Ms. Smarty Pants Know It All

Rather than being yet another play-by-play of the Revolutionary Era, this book is more about the ideas of the Revolution and how those influenced the events that happened.

I really enjoyed this approach because it gave me a different way to experience the time. And now that I’ve heard the story this way, it seems to be the more legitimate way of looking at these decades.

For example, I think the Declaration of Independence received all of four sentences in this book. If there were more, it certainly didn’t seem like it. In other works, the Dec. of Ind. would get its own chapter, or a few pages at least.

But really, the Declaration was the culmination of the colonial protests. Thomas Jefferson wrote down in one place many of the principles and objections developed throughout the land. If a work of history did not cover these points before its arrival at 1776, then it is a sorely lacking project.

And if the points were covered, why rehash everything again? At this point, Wood explains the Declaration of Independence for what it was and does not explain all the points Jefferson put in there.

And he is able to do this clearly. Wood has a gift for explaining ideas and situations with brevity yet thoroughness. For example, I learned that the British insisted that their taxation powers were legitimized through virtual representation. The Americans rejected this position and insisted that only actual representation was acceptable and legitimate.

Wood also got across just how significant and important the idea of adding additional states as equal members was.

These are heavy ideas yet they are handled deftly, quickly, and things never got bogged down. There is one big glaring omission though. In my opinion, the controversy over slavery did not get the pages it deserves. I would have liked to hear more from him on this front.

But, and this is a huge point, it is remarkable that his biases, for the most part, cannot be seen here. When dealing with American heroes, it can be hard to avoid romanticizing or over-criticizing the Revolutionary generation. Everyone, including the British, gets a fair shake here.

The writing is not devoid of passion. It is simply interestingly matter of fact.

For those who may not enjoy the more chronological, events-oriented nature of historic study, The American Revolution is going to be a hit. One can really see the roots of American society and better understand how we are still dealing with many of the same things today. Our time is really not that different from what came before.

Audiobook Challenge: six down, six to go.

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