Independence: The Struggle to Set America Free

by John Ferling Narrated by Robert Fass

Overview

No event in American history was more pivotal-or more furiously contested-than Congress's decision to declare independence in July 1776. Even months after American blood had been shed at Lexington and Concord, many colonists remained loyal to Britain. John Adams, a leader of the revolutionary effort, said bringing the fractious colonies together was like getting "thirteen clocks to strike at once."



Other books have been written about the Declaration of Independence, but no author has traced the political journey from protest to revolution with the narrative scope and flair of John Ferling. Independence takes listeners from the cobblestones of Philadelphia into the halls of Parliament, where many sympathized with the Americans and furious debate erupted over how to deal with the rebellion. Independence is not only the story of how freedom was won, but how an empire was lost.



At this remarkable moment in history, high-stakes politics was intertwined with a profound debate about democracy, governance, and justice. John Ferling, drawing on a lifetime of scholarship, brings this passionate struggle to life as no other historian could. Independence will be hailed as the finest work yet from the author Michael Beschloss calls "a national resource."

Editorial Reviews

R. B. Bernstein

John Ferling has established himself as one of the leading chroniclers of the American Revolution, but Independence goes beyond anything he has written before. Instead of recycling the familiar story of the Revolution, he has given us an enlightening and exciting book that proves that history has no guarantees or foreordained outcomes. Expertly blending biographical vignettes with fast-paced narrative and sure-footed interpretation, Ferling captures the mystery of historical contingency in exploring the period between the Boston Tea Party in 1773 and the declaration of American independence in 1776. Not even the founding fathers knew what the future would bring; Ferling performs a national public service in reminding us of this basic fact, and demonstrating it with elegance and style.”

author of Jefferson’s Secrets Andrew Burstein

This is how it really happened. In unequivocal prose, John Ferling captures the combined bluster and outrage on both sides of the Atlantic. He exposes the quirks, while exploring the vision, of the opinionated, opportunistic delegates who were present in Philadelphia in 1776; he shows us just how they rhetorically overcame the ‘mystique of invincibility’ that attached to the British military, before launching America, in the words of one delegate, ‘on a most Tempestuous Sea.’ Independence is rich in personality, and Ferling unsurpassed as an authority. This is no ordinary history.”

Dan Rather

Mesmerizing. Masterful. History written with the gravitational pull of a good novel. A history book that deserves to become a big bestseller.”

author of Abigail and John: Portrait of a Marr Edith B. Gelles

In clear and elegant prose and with formidable scholarship, John Ferling freshly examines the period that led to declaring independence. By focusing on the character of leaders in both England and her colonies as they intersected with circumstances, he captures the uncertainty of the times and the unpredictable journey to the declaration itself.”

From the Publisher

Once in a while a book comes along to remind us that ... America more vibrant than a mere list of principles. ... The Ascent of George Washington is just such a book” —Washington Post on THE ASCENT OF GEO WASHINGTON

“Comprehensive and engaging” —Jon Meacham on ALMOST A MIRACLE

“Arguably the best, and certainly one of the most stimulating, single-volume histories of the American Revolution” —PW on ALMOST A MIRACLE

“Ferling vividly evokes the political turmoil of the post-Revolutionary years. Even as he takes the Founders off their pedestals, their accomplishments only gain in stature” —The New Yorker on A LEAP IN THE DARK

Kirkus Reviews

A venerable historian of the American Revolution focuses on the events between the shot heard round the world and the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

Ferling (History/State Univ. of West Georgia; The Ascent of George Washington, 2009, etc.) uses a transatlantic approach to show how the stone of revolution began its roll, accelerating until it reached the velocity necessary to crush both American reconcilers and a major portion of England's colonial empire. Numerous characters (none really surprising) emerge in prominence as the narrative progresses: in England—Lord North (the Prime Minister), King George III, Edmund Burke, William Pitt, Charles James Fox; in America—Richard Henry Lee, Benjamin Franklin, Samuel Adams, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Robert R. Livingston. Although the author spends some time detailing the initial civilian and military clashes (the Tea Party, Boston Massacre, Concord bridge, siege of Quebec), he attends most carefully to the human stories: the loneliness of families separated by war and politics (he highlights the correspondence between John and Abigail Adams), the fear of those near the war zones, the frustrations of dealing with international relations in a time when communications were snail-slow and the egos and ignorance on both sides of the Atlantic. Sometimes Ferling points toward contemporary analogies. Writing of England, he notes: "Not for the last time would a government underestimate its enemy as it took its people into the costly, bloody wasteland of war." Only occasionally is the author hobbled by a lack of documentary evidence, forcing him into multiple uses ofprobablyandseemsand their kin. He also reminds us the vote for independence was on July 2nd, not 4th.

A lucid, erudite account a period both terrifying and supremely inspiring.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940170817023
Publisher:	Tantor Audio
Publication date:	06/22/2011
Edition description:	Unabridged

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