Disunion Among Ourselves: The Perilous Politics of the American Revolution [Paperback]

Winner of the 2024 Society of the Cincinnati Prize from the American Revolution Institute

Winner of the 2023 American Revolution Round Table of Philadelphia book award

In this eye-opening account, Eli Merritt reveals the deep political divisions that almost tore the Union apart during the American Revolution. So fractious were the founders political fights that they feared the War of Independence might end in disunion and civil war.

Instead of disbanding into separate regional confederacies, the founders managed to unite for the sake of liberty and self-preservation. In so doing, they succeeded in holding the young nation together. To achieve this, they forged grueling compromises, in?cluding Declaration of Independence in 1776, the Mississippi-Fisheries Compromise of 1779, and the ratification of the Articles of Confederation in 1781.

In addition to bringing new insights to the history of the American Revolution,Disunion Among Ourselveshas inevitable resonances with our present era of political hyperpolarization and serves as a touchstone for contemporary politics, reminding us that the founders overcame far tougher times than our own through commitment to ethical constitutional democracy and compromise.

 

“Disunion Among Ourselvestells an important story that has been missed or skipped over in nearly all histories of the Revolution. It has indeed, as promised, recovered ‘a whole area of the Revolution’ previously underappreciated, and for that is invaluable.”—Richard Kreitner, writer and historian, author ofBreak It Up: Secession, Division, and the Secret History of America’s Imperfect Union"Eli Merritt deftly explores a revolutionary America rife with divisions and driven by a fear of civil wars on multiple fronts.  Deeply researched, wide-ranging, and insightful,Disunion Among Ourselvespersuades that our national UnionlS=