Tea Party to Independence: The Third Phase of the American Revolution, 1773-1776

ISBN-13: 9780198201427 / Angielski / Twarda / 1991 / 368 str.

Peter D. G. Thomas

Opis

This book is a study of the formulation of British policy towards the American colonies during the crucial period between the Boston Tea Party of December 1773 and the American Declaration of Independence in July 1776. It is set against the background both of British public opinion and of the developing resistance movement in America. Thomas examines the constraints on British policy-making, and analyses the failure of the colonists either to respond to British overtures or to produce positive proposals of their own. He shows how the crisis escalated as the Americans moved from constitutional demands to a military response, and finally took the decision to separate from Britain.

Recenzje

As in the previous volumes the documentation and the analysis of the motive are thorough and meticulous. In a crowded area of scholarship, where conflicting interpreations have often been reached by historians, Thoams's reappraisals have confirmed some conclusions but cast doubts on a number of others. Professor Thomas has [placed all scholars concerned with the American Revolution yet more extensively in his debt.

Spis treści

Britain and America in 1773; Tea Party in Boston; A policy for America: January-March 1774; The coercion of Boston: March 1774; The control of Massachusetts: March-May 1774; The problem of Quebec: May-June 1774; Confrontation: May-September 1774; The challenge of Congress: September-December 1774; The stick and the carrot: British policy in 1775; The outbreak of war: March-July 1775; Rebellion: July-November 1775; The sword and the olive branch: British policy, November 1775-May 1776; Independence: April-July 1776; Select bibliography; Index