The debate on the American Revolution [Paperback]

This book is the first in-depth study of the way in which historians have dealt with the coming of the American Revolution and the formation of the US Constitution. The approach is thematic, examining how historians in different periods interpreted these events and their causes and, more contentiously, their meaning.

Making accessible to modern readers the work of often-neglected early historians, this book examines how the emergence of history as a professional discipline led to new and competing versions of the history of the Revolution. It spans the entire period from the first generation of writers, whose ideas about history were shaped by the Enlightenment, to those of the twenty-first century who drew on the rich legacy provided by black studies, gender and women's studies, cultural studies and ethnohistory.

This book will be an invaluable resource for all students and scholars of the American Revolution.

Introduction

Ch. 1 Pioneers

Ch. 2 The 'Noble' and the 'Ignoble'

Ch. 3 Present at the creation: The making of the constitution

Ch. 4 Ideology, slavery and original Intent

Ch. 5 African Americans: resistance and revolution

Ch. 6 'A new era in female history'

Ch. 7 The Indians, the west and the Revolution

Conclusion

Index

Gwenda Morgan is Reader in History and American Studies at the University of Sunderland