The History Book Club discussion

This is the Week One thread for the book - The British are Coming by Rick Atkinson.

by Rick Atkinson

The Week One reading assignment is as follows: (May 10th - May 17th)

Week One: -(May 10th - May 17th) (pages vii - through page 54)

TITLE PAGE ...vii

COPYRIGHT NOTICE ...

DEDICATION ...ix

EPIGRAPH ...v

LIST OF MAPS ...xv

MAP LEGEND ...xvi

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS ...xvii

PROLOGUE, England, June 1773–March 1775 - page 1

1. Inspecting the Fleet - page 1
2. Avenging the Tea - page 11
3. Preparing for War - page 23

Part One

1. GOD HIMSELF OUR CAPTAIN Boston, March 6–April 17, 1775  - page 35

George III inherited his throne in 1760 at age twenty-two, on the eve of Britain’s victory in the Seven Years’ War, which created the greatest empire the world had known since ancient Rome. As the American rebellion gained strength in the 1770s, he feared that loss of the colonies would lead to Britain’s fatal decline. “Blows,” he declared, “must decide.”

Johan Joseph Zoffany, George III, oil on canvas, 1771. (Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2018)

Spotlighted Book - The British are Coming: The War for America, Lexington to Princeton

by Rick Atkinson

Synopsis:

From the bestselling author of the Liberation Trilogy comes the extraordinary first volume of his new trilogy about the American Revolution

Rick Atkinson, author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning An Army at Dawn and two other superb books about World War II, has long been admired for his deeply researched, stunningly vivid narrative histories. Now he turns his attention to a new war, and in the initial volume of the Revolution Trilogy he recounts the first twenty-one months of America’s violent war for independence.

From the battles at Lexington and Concord in spring 1775 to those at Trenton and Princeton in winter 1777, American militiamen and then the ragged Continental Army take on the world’s most formidable fighting force. It is a gripping saga alive with astonishing characters: Henry Knox, the former bookseller with an uncanny understanding of artillery; Nathanael Greene, the blue-eyed bumpkin who becomes a brilliant battle captain; Benjamin Franklin, the self-made man who proves to be the wiliest of diplomats; George Washington, the commander in chief who learns the difficult art of leadership when the war seems all but lost. The story is also told from the British perspective, making the mortal conflict between the redcoats and the rebels all the more compelling.

Full of riveting details and untold stories, The British Are Coming is a tale of heroes and knaves, of sacrifice and blunder, of redemption and profound suffering. Rick Atkinson has given stirring new life to the first act of our country’s creation drama.

The king’s four-day review of the British fleet at Portsmouth in June 1773 was the occasion for a grand celebration of national power. Here the royal barge, in the center foreground, passes the stern of the warship Royal Oak amid a thunderous salute.

Source: John Clevely, George III Reviewing the Fleet at Spithead, 22 June 1773, watercolor, 1773. (© National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London)

A childhood friend of the king, Lord Frederick North became his prime minister in 1770 and would oversee the war against America despite misgivings about the cause. “Upon military matters I speak ignorantly,” he once confessed, “and therefore without effect.”

Source: John Russell, Frederick North, 2nd Earl of Guilford, oil on canvas, c. 1765-68. (Privatecollection/Bridgeman Images)

Source: Queen Charlotte (1744–1818) Johann Zoffany (1733–1810) (attributed to) The Holburne Museum

REVIEWS OF THE BRITISH ARE COMING

“To say that Atkinson can tell a story is like saying Sinatra can sing…. Historians of the American Revolution take note. Atkinson is coming. He brings with him a Tolstoyan view of war; that is, he presumes war can be understood only by recovering the experience of ordinary men and women caught in the crucible of orchestrated violence beyond their control or comprehension…. It is as if Ken Burns somehow gained access to a time machine, traveled back to the Revolutionary era, then captured historical scenes on film as they were happening…. The story he tells is designed to rescue the American Revolution from the sentimental stereotypes and bring it to life as an ugly, savage, often barbaric war…. A powerful new voice has been added to the dialogue about our origins as a people and a nation. It is difficult to imagine any reader putting this beguiling book down without a smile and a tear.” —JOSEPH J. ELLIS, THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW

“Mr. Atkinson’s book…is chock full of momentous events and larger-than-life characters. Perfect material for a storyteller as masterly as Mr. Atkinson…. Mr. Atkinson commands great powers of description…. On center stage are the battlefields, [which] are documented in stellar prose and 24 exquisite maps.… The narrative is the stuff of novels, [but] Mr. Atkinson’s facts are drawn from a wealth of manuscript and printed sources. He quotes aptly and with acumen…. Mr. Atkinson weaves it all together seamlessly, bringing us with him. Pithy character sketches—reminiscent of 18th-century historians David Hume and Edward Gibbon, both of whom Mr. Atkinson cites—bring the dead to life.” —THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

“[Atkinson has a] felicity for turning history into literature…. One lesson of The British Are Coming is the history-shaping power of individuals exercising their agency together: the volition of those who shouldered muskets in opposition to an empire…. The more that Americans are reminded by Atkinson and other supreme practitioners of the historians’ craft that their nation was not made by flimsy people, the less likely it is to be flimsy.” —GEORGE F. WILL, THE WASHINGTON POST

“Atkinson…wastes no time reminding us of his considerable narrative talents…. His knowledge of military affairs shines in his reading of the sources…. For sheer dramatic intensity, swinging from the American catastrophes at Quebec and Fort Washington to the resounding and surprising successes at Trenton and Princeton, all told in a way equally deeply informed about British planning and responses, there are few better places to turn.” —THE WASHINGTON POST

“An epic tale, epically told. Atkinson excels at deftly summarizing personalities…. He moves effortlessly from the plans of commanders to the campfires of troops. The extraordinary scholarship involved—his meticulous endnotes cover 133 pages—is testament to a historian at the very top of his game…. The writing [is] incisive, humane, humorous, and often scintillating…. Anyone reading The British Are Coming will finish it looking forward impatiently to the next two. The trilogy looks fair to become the standard account of the war that brought the American Republic into being.” —ANDREW ROBERTS, CLAREMONT REVIEW OF BOOKS

“One of the best books written on the American War for Independence…. The reader finishes this volume uncertain of how either side can win this war, but very much wanting Atkinson to continue its telling."—ROBERT J. ALLISON, THE JOURNAL OF MILITARY HISTORY

“[Atkinson’s] account promises to be as detailed a military history of the war as we will see in our lifetimes upon its completion…. Atkinson makes good use of information from letters and journals to give his reader a sense of what it would have been like to walk in the shoes of both the war’s illustrious and lesser known participants…. Atkinson’s accounts of battles are among the most lucid I’ve read…. Readers who enjoy richly detailed military history will be greatly anticipating his second volume.” —JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION

“Atkinson takes his time, but there’s delight in all that detail…. Atkinson is a superb researcher, but more importantly a sublime writer. On occasion I reread sentences simply to feast on their elegance…. This is volume one of a planned trilogy. Atkinson will be a superb guide through the terrible years of killing ahead.” —THE TIMES (LONDON)

“The British Are Coming [is] a sweeping narrative which captures the spirit and the savagery of the times. Based on exhaustive research on both sides of the Atlantic, Atkinson displays a mastery of the English language as well as military tactics which puts him in a class of his own as a writer.” —LIONEL BARBER, EDITOR, FINANCIAL TIMES

“Rick Atkinson is emerging as America’s most talented military historian…. The British Are Coming is history written in a grand style and manner. It leaves one anxiously awaiting the next two volumes.”
—NEW YORK JOURNAL OF BOOKS

“This first installment in Pulitzer-winning historian Atkinson’s new trilogy is a sweeping yet gritty American Revolutionary epic. With granular detail and refreshingly unfamiliar characterizations—an uncertain George Washington, a thoughtful King George III, a valiant Benedict Arnold—he makes an oft-told national origin story new again.” —PUBLISHERS WEEKLY (ONE OF THE 10 BEST BOOKS OF 2019)

“This balanced, elegantly written, and massively researched volume is the first in a projected trilogy about the Revolutionary War…. Combining apt quotation (largely from correspondence) with flowing and precise original language, Atkinson describes military encounters that, though often unbearably grim, are evoked in vivid and image-laden terms…. Aided by fine and numerous maps, this is superb military and diplomatic history and represents storytelling on a grand scale.” —BOOKLIST (STARRED REVIEW)

“Atkinson (The Guns at Last Light, etc.) is a longtime master of the set piece: soldiers move into place, usually not quite understanding why, and are put into motion against each other to bloody result…. A sturdy, swift-moving contribution to the popular literature of the American Revolution.” —KIRKUS (STARRED REVIEW)

“This book is, in a word, fantastic. It offers all the qualities that we have come to expect from the author: deep and wide research, vivid detail, a blend of voices from common soldiers to commanders, blazing characterizations of the leading personalities within the conflict and a narrative that flows like a good novel…. The British Are Coming is a superb ode to the grit and everyday heroism that eventually won the war.” —BOOKPAGE (STARRED REVIEW)

ABOUT RICK ATKINSON



Pulitzer-Prize Winning Author & Historian

Rick Atkinson is author of The British Are Coming: The War for America, Lexington to Princeton, 1775-1777, the first volume of his intended Revolution Trilogy, a history of the American rebellion through 1783.

He is also author of the Liberation Trilogy, a narrative history of the liberation of Europe in World War II. The first volume, An Army at Dawn: The War in North Africa, 1942-1943, received the Pulitzer Prize and was acclaimed by the Wall Street Journal as “the best World War II battle narrative since Cornelius Ryan’s classics, The Longest Day and A Bridge Too Far.” The second volume, The Day of Battle: The War in Sicily and Italy, 1943-1944, drew praise from the New York Times as “a triumph of narrative history, elegantly written…and rooted in the sight and sounds of battle.” The final volume of the Liberation Trilogy, The Guns at Last Light: The War in Western Europe, 1944-1945, published in May 2013, ranked #1 on the New York Times bestseller list. The Wall Street Journal called it “a magnificent book,” and the New York Times Book Review described it as “a tapestry of fabulous richness and complexity…The Liberation Trilogy is a monumental achievement.”

Atkinson is also the best-selling author of The Long Gray Line, a narrative saga about the West Point class of 1966, and Crusade, a narrative history of the Persian Gulf War. He also wrote In the Company of Soldiers, an account of his time with General David H. Petraeus and the 101st Airborne Division during the invasion of Iraq in 2003; the New York Times Book Review called the book “the most intimate, vivid, and well-informed account yet published” about that war, and Newsweek cited it as one of the ten best books of 2004. He is the lead essayist in Where Valor Rests: Arlington National Cemetery, published by National Geographic in 2007.

Atkinson’s awards include the 2003 Pulitzer Prize for history; the 1982 Pulitzer Prize for national reporting; and the 1999 Pulitzer Prize for public service, awarded to the Washington Post for investigative articles directed and edited by Atkinson on shootings by District of Columbia police officers. He is winner of the 1989 George Polk Award for national reporting, the 2003 Society for Military History Distinguished Book Award, the 2007 Gerald R. Ford Award for Distinguished Reporting on National Defense, the 2010 Pritzker Military Library Literature Award for Lifetime Achievement in Military Writing, the 2013 New York Military Affairs Symposium award for lifetime achievement, and the 2014 Samuel Eliot Morison Prize for lifetime achievement from the Society for Military History. In December 2015 he received the Peggy V. Helmerich Distinguished Author Award, previously given to Saul Bellow, Toni Morrison, and David McCullough. Atkinson has served as the Gen. Omar N. Bradley Chair of Strategic Leadership at the U.S. Army War College, where he remains an adjunct faculty member. He is a Presidential Counselor at the National World War II Museum in New Orleans, a member of the Society of American Historians, and an inductee in the Academy of Achievement, for which he also serves as a board member. He serves on the governing commission of the National Portrait Gallery.

Atkinson worked as a reporter, foreign correspondent, and senior editor for two decades at the Washington Post. His last assignments were covering the 101st Airborne during the invasion of Iraq in 2003, and writing about roadside bombs in Iraq and Afghanistan in 2007. Previously he served as the assistant managing editor for investigations. Atkinson’s journalism career began at the Pittsburg (Kansas) Morning Sun in 1976; in 1977, he moved to the Kansas City Times, before going to the Washington Post in 1983. Among other assignments, he served as the Post’s Berlin bureau chief, covering not only Germany and NATO, but also spending considerable time in Somalia and Bosnia.

Born in Munich, Germany, Atkinson is the son of a U.S. Army officer and grew up on military posts. He holds a bachelor of arts degree from East Carolina University and a master of arts degree in English literature from the University of Chicago. He and his wife, Dr. Jane Chestnut Atkinson of Lawrence, Kansas, a researcher and clinician at the National Institutes of Health, live in the District of Columbia. They have two grown children, Rush, a criminal trial attorney for the Justice Department, and Sarah, a physician and colorectal surgery fellow at the University of Toronto.

by Rick Atkinson

This is the Week One - non spoiler thread for the book The British are Coming: The War For America, Lexington To Princeton, 1775-1777 (The Revolution Trilogy #1) by
Rick Atkinson.

by Rick Atkinson

Hello Everyone,

For the week of May 10th - May 17th, we are reading approximately the Prologue -1 - 2 and 3 and Part One - Chapter One.

The first week's reading assignment is:

: (May 10th - May 17th)

Week One: -(May 10th - May 17th) (pages vii - through page 54)

TITLE PAGE ...vii

COPYRIGHT NOTICE ...

DEDICATION ...ix

EPIGRAPH ...v

LIST OF MAPS ...xv

MAP LEGEND ...xvi

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS ...xvii

PROLOGUE, England, June 1773–March 1775 - page 1

1. Inspecting the Fleet - page 1
2. Avenging the Tea - page 11
3. Preparing for War - page 23

Part One

1. GOD HIMSELF OUR CAPTAIN Boston, March 6–April 17, 1775  - page 35

We will open up a thread for each week's reading. Please make sure to post in the particular thread dedicated to those specific chapters and page numbers to avoid spoilers. We will also open up supplemental threads as we did for other spotlighted books.

This book is being kicked off May 10th

We look forward to your participation. Amazon, Barnes and Noble, other noted on line booksellers do have copies of the book and shipment can be expedited. The book can also be obtained easily at your local library, or on your Kindle.

There is no rush and we are thrilled to have you join us. It is never too late to get started and/or to post.

Bentley will be moderating this selection. And Lorna will be my backup.

Welcome,

~Bentley

TO ALWAYS SEE ALL WEEKS' THREADS SELECT VIEW ALL

by Rick Atkinson

REMEMBER NO SPOILERS ON THE WEEKLY NON SPOILER THREADS - ON EACH WEEKLY NON SPOILER THREAD - WE ONLY DISCUSS THE PAGES ASSIGNED OR THE PAGES WHICH WERE COVERED IN PREVIOUS WEEKS. IF YOU GO AHEAD OR WANT TO ENGAGE IN MORE EXPANSIVE DISCUSSION - POST THOSE COMMENTS IN ONE OF THE SPOILER THREADS. THESE CHAPTERS HAVE A LOT OF INFORMATION SO WHEN IN DOUBT CHECK WITH THE CHAPTER OVERVIEW AND SUMMARY TO RECALL WHETHER YOUR COMMENTS ARE ASSIGNMENT SPECIFIC. EXAMPLES OF SPOILER THREADS ARE THE GLOSSARY, THE BIBLIOGRAPHY, THE INTRODUCTION AND THE BOOK AS A WHOLE THREADS.

Notes:

It is always a tremendous help when you quote specifically from the book itself and reference the chapter and page numbers when responding. The text itself helps folks know what you are referencing and makes things clear.

Citations:

If an author or book is mentioned other than the book and author being discussed, citations must be included according to our guidelines. Also, when citing other sources, please provide credit where credit is due and/or the link. There is no need to re-cite the author and the book we are discussing however.

Here is the link to the thread titled Mechanics of the Board which will help you with the citations and how to do them.

http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/2...

Also, the citation thread: (for Unreasonable Men - look at examples)

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Introduction Thread:

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Table of Contents and Syllabus

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Glossary

Remember there is a glossary thread where ancillary information is placed by the moderator. This is also a thread where additional information can be placed by the group members regarding the subject matter being discussed. In the case of this book we have two glossaries which are brought over from other selections (same timeframe) that we will add to.

Here are the links:

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Bibliography

There is a Bibliography where books cited in the text are posted with proper citations and reviews. We also post the books that the author may have used in his research or in his notes. Please also feel free to add to the Bibliography thread any related books, etc with proper citations or other books either non fiction or historical fiction that relate to the subject matter of the book itself. In the case of this book, Rick Atkinson's primary sources start on page 703.
No self promotion, please.

Here is the link:

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Book as a Whole and Final Thoughts - Spoiler Thread

Here is the link:

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

by Rick Atkinson

Hello Everyone and welcome to the kickoff of The British are Coming

We want to get everybody off on the right foot so please post a hello - very brief post introducing yourself and where you are from - city/town and country (we love global participation) - and a city and state where you are from if American.

Tell us why you are interested in reading this book about the American Revolution.

The thread is open for discussion starting today May 10th so on this first weekly non spoiler thread you can discuss up through the end of the Week One reading assignment which is to the end of Chapter One (pages vii - through page 54) and please introduce yourself and post your brief hello now.

This is the Week One thread for the book - The British are Coming by Rick Atkinson.

by Rick Atkinson

The Week One reading assignment is as follows: (May 10th - May 17th)

Week One: -(May 10th - May 17th) (pages vii - through page 54)

TITLE PAGE ...vii

COPYRIGHT NOTICE ...

DEDICATION ...ix

EPIGRAPH ...v

LIST OF MAPS ...xv

MAP LEGEND ...xvi

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS ...xvii

PROLOGUE, England, June 1773–March 1775 - page 1

1. Inspecting the Fleet - page 1
2. Avenging the Tea - page 11
3. Preparing for War - page 23

Part One

1. GOD HIMSELF OUR CAPTAIN Boston, March 6–April 17, 1775  - page 35

This is the link to the Table of Contents and the Weekly Syllabus and Assignments:

Hello I am Bentley - and I divide my time between Metro NYC and New England - as well as being a world traveler (except when we are sheltering in place for a pandemic) which all of us seem to be doing.

I am excited about kicking off a book that I have honestly been waiting to read since it came out - and I just have not had a chance with trying to get a number of other discussions going and some of the threads updated and rearranged - but here we are and now we are about to begin reading a book about the American Revolution that should be of interest to many of you. This is the first book in the Revolution Trilogy and we plan to read and discuss all three.

So I wish all of you well and I hope that you have a wonderful read and that we can discuss many interesting facts together.

So jump right in and give us all a little hello and tell us from what country, city, state or locale you all are from and why you are reading this book. You have all heard my rationale - now I know we would love to meet you and find out yours.

And one final thought - you all must post, post, post and I will show you the way as I add to this thread this week. We are here to help you and we gladly give our time to you free as volunteers because we just love a good discussion and wonderful books.

So here we go! We are off!

I am waiting for you to introduce yourself and dive in and post - I have my best party outfit on



I am right here waiting - https://youtu.be/S_E2EHVxNAE

Chapter Overviews and Summaries

Introduction

The audible version provides an overview narrated by Rick Atkinson himself. Atkinson indicated that he spent 15 years researching and writing the Liberation Trilogy and wanted a new project. He wanted to tell the story of the Revolutionary War with strategic story telling and felt that this era had a cast of spectacular historic characters. He also thought it was important to tell the story from the perspectives of both sides. He closes with a quote from the late Shelby Foote: "A fact is not a truth until you love it." - Shelby Foote

PROLOGUE, England, June 1773–March 1775

1. Inspecting the Fleet

Inspecting the fleet - a royal review at the dockyards
at Portsmouth. The king’s four-day review of the British fleet at Portsmouth in June 1773 was the occasion for a grand celebration of national power. Atkinson discusses some interesting facts about George III.

2. Avenging the Tea

"The celebratory mood soon faded: the next eighteen months proved bleak. An American woman the king would never meet, a New Jersey Presbyterian named Jemima Condict, captured the prevailing distemper in the colonies when she wrote, “We have troublesome times a-coming for there is a great disturbance abroad in the earth & they say it is tea that caused it.”

3. Preparing for War

War was eminent. George III wanted to teach the rebellious colonists a lesson. Franklin
was dispatched to no avail.

"Blows would decide, as the king had predicted. Yet no one could foresee that the American War of Independence would last 3,059 days.

Or that the struggle would be marked by more than 1,300 actions, mostly small and bloody, with a few large and bloody, plus 241 naval engagements in a theater initially bounded by the Atlantic seaboard, the St. Lawrence and Mississippi Rivers, and the Gulf of Mexico, before expanding to other lands and other waters.

Roughly a quarter million Americans would serve the cause in some military capacity.

At least one in ten of them would die for that cause—25,674 deaths by one tally, as many as 35,800 by another. Those deaths were divided with rough parity among battle, disease, and British prisons, a larger proportion of the American population to perish in any conflict other than the Civil War."

Source: Atkinson, Rick. The British Are Coming (The Revolution Trilogy) (pp. 25-26). Henry Holt and Co.. Kindle Edition.

Part One

1. GOD HIMSELF OUR CAPTAIN Boston, March 6–April 17, 1775

They knew they would come and Boston was ready for them. Them being the British Redcoats. It was just a matter of time and John Adams, Sam Adams and the Bostonians were ready for them.

Doctor Warren spoke to the crowd: “Our wish is that Britain and the colonies may, like the oak and the ivy, grow and increase in strength together,” Warren said. “But if these pacific measures are ineffectual, and it appears that the only way to safety is through fields of blood, I know you will not turn your faces from your foes.”

Our country is in danger, but not to be despaired of. Our enemies are numerous and powerful, but we have many friends, determining to be free.… On you depend the fortunes of America. You are to decide the important question, on which rest the happiness and liberty of millions yet unborn. Act worthy of yourselves."

At the other end of town, General Gage and others underestimated the colonists fervor - one of their first mistakes.

Source: Atkinson, Rick. The British Are Coming (The Revolution Trilogy) (p. 38). Henry Holt and Co.. Kindle Edition.

TO ALWAYS SEE ALL WEEKS' THREADS SELECT VIEW ALL

by Rick Atkinson

REMEMBER NO SPOILERS ON THE WEEKLY NON SPOILER THREADS - ON EACH WEEKLY NON SPOILER THREAD - WE ONLY DISCUSS THE PAGES ASSIGNED OR THE PAGES WHICH WERE COVERED IN PREVIOUS WEEKS. IF YOU GO AHEAD OR WANT TO ENGAGE IN MORE EXPANSIVE DISCUSSION - POST THOSE COMMENTS IN ONE OF THE SPOILER THREADS. THESE CHAPTERS HAVE A LOT OF INFORMATION SO WHEN IN DOUBT CHECK WITH THE CHAPTER OVERVIEW AND SUMMARY TO RECALL WHETHER YOUR COMMENTS ARE ASSIGNMENT SPECIFIC. EXAMPLES OF SPOILER THREADS ARE THE GLOSSARY, THE BIBLIOGRAPHY, THE INTRODUCTION AND THE BOOK AS A WHOLE THREADS.

Notes:

It is always a tremendous help when you quote specifically from the book itself and reference the chapter and page numbers when responding. The text itself helps folks know what you are referencing and makes things clear.

Citations:

If an author or book is mentioned other than the book and author being discussed, citations must be included according to our guidelines. Also, when citing other sources, please provide credit where credit is due and/or the link. There is no need to re-cite the author and the book we are discussing however.

Here is the link to the thread titled Mechanics of the Board which will help you with the citations and how to do them.

http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/2...

Also, the citation thread: (for Unreasonable Men - look at examples)

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Introduction Thread:

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Table of Contents and Syllabus

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Glossary

Remember there is a glossary thread where ancillary information is placed by the moderator. This is also a thread where additional information can be placed by the group members regarding the subject matter being discussed. In the case of this book we have two glossaries which are brought over from other selections (same timeframe) that we will add to.

Here are the links:

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Bibliography

There is a Bibliography where books cited in the text are posted with proper citations and reviews. We also post the books that the author may have used in his research or in his notes. Please also feel free to add to the Bibliography thread any related books, etc with proper citations or other books either non fiction or historical fiction that relate to the subject matter of the book itself. In the case of this book, Rick Atkinson's primary sources start on page 703.
No self promotion, please.

Here is the link:

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Book as a Whole and Final Thoughts - Spoiler Thread

Here is the link:

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

by Rick Atkinson

We are open - post your intro and your first impressions. Why does this book interest you and what do you hope to learn and gain from the experience? Please let us know the country and the approximate location or city in whatever country you are reading from. If from the US - please let us know your approximate location - city and state.

Let us begin this journey together.

THIS IS A WEEKLY NON SPOILER THREAD AND ONLY PAGES (pages vii - through page 54) SHOULD BE DISCUSSED ON THIS THREAD. THERE ARE OTHER SPOILER THREADS THAT YOU CAN POST ON IF YOU GO AHEAD OF THESE PAGES. WE HOPE THAT YOU WILL STAY WITH THE GROUP. EACH WEEK WE OPEN UP A NEW THREAD FOR THE NEXT WEEK'S ASSIGNMENT AND DISCUSSION. CHECK THE TABLE OF CONTENTS AND SYLLABUS FOR ALL OF THE WEEKLY ASSIGNMENTS.

And so we begin:

Prologue ENGLAND, JUNE 1773–MARCH 1775

"At three-thirty a.m. on June 22, 1773, fifteen minutes before sunrise, a royal chaise pulled by four matched horses burst from the gates of Kew Palace, escorted by cavalry outriders in scarlet coats.

South they rode, skirting the Thames valley west of London before rattling onto the Surrey downs. Pearly light seeped into the landscape, and the brilliant green of an English summer day—the first full day following the solstice—emerged from the fens and fields.

Even at this early hour the roads were crowded, for all England knew that a great review was planned at the royal dockyards in Portsmouth, a four-day celebration of the fleet that a decade before had crushed France and Spain in the Seven Years’ War to give rise to the British Empire.

An exasperated message to the Admiralty headquarters in London earlier this week had warned of “it being almost impossible to get horses on the road owing to the multitude of people going to Portsmouth.”

That throng, according to a newspaper account, included “admirals, captains, and honest Jack Tars in abundance … courtiers and parasites, placemen and pensioners, pimps and prostitutes, gamblers and pickpockets.” Innkeepers on the south coast were said to demand ten guineas a night for a bed.

Source: Atkinson, Rick. The British Are Coming (The Revolution Trilogy) (p. 1). Henry Holt and Co.. Kindle Edition.

About George III and Kew Palace:

Link: https://www.hrp.org.uk/kew-palace/his...

Source: Historic Royal Palaces

Kew Palace:



Source: Kew Palace in London

Bentley, notice the Dutch influence in the gables of Kew Palace. Do you know who the architect was?
Regards,
Andrea

Andrea - Sir William Chambers and James Wyatt (mainly Wyatt) - it was also called the The Dutch House or the other name we know of - Kew Palace

The Dutch House or Kew Palace

The site of the Dutch House had formerly been occupied by a 16th century house, possibly that known in Elizabethan times as the ‘Dairy House’, held from 1557 to 1562 by Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester.

In 1630, the house appears to have become the property of Samuel Fortrey (or de la Forterie), a prosperous London merchant of Dutch descent, who had married Catherine, daughter of James de Lafleur of Hainaut.

Fortrey rebuilt the house in 1631, an event commemorated in the relief carving over the main entrance, comprising the date together with the initials of Fortrey and his wife.

From the time of George II, the Dutch House had been leased by the Crown for various members of the royal family and, as mentioned above, it was used as an annexe for some of the children of George III.

The Dutch House is 70 feet long by 50 feet wide and is built of bricks laid in the ‘Flemish bond’ (with the side and ends of the bricks alternating). There are three principal storeys. The windows originally had mullions and transoms, but by the middle of the 18th century these had been replaced by the existing sash frames. The interior, mainly a mixture of 17th and 18th century work, contains some fittings which were probably transferred from the White House when that was demolished.

These include the brass door locks which are engraved with the initials and badge of Frederick, Prince of Wales. The only relics of the building’s Tudor ancestry are the groined-vaulted crypt, the ‘linen-fold’ wainscotting in a room on the ground floor and a Tudor arched fireplace (probably transferred from the older building) on the second floor.

The Dutch House ceased to be a royal residence on the death of Queen Charlotte in 1818. In 1890 much of the service wing to the west of the building was demolished and in 1899 the house was opened to the public by order of Queen Victoria.

The Dutch House now contains many items of historical and artistic interest, including a number of personal possessions of George III and his family. The garden has also been restored.

The King's Palace or Castellated Palace

Sir William Chambers, who had been appointed Surveyor General in 1783 and who died in 1796, exercised considerable influence on the taste of Princess Augusta and her eldest son.

Chambers was succeeded by James Wyatt, who by this time had consolidated his reputation as a Gothic architect, despite the critical attacks which had greeted his restoration work in cathedrals such as Salisbury, Durham and Hereford.

Attracted by the possibilities of the Gothic style and encouraged by Wyatt’s work at Windsor Castle and elsewhere, the King commissioned the architect to build a new palace at Kew. This was to be situated by the river, west of the Dutch House. Work on its construction began in 1802 but the king’s advancing blindness in the years immediately following caused him to lose interest in the project.

Joseph Farington wrote in his diary for 26th March 1806:-
"The great building at Kew after costing £100,000 is now at a stand. The workmen were discharged on Saturday last. The King not now being able to see what is going forward has lost his interest in it, & the Queen never liked it."

However, some kind of progress was maintained on the building until 1811, by which time the walls had been raised and staircases and many of the floors had been constructed. From existing plans and drawings the palace appears to have consisted of a large central keep, which was fronted towards the river by a large courtyard flanked by two projecting wings. The use of cast iron in the structure represents one of the earliest instances of the use of that material in a non-commercial building.

Sir Richard Phillips, in his Morning’s walk from London to Kew (1817) called the new palace "Bastille Palace, from its resemblance to that building, so obnoxious to freedom and freemen." He continued:- "On a former occasion, I have viewed its interior, and I am at a loss to conceive the motive for preferring an external form, which rendered it impracticable to construct within it more than a series of large closets, boudoirs and rooms like oratories.

The works have, however, been suspended since the unhappy seclusion of the Royal Architect, and it is improbable, at least in this generation, that they will be resumed. The foundation is in a bog close to the Thames, and the principal object within its view is the dirty town of Brentford, on the opposite side of the river."
Sir Richard’s supposition was correct; the Castellated Palace remained in its unfinished condition until 1827-28, when it was demolished by order of George IV, who disliked it, which left the Dutch House as the only remaining royal palace at Kew.

The Queen's Cottage

Although not a royal palace, the Queen’s Cottage still stands at Kew and in the spring it is surrounded by bluebells. George III married Princess Charlotte of Mecklenburg –Strelitz in 1761 and the couple were given Richmond Lodge and its grounds. (see Local History Notes: Richmond Lodge).

The cottage was built c. 1772 and used as a summerhouse, even after the king and his family had moved away. When Queen Victoria handed Kew Gardens over to the nation, she retained The Cottage and 37 acres for herself. They were given to the public by the Queen in 1898 to celebrate her Diamond Jubilee.

Source: Local History Notes - London

About the Seven Years War and it combatants

Link: https://www.khanacademy.org/humanitie...

Source: Khan Academy

The Seven Years' War: battles and legacy

Link: https://www.khanacademy.org/humanitie...

Seven Years' War: lesson overview

Link: https://www.khanacademy.org/humanitie...

Seven Years' War (Practice Questions)

Link: https://www.khanacademy.org/humanitie...

Source: Kahn Academy

Folks at any time - just jump right in.

We are going through the first segment of the Prologue right now:

1. Inspecting the Fleet - page 1

a) Introduce yourself by saying hello - where you are reading from - country and name of place or in the states (approximate city and state) - so we know where everybody is reading from - fun to know.
b) Let us know what interests you about this book and why you are reading it.
c) Just jump in and let us know your first impressions
d) Some background questions which may be fun to discuss for frame of reference just to kick off the book.

Kickoff Discussion Questions:

1. What are some of the ways in which the British monarchy reacted to colonists continuing to disobey British laws?

2. How did Britain’s status as a world power change after the Seven Years’ War?

3. What are three ways in which the Seven Years’ War altered the political and economic relationships between the Britain and the American colonies?

4. How would you categorize George III as king? What type of person was he and how would his character and personality traits contribute or not contribute to the conflict with the colonists?

5. How successful was Benjamin Franklin and why did the colonists send him to England. What could he have done better or different from your viewpoint?

6. What was your impression of England at the beginning of the Prologue in terms of its naval prowess, travel difficulties, fiduciary status and treasury solvency? How did England and George III view the colonists? How did the colonists view England?

7. What advantages did England have as a foreign power over the colonists and what assets and advantages did the colonists have over England? How do you think these strengths will play out - what are your early impressions of the military might of the British against the guerrilla warfare of the colonists?

8. What were your impressions of the grandeur and pomp of the four day celebration at the dockyards in Portsmouth of the fleet that had crushed France and Spain in the Seven Years War?

9. How familiar were you with the Seven Years War before you began reading the book?

Also, we always give you some Chapter Overviews and Summaries so you do not lose your way from your reading to the discussion - for Week One - check out post 14.

Hello!

I am Chris, from Nottingham, UK.

Being half Scottish, quarter English, quarter Irish, I am fascinated by British history, particularly the Tudor era and Scottish history in general.

I have always wanted to read a comprehensive book on The American War of Independence (TAWI) and bought this after seeing that it was to be a BOTM here at the History Club.

I love big books (and I cannot lie) but as this looked quite dense words-wise I was a bit reluctant to start it (a book of this size and density would typically take me a month to five weeks to finish). However, Bentley gently persuaded me and so here I am.

The biggest persuasion though, was the syllabus. Breaking it down into bite-sized chunks allows better discussion (in my opinion) and allows me to read other books too. This seems to be a great system! Plus, I am a virgin! Despite being in several book clubs, here on GR, this is the first time I have participated in a BOTM or any kind of group book discussion. GO ME! (sorry too much Animal Crossings!). Also, apologies in advance for any faux pas along the way regarding citations, linking people etc. (I think I’ve got the gist of citations though).

I am very much looking forward to the discussions and the debates and to reading this book.

Hello Chris,

We are happy to have you with us. You are right - there is a lot to talk about in this book and a lot that happened before the timeline of the book which needs to be understood to comprehend the events which are to follow.

There were definite causes and effects.

We go slowly and it is never too late to start the book or get caught up so we are with you along the way.

Thank you for letting us know where exactly you are from - all the way from Nottingham, England (UK).

The way we read and discuss our spotlighted books makes it easy for anyone to get through a book of this size.

Are there any of the questions that we posed at the beginning of this first Prologue segment that you would like to take a stab at - how much did you know about the Seven Years War before starting this book for example?

And tell us when you get an opportunity at any time - what are your first impressions.

Bentley, the balanced approach of Rick Atkinson in this book is absolutely amazing! He relates both the American and British viewpoints so deftly. It is apparent in his presentation of George III and Benjamin Franklin, particularly. I had no idea concerning some of the details he reveals. This is also the case in another book on the same period, When London Was the Capitol of America.
Regards,
Andrea

by Julie Flavell (no photo)

I agree with you wholeheartedly as I prepared for this discussion - Atkinson understands his characters not only as having a part to play and what the underpinnings of what the role is itself; but he understands and writes about them as men/human beings as if they were living, breathing entities.

He compares and contrasts his characters making them multi-dimensional - and not only in terms of how they view themselves but also how they view each other and even stepping beyond these boundaries and extending to how others ultimately viewed them. His writing has many different layers - it is like peeling an onion.

Thank you for the add and the comment. By the way if you have never read the Liberation Trilogy about World War II - he was as powerfully effective in that trilogy too.

by Rick Atkinson

All, during a spotlighted read and discussion - you do not have to cite the book and author being discussed.

However, like always any other book or author discussed or mentioned must be cited just like it would on any other thread.

But not the book and author we are reading together.

Exceptional Interview:

I would highly recommend your watching this interview - Atkinson discusses how he was invited to review George III's private papers and archives by Queen Elizabeth II (to have them digitized) and where they were stored in an edifice that was built by William the Conqueror (stored in the Garret of the Round Tower) (fun fact - my family is a direct descendant of W of C).

It is an excellent interview by Walter Isaacson of Rick Atkinson on Amanpour & Company

Link: https://www.pbs.org/wnet/amanpour-and...

Source: PBS

I had a good laugh at this line: (any thoughts)

"Nine relays of horses waited along the route in places called Ripley and Godalming, but none at Lotheby Manor on the Portsmouth road, perhaps because an ancient English custom required that if a monarch visited Lotheby, the lord of the manor was “to present His Majesty with three whores.” Or so the London Chronicle claimed.

Source: Atkinson, Rick. The British Are Coming (The Revolution Trilogy) (pp. 1-2). Henry Holt and Co.. Kindle Edition.

Was George III a bit impressed with himself in terms of being loved by the English people?

"When the jubilant crowd pressed close, soldiers from the 20th Regiment prodded them back with bayonets until George urged caution. “My people,” he said, “will not hurt me.”

Source: Atkinson, Rick. The British Are Coming (The Revolution Trilogy) (p. 2). Henry Holt and Co.. Kindle Edition.

Here is the ditty - The Wooden Walls of England:

The Wooden Walls of England.
Morning Chronicle and London Advertiser (25 June 1773).

by Henry Green

When Britain on her sea-girt shore,
Her white-rob'd Druids erst address'd;
What Aid (she cry'd) shall I implore,
What best defense, by numbers press'd?
"Tho' hostile nations round thee rise,
(The mystic Oracles reply'd)
And view thine isle with envious eyes,
Their threats defy, their rage deride,
Nor fear Invasions from your adverse Gauls:
Britain's best bulwarks are her WOODEN WALLS.

"Thine Oaks descending to the main,
With floating forts shall stem the tides,
Asserting Britain's wat'ry reign
Where'er her thundering Navy rides:
Nor less to peaceful arts inclin'd,
Where Commerce opens all her stores,
In social bands will league mankind,
And join the sea-divided shores:
Spread then thy sails where Naval Glory calls:
Britain's best bulwarks are her WOODEN WALLS.

Hail, happy isle! what tho' the vales
No vine-impurpled tribute yield,
Nor fann'd with odour-breathing gales,
Nor crops spontaneous glad the field:
Yet Liberty rewards the toil
Of Industry, to labour prone,
Who jocund ploughs the grateful soil,
And reaps the harvest she has sown.
While other realms tyrannic sway inthralls,
Britain's best bulwarks are her WOODEN WALLS."

Thus spake the bearded Seers of yore,
In visions wrapt of Britain's fame
Ere yet Iberia felt her pow'r,
Or Gallia trembled at her name.
O! that my muse inspir'd could sing
The praises to her Heroes due,
Would heaven-born genius imp her wing,
Pleas'd, she'd the glorious theme pursue!
Then should my verse record great GEORGE'S reign,
Who stretch'd from Pole to Pole his wide domain.

Note:

Four Prior stanzas, the lines shortened by a foot in a lyric variation of this popular form. Green's poem became very popular after it was set by the composer Thomas Arne, with a different conclusion: "Ere yet Columbus dar'd t' explore | New regions rising from the main; | From sea to sea, from shore to shore, | Bear then, ye winds, the solemn strain! | This sacred truth, an awe-struck world appals, | Britain's best bulwarks are her Wooden Walls" Universal Magazine 70 (June 1782) 322. Perhaps the stanza was selected in deference to Ramillies, the name of Green's ship and the subject of Matthew Prior's poem.

Headnote: "The following was presented to the King at his Levee on Monday, by the Author. The Wooden Walls of England, an Ode, by Henry Green, Purser of his Majesty's Ship Ramillies."

Link: http://spenserians.cath.vt.edu/TextRe...

Source: English Poetry 1579-1830: Spenser and the Tradition

More:
History of the Royal Navy - Wooden Walls (1600-1805)
Link: https://youtu.be/Ze8Y1gokHyA

Source: Youtube

Bentley, if I remember correctly, Thomas Arne was the composer who gave the British “Rule, Britannia!”
Regards,
Andrea

Hello everyone. I am Lorna and will be joining all of you from my home in Denver, Colorado. I am looking forward to reading Atkinson's first book of The Revolution Trilogy and discussing it with you. The beginning months of the American Revolution were so pivotal in the formation of America as the struggling Continental Army was up against the British Army and the Royal Navy, all dispatched by King George III. This is a part of our history that I am looking forward to learning more about.

Wow, Lorna, you have your work cut out for you! What amazes me about this book so far is its balance; all the characters in this drama are evenly handled, the British as sympathetic as the Americans.
Regards,
Andrea

Welcome Lorna - I look forward to your participation as my backup. So far, there is a bunch of background history that is so important to understand in order to grasp the fiduciary situation which led to some of the troubles.

And a Happy Mother's Day to you and everyone else here today.

Thank you, Bentley.

Atkinson talks about the Order of the Garter.


Arms of the Most Noble Order of the Garter





Then it was off to see those wooden walls. At one-thirty p.m., draped in a crimson boat cloak adorned with an enormous star of the Order of the Garter, George stepped aboard his ten-oar bargefor the three-mile trip to Spithead anchorage. A flotilla trailed in his wake, filled to the gunwales with nobility, gentry, and sea dogs in blue and braid; the procession included the venerable Fubbs—the word was slang for chubby—a yacht named for a favorite mistress of Charles II’s. A gentle June breeze riffled the sea, and in the clear sunshine five hundred vessels large and small could be seen all around: brigs, corvettes, wherries, schooners, frigates, sloops.

Link: http://www.englishmonarchs.co.uk/roya...

Sources: Atkinson, Rick. The British Are Coming (The Revolution Trilogy) (pp. 2-3). Henry Holt and Co.. Kindle Edition; English Monarchs

Hi everyone. I'm Heather from Chicago, Illinois. I've been fascinated for years by Early American History, especially figures like John and Abigail Adams.

Atkinson's description of King George III is the least biased one I've ever seen from an American author. I think Americans are usually busy congratulating ourselves on the great leaders we had at the time, though George was clearly no slouch either. I would have loved to see his library! George was unfortunately inflexible towards the colonists, though. His stubbornness led to moderates like Franklin joining the radicals.

The term Seven Years War confused me at first until I realized the problem. It was called the French and Indian War when I was in college. Am I dating myself? Oh well!

Discussion - Thoughts and Questions (what do you think?):


George III wearing the Order of the Garter

1. What are your opinions about George III - if you only knew what you read in this chapter written by the author?

2. Are there any personality traits that jumped out at you as admirable, outstanding, courageous, or not? Why?

3. How do you think George III will face adversity or conflict?

4. What did you interpret were his strengths and weaknesses? What areas could have been improved?

"At thirty-five, George had the round chin and long nose of his German forebears, with fine white teeth and blue eyes that bulged from their orbits.

He had been a sickly baby, not expected to survive infancy; now he incessantly touted “air, moderate exercise, and diet,” and he could often be found on horseback in pursuit of stag or hare.

Not for another fifteen years would he be stricken with the first extended symptoms—perhaps caused by porphyria, a hereditary affliction—that included abdominal pain, neuritis, incoherence, paranoia, and delirium. More attacks followed later in his life, along with the madness that wrecked his old age.

Unkind and untrue things often were said of him, such as the claim that he could not read until age eleven; in fact, at a much younger age he could read and write in both English and German.

There was no denying that he was an awkwardly shy boy, “silent, modest, and easily abashed,” as a courtier observed. In 1758 a tutor described the prince at twenty, noting traits that would bear more than a passing resemblance to the adult king: “He has rather too much attention to the sins of his neighbor.… He has great command of his passions, and will seldom do wrong except when he mistakes wrong for right.” Still, in the past decade or so he had grown into an admirable man of parts—diligent, dutiful, habitually moderate, peevish but rarely bellicose.

Not easily duped, he had what one duchess called “a wonderful way of knowing what is going forward.” He was frugal in an age of excess, pious at a time of impiety. His interests ranged from physics and theology to horticulture and astronomy—he had built the Royal Observatory at Richmond to view the transit of Venus in 1769—and his tastes ran from high to low: Handel, Shakespeare, silly farces that brought his hearty guffaw ringing from the royal box.

His sixty-five thousand books would stock the British national library. Even his idiosyncrasies could be endearing.

Until blindness overtook him in the early 1800s, George served as his own secretary, meticulously dating his correspondence with both the day of the month and the precise time, to the very minute.

He copied out his own recipes for cough syrup (rosemary, rice, vinegar, brown sugar, all “boiled in silver”) and insecticide (wormwood, vinegar, lime, swine’s fat, quicksilver). He kept critical notes on dramatic actors—“had a formal gravity in his mien, and a piercing eye” or “more manly than elegant, of the middle stature, inclining to corpulency.”

He would personally decide which English worthies should get the pairs of kangaroos brought home by an expedition to Australia. Increasingly his conversational style inclined to repetitive exclamation: “What! What! What!” or “Sad accident! Sad accident!”

His compulsion for detail drew him into debates on the proper placement of straps on Foot Guards uniforms. Unlike the two German-born Georges who preceded him—the House of Hanover had been tendered the throne at Westminster in 1714, when Britain was desperate for a Protestant monarch—this George was thoroughly English. “Born and educated in this country,” he proclaimed, “I glory in the name of Britain.”

The three requirements of a British king came easily to him: to shun Roman Catholicism, to obey the law, and to acknowledge Parliament, which gave him both an annual income of £800,000 and an army.

Under reforms of the last century, he could not rule by edict but, rather, needed the cooperation of his ministers and both houses of Parliament. He saw himself as John Bull, the frock-coated, commonsensical embodiment of this sceptered isle, while acknowledging that “I am apt to despise what I am not accustomed to.”

Sources: Atkinson, Rick. The British Are Coming (The Revolution Trilogy) (pp. 3-4). Henry Holt and Co.. Kindle Edition, Alamy Photos

Discussion Thoughts and Questions (what do you think?)


This colored illustration, “The Stamp Act Riots at Boston, America, 1765,” initially appeared as a black-and-white drawing for the Historical Scrap Book (Cassell & Company, c 1880). It depicts the interpretation of an artist, from the English School, who is imagining how people in Boston may have shown their displeasure against the King and Parliament when they were burdened with the stamp-act tax.

1. Did England and King George III have a point? Shouldn't the American colonists pay their fair share of their military protection far from home at a great cost to its "mother country" Were the colonists most ungrateful?

2. What were the colonists viewpoint of "unfair taxation"? Did the colonists simply want to get out of paying taxes or would they have been ameliorated if they had gotten some "representation"?

3. Was the immense debt that England had incurred the result of wars around the world and the result of poor strategy and counsel? Or were the Europeans just a militant lot always looking for the advantage? Were money and debt the true causes of the conflicts between the colonists and England? What part did King George III play in all of this from your perspective?

"Then there was debt: the Great War for the Empire had cost £100 million, much of it borrowed, and the country was still strapped for money. There had been fearful, if exaggerated, whispers of national bankruptcy.

With the British debt now approaching a quarter billion pounds, interest payments devoured roughly half of the £12 million collected in yearly tax revenue. Britons were already among Europe’s most heavily taxed citizens, with ever-larger excise fees on soap, salt, candles, paper, carriages, male servants, racehorses—often 25 percent or more of an item’s value.

The cost of this week’s extravaganza in Portsmouth—estimated at £22,000—would not help balance the books. It had seemed only fair that the colonists should help shoulder the burden.

A typical American, by Treasury Board calculations, paid no more than sixpence a year in Crown taxes, compared to the average Englishman’s twenty-five shillings—a ratio of one to fifty—even as Americans benefited from eradication of the French and Spanish threats, from the protection of trade by the Royal Navy, and from British regiments keeping peace along the Indian frontier at a cost that soon exceeded £400,000 a year.

Yet things had gone badly".

More:
Link: Bos, Carole "TAXATION WITHOUT REPRESENTATION" AwesomeStories.com. Oct 07, 2013. May 10, 2020.

Sources: Atkinson, Rick. The British Are Coming (The Revolution Trilogy) (p. 8). Henry Holt and Co.. Kindle Edition; Awesome Stories

Some Additional Background Info:


John Mix Stanley, artist's impression of how Pontiac may have looked, mid-1800s. Image credit: Wikimedia Commons

Pontiac"s Uprising:
https://www.khanacademy.org/humanitie...

Uproar over the Stamp Act
https://www.khanacademy.org/humanitie...


Political cartoon showing a mock funeral procession for the Stamp Act, 1766. Library of Congress

Practice - Prelude to the Revolution
https://www.khanacademy.org/humanitie...


A newspaper posting of the Stamp Act, 1765.

Image credit: [Library of Congress] Link: (http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/british/b...)

Discussion Thoughts and Questions (what do you think?)

1. What does the phrase “no taxation without representation” mean? Is it still relevant today?

2. Explain the theory of virtual representation in your own words. Was it valid?

3. Why did the colonists react so vehemently to the passage of the Stamp Act? How important do you think the Stamp Act was in the eventual outbreak of the American Revolution?

4. Why do you think the outcome of the French and Indian War was significant?

5. How did the British differ from the French in their relations with Native American tribes?

6. Do you sympathize with Pontiac? Was he a hero or a villain?

7. In your opinion, what was the most consequential result of Pontiac’s uprising?

More:

by Fred Anderson (no photo)

by William R. Nester (no photo)

by Karen Ordahl Kupperman

by Gregory Evans Dowd (no photo)

by C. Richard Middleton (no photo)

by Zachary McLeod (Hutchins (no photo)

by Edmund S. Morgan

Source: Khan Academy, Library of Congress, Wikimedia Commons

Hello Everyone and welcome to the kickoff of The British are Coming

We want to get everybody off on the right foot so please post a hello - very brief post introducing yourself and where you are from - city/town and country (we love global participation) - and a city and state where you are from if American.

Tell us why you are interested in reading this book about the American Revolution.

The thread is open for discussion starting today May 10th so on this first weekly non spoiler thread you can discuss up through the end of the Week One reading assignment which is to the end of Chapter One (pages vii - through page 54) and please introduce yourself and post your brief hello now.

All,

PROLOGUE, England, June 1773–March 1775 - page 1 (opened up)

1. Inspecting the Fleet - page 1 (completed postings for this segment)

2. Avenging the Tea - page 11- we will start discussing this segment tomorrow - however background information has already been posted.

Tomorrow - Avenging the Tea

Good night!

Hello, my name is Andrea. I’m from Houston, Texas. In my opinion, studying this very balanced account of the American Revolution promotes better understanding between Americans and others of different countries and backgrounds.
Regards,
Andrea

Thank you Andrea for posting and letting us know that you are reading this wonderful book from the great state of Texas. One of my sons went to school in Houston so I know that area of Texas well.

I agree with you - Atkinson's approach has no one-upmanship and that is why he is considered one of the world's finest historians.

Bentley wrote: "Discussion Thoughts and Questions (what do you think?)



This colored illustration, “The Stamp Act Riots at Boston, America, 1765,” initially appeared as a black-and-white drawing for the Histor..."

Hello all, I'm Jerome, from PA. I've always been interested in the Revolution (and the Seven Years' War as well), and I love any book that can tell the Revolution from a British perspective.

Regarding the first question, the reasoning behind British decisionmaking makes sense in a lot of ways. All of these taxes were designed to help pay for the upkeep of British troops in the colonies. The more the colonists contributed to the military budget, the more money Parliament would have available to pay off the debt from the Seven Years' War.

This is an important distinction, but a lot of Americans didn't understand the reasoning. With French power on the North American continent defeated, they thought, why do we need a big army in North America? It's also curious how quickly Parliament agreed to go along with a British army in the colonies, given the historical distrust in England over standing armies.

Also, regarding the seventh question about British advantages, the British throughout the war had trouble figuring out a clear strategy. The King was, on paper, the head of the army, but he wouldn't appoint a commander-in-chief until 1778.

The American war also presented England with a dilemma: the policy of British governments after the Seven Years' War was to raise revenue, and these policies led to rebellion. England could either placate the colonies with a degree of autonomy, or repress them with force and military rule. If they placated the colonists, they would lose revenue; if they chose war, the massive costs would absorb a lot of the revenue. Basically, the British didn't have a war aim that made a lot of sense.

Also, the longer the war lasted for England, the more likely it was that the French or Spanish would intervene. So domestic politics dictated that they needed a cheap war, and international politics dictated that they needed a quick one. That's antithetical, and the British never did figure out a way to meet those requirements; their task was basically impossible.

Hello everyone! My name is Ashley and I’m joining the group from Morgantown, WV. I’ve always been an avid history reader, mostly focusing on the Civil War area and Reconstruction periods. Now, I would like to brush up on my Revolutionary history and I thought this would be a great way to do so!

So far I’m loving Atkinson’s descriptions of King George III. It’s reading like an historical fiction novel, the way he tells the story. Can’t wait to get more pages read in the next few days and discuss with you all!

Hi, John here from Santa Cruz, California. I'm reading this because I've found the revolution fascinating for a long time now.

I have to say, the thing that struck me so far in the book was from chapter one. I wasn't aware of how militant the colonists had become by 1775. The militia preparations, the provincial assembly and Committee of Safety, the willingness of the countryside to rise, that was all just amazingly advanced for a political fight that hadn't yet committed itself to a revolution.