the war but does not delve very deeply into military matters. Morgan does an excellent job explaining why the Articles of Confederation failed and how the problems of that system were widely recognized, frankly debated, and resolved in the creation of a new national government established upon the bedrock of a new federal Constitution.

Aside from Morgan's excellent treatment of the birth of the American republic, this book also features the texts of the Declaration of Independence, Articles of Confederation, and federal Constitution; a timeline of important events; and a pretty expansive discussion of source materials published before 1977. In sum, this book is ideal for anyone just wanting to learn or review the pivotal events surrounding the creation of the United States without having to sift through scholarly criticisms and debates of important yet secondary aspects of the story.

Morgan's book, The Birth of the Republic, is a well-written book of a very interesting time in American History. His book uses great detail to describe this unrevealed part of history. Morgan does not just describe what was going on in these times but he tells why these events occurred. We get not only the story, but also the meaning behind the story. Through the use of Morgan's words and my own imagination I now have the understanding of why "Revolution" occurred.

Morgans book taught us about the times of the revolutionary period in American history. Morgan discussed the taxation and legislation from Parliament and the Americans loyalty to them. Morgan's book shows the challenge of British taxation and why the Americans fought to protect their freedom. He discussed the constitution and to what degree it controlled and helped heal the American society. The book illustrated a division of Americans, turning against each other and becoming an unconstrained nation to fight for the rights of individuals.

I enjoyed Morgan's book because he described the thought and reasoning of the Americans better than I had ever perceived. He used thought rather than facts to discuss the why of the revolutionary period. He supported his why with the reality of what had occurred. Morgan used great judgment in concluding what this period of American history represented. He used clearly cut issues to put meaning behind the acts of the people of this time.

Morgan only had a few flaws in my opinion. He reflected back too much on some of the past experiences. He used too many references that related to what was happening. Morgan also tended to repeat himself in making many points. All of this was not necessary in order to get his point across.

This book presents the American Revolution as a great conflict, not just of men or nations, but of ideas. It tells, not just about the battles, but about the reasons behind the battles. Morgan has done a wonderful job explaining and teaching this part of history. Anyone using this book will get a great understanding of what the American Revolution was about, and why the constitutional principles are so powerful.

For those of you whose idea of American history only stretches back to 1776, you might want to fill in the gaps with this book. Morgan not only takes the reader through the war that made our country independent, the Revolutionary War, but also how "the challenge of British taxation started the Americans on a search for constitutional principles to protect their freedom." He takes you into the hearts of the colonists and the minds of the diplomats. At the end of the book, Morgan masterfully places copies of the Declaration of Independence, the Bill of Rights, and the United States Constitution so you, the reader, can see the effects of the events and outcomes that you just read about. Great book to enhance your knowledge of history, I give The Birth of the Republic 4 out of 5 stars making it "almost perfect."

Perhaps independence from Great Britain was inevitable, but Great Britain herself had precipitated the Colonies declaring themselves to be "Free and Independent States" in 1776. The colonial settlers thought themselves to be entitled to all of the constitutional rights of Englishmen, especially the rights to liberty. When Parliament sought to enhance its poor revenue collections by imposing extra taxes on the colonies by the Sugar and Stamp Acts of 1764-65, the colonists immediately invoked rights to be directly represented before taxes could be imposed. The author shows that it was those acts that started a reexamination of the colonies' relationship to Great Britain.


Though those acts were repealed, Parliament was fixated on imposing its authority on the colonies. The colonists rejected the notion of "virtual" representation, and moved from a position of rejecting taxation yet accepting general legislation to one of questioning any jurisdiction by Parliament. The author distinguishes the American Revolution from more far-reaching social revolutions and from nationalistic impulses. The colonists in their minds merely wanted the freedoms enjoyed by all Englishmen.


But opposition to a central government proved to be an insufficient basis for establishing a viable political entity. The Articles of Confederation proposed in 1777 left the Congress without any teeth to enforce its provisions, especially in collecting revenues. The securities that Congress offered to fund the war soon became greatly debased because of the Congress's unsound financial basis. Even after having defeated England through some timely help by France and British ineptitude, governing realities and existing in a world of hostile nations forced colonial leaders to call for a constitutional convention in 1787 a mere four years after signing the peace treaty.


In many ways the Constitution was more controversial than declaring independence. The author discusses any number of conflicts that arose: small states versus large states, where a compromise was reached subordinating the equality of men to the equality of states in determining the basis of representation in the Senate; slave states versus free states, where each slave was counted as three-fifths of a person for representation at the cost of banning further importation of slaves after 1808; an independent executive and judiciary elements were established with some power to override the Congress; and the financial interests of the well-to-do were protected in having the value of securities upheld. It is clear that the idealism of the language in the Declaration had been considerably reduced.


Despite its brevity, this book sufficiently explores the events and the mindset of the colonists from the Stamp Act to the Revolution, through the Revolutionary and the Articles period, and into the Constitution making stage for the reader to gain a good understanding of how a content people could find themselves living in an independent nation with a Constitution that has withstood the test of time, though suffering some shocks along the way - all in the span of twenty-five years.

In his book, The Birth of the Republic 1763 - 89, Edmund S. Morgan addresses the historical problem of why the American colonists, who frequently engaged in quarrels and disputes with each other over the most trivial of matters, united together in a common enterprise to end English rule and establish a new government. Morgan's historiographical analysis offers a response to the progressive historians' emphasis on the internal struggles among the colonies before, during, and after the Revolution. While Morgan may agree that the colonies were not without their share of conflicts and discord, he strongly argues that they were able to set aside their differences to unite in a common cause. The belief in principle, namely the belief and discovery of human equality, united the colonists to a common cause and was the most significant force behind the American Revolution. In addition to the principle of human equality, Morgan demonstrates that the Lockian principles of property and liberty were also vital factors in the cause for revolution.

In addition to his detailed biographical notes, Morgan's book can be appreciated for the inclusion of the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, the Constitution of the United States, the Bill of Rights, and a list of important dates between 1763 and 1790. Seemingly, such documents as the Declaration and the Constitution are central to the history of the American Revolution and founding of our nation. Perhaps more significantly, these items supplement the patriotic sentiment prominent in Morgan's book, solidifying his argument that in order for such documents to have even been created successfully the colonies had to be united in their efforts and ideals.

Many other historiographical arguments on the American Revolution exist (particularly on its nature, meaning, and significance); there are certainly many more detailed and interpretative studies that one could read. Edmund S. Morgan is noted for being a consensus historian, often criticized by 'new left' historians for presenting the Revolution as too synthetic and without regard to the issues of women, blacks, and the poor and dispossessed. Despite this criticism, I believe that Morgan's book offers a good starting point for a student of history or anyone wishing to learn about the birth of our nation.

This book is a great over view of the time before, during, and after the revolution. I must confess that I read this as a required text book for my American history class. It is the first and possibly only text book that I can say I liked well enough to read all the way through and like it. This book goes very breifly over the events in a very readable fashion. Those studying history (such as myself) can always read a companion to the revolution along with it to go more in depth into the revolution. For those who only want a brief history this book is perfect.

One would think that justice cannot be done to the topic of ideology during the American Revolution in such a short book, but Edmund S. Morgan does the job quite well. In each chapter, you have an introduction to the various basic issues that confronted Americans during the Revolution and how the people grappled with the issues. Morgan does not waste words by going on and on about every minute detail, but hits on what needs to be covered and gives the reader the background knowledge needed when looking at the American Revolution and considering what issues were in play as a result of the new dialogue about freedom and liberty. This volume does not merely deal with how our Founding Fathers responded, but also the laborer and the merchant, the slave and the freedman, and the Southern plantation owner and the Northern farmer. I am not sure if one should read this volume before reading a general history of the American Revolution or vice-versa, but it is clear to me that one is needed to properly understand the other. Perhaps reading this volume with Robert Middlekauf's "Glorious Revolution," would make a good duo to explore the history of the American Revolution.

Professor Morgan, in The Birth of the Republic (1763-1789), provides a wonderfully brief, yet remarkably informative, primer describing the founding events of United States history. Beginning with the armed confrontation on Lexington Green between British regulars and American militia, Professor Morgan eloquently traces the pivotal events of United States history up to the ratification of the United States' Constitution. Included are discussions on the Stamp Act crisis, the Townsend Act, the Quartering Act, the Boston Massacre, and the Boston Tea Party. Also included are discussions on the Colonists' political philosophies ("equal rights and equal men"), their experiences with government after the Revolutionary War, and the impetus for and events surrounding the creation of a Federal Constitution.

This book is, by far, the most concise and informative survey of this critical period in American history. I most highly recommend it as the point to begin an understanding of this remarkable historical period! Balanced, well-written, and a delight to read, it is unquestionably a classic study!

Morgan presents an explanation of the meaning and history behind "No Taxation without Representation", exploring how the American colonists justified going to war against a King and Parliament that became increasingly hostile to its freedoms, particularly economic freedoms. I was deeply disappointed, however, in the almost complete lack of discussion of the religious character of the revolution. Morgan sees the Founders as influenced by secular enlightenment thinkers such as Locke and Paine, but ignores people such as Jonathan Mayhew, who preached liberty from the pulpit, and while he shows the idea that government may not strip its citizens of, but is designed to protect, their rights, he does not address the Declaration of Independence's conviction that these rights are derived "from Nature and Nature's God".

The book is not supposed to be a complete or thorough scholarly account, but certainly serves its purpose as an accessible overview of this era of American history.