Independence: The Struggle to Set America Free

by John Ferling

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, but no author has traced the political journey from protest to Revolution with the narrative scope and flair of John Ferling. Independence takes readers 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."

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781608190089
Publisher:	Bloomsbury USA
Publication date:	06/21/2011
Pages:	448
Product dimensions:	9.32(w) x 6.44(h) x 1.47(d)

About the Author

John Ferling is professor emeritus of history at the State University of West Georgia. A leading authority on American Revolutionary history, he has appeared in many documentaries and has written numerous books, including The Ascent of George Washington: The Hidden Political Genius of an American Icon, Almost a Miracle: The American Victory in the War of Independence, Setting the World Ablaze: Washington, Adams, Jefferson, and the American Revolution, and the award-winning A Leap in the Dark: The Struggle to Create the American Republic.

Table of Contents

Preface ix

1 "In the Very Midst of a Revolution": The Proposal to Declare Independence 1

2 "A Spirit of Riot and Rebellion": Lord North, Benjamin Franklin, and the American Crisis 8

3 "Defenders of American Liberty": Samuel Adams, Joseph Galloways, and the First Continental Congress 52

4 "It Is a Bill of War. It Draws the Sword": Lord Dartmouth, George Washington, Hostilities 88

5 "A Rescript Written in Blood": John Dickinson and the Appeal of Reconciliation 116

6 "Progress Must Be Slow": John Adams and the Politics of a Divided Congress 143

7 "The King Will Produce the Grandest Revolution": George III and the American Rebellion 170

8 "The Folly and Madness of the Ministry": Charles James Fox, Thomas Paine, and the War 198

9 "We Might Get Ourselves upon Dangerous Ground": James Wilson, Robert Morris, Lord Howe, and the Search for Peace 224

10 "The Fatal Stab": Abigail Adams and the Realities of the Struggle for Independence 246

11 "Not Choice, But Necessity That Calls for Independence": The Dilemma and Strategy of Robert Livingston 278

12 "The Character of a Fine Writer": Thomas Jefferson and the Drafting of the Declaration of Independence 294

13 "May Heaven Prosper the New Born Republic": Setting America Free 318

14 "This Will Cement the Union": America Is Set Free 336

Epilogue 342

Appendix: The Declaration of Independence 358

Abbreviations 363

Select Bibliography 365

Notes 372

Index 419

Editorial Reviews

Noted for his knowledge of the Revolutionary era, Ferling (The Ascent of George Washington) again gives us a narrative hard to surpass in fluency and authority. It covers the coming of the American Revolution from the Stamp Act in 1765 to the Declaration of Independence. Familiar leading characters on both sides of the Atlantic, from Lord North to Benjamin Franklin and George Washington, fill the pages, their motives examined as are the battles raging in both the colonies and Parliament on how to resolve their differences. Ferling treats them all with understanding and balance even while he offers criticism where it's due (as with Franklin's trying to play all sides). The problem is that Ferling's take on the coming of independence is conventional, limited, and out of date. Ferling fails to discuss how the American people's own activities pushed their leaders to take stronger stances, or the worries aroused by the Indian tribes or restive slaves once full-scale war broke out. Of thousands of Loyalists, only Joseph Galloway plays a role. When Abigail Adams puts in a short appearance, it isn't clear why. Ferling had a chance to give us a full picture of the turmoil and confusion of the decade before 1776. It's unfortunate that he hasn't done so. B&w illus. (June)

Publishers Weekly

Mesmerizing. Masterful. History written with the gravitational pull of a good novel. A history book that deserves to become a big best seller.” —Dan Rather

“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.” —Andrew Burstein, author of Jefferson's Secrets, and coauthor of Madison and Jefferson

“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.” —R. B. Bernstein, distinguished adjunct professor of law, New York Law School, and author of The Founding Fathers Reconsidered and Thomas Jefferson

“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.” —Edith B. Gelles, author of Abigail and John: Portrait of a Marriage

“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 … A lucid, erudite account of a period both terrifying and supremely inspiring.” —Kirkus

“Noted for his knowledge of the Revolutionary era, Ferling … again gives us a narrative hard to surpass in fluency and authority.” —Publishers Weekly

“In this splendid book, noted founding-era historian Ferling presents a convincing narrative of American independence that focuses on the role of contingency in the colonial break with the mother country … Ferling's entertaining and edifying work is sure to find an audience among general readers.” —Booklist

From the Publisher

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.

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

Prolific author Ferling (history, emeritus, State Univ. of West Georgia; The Ascent of George Washington) recounts the pivotal three years from the 1773 Boston Tea Party to the 1776 congressional vote for American independence, with a conventional focus on the major American and British players and the political and commercial issues that cleaved the slowly unifying colonies from their mother country. He clearly explains how the march toward independence was made in gradual and seemingly inevitable steps, with the British Parliament and monarchy missing repeated opportunities to make amends and avoid a breakaway. He relies on a bevy of primary and secondary sources, quoting liberally from correspondence and official documents, including the Declaration of Independence, which is transcribed in full for easy reference. British and congressional leaders' personalities, mannerisms, and personal backgrounds are examined along with their political contributions, lending human interest to what could have been a dry tale. VERDICT Unfortunately, Ferling provides nothing new to American revolutionary period scholarship in this minor but entertaining work. His readable narrative should appeal to general readers or students new to the topic of how and why the British colonies declared themselves American states.—Douglas King, Univ. of South Carolina Libs., Columbia

Library Journal

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.

Kirkus Reviews