The American Revolution and The Great Contradiction

THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION by Geoffrey C. Ward and Ken Burns is subtitled “An Intimate History” and it is certainly a detailed one. The series which is airing on PBS is roughly twelve hours long and the companion book is itself just over 600 pages. That means many, many people are mentioned, and I found it interesting to learn about them, like Capt. Isaac Davis who led his neighbors and fellow minutemen at Lexington Green. The research is impeccable, if overwhelming at times. I am grateful to all involved for trying to present as much factual information as possible, particularly, the firsthand accounts, but I miss some of the myths (e.g., Nathan Hale and the only one life to give quote), too. The bibliography is almost a dozen pages, each single spaced and with three columns of sources; plus, there is another similarly formatted five pages of illustration credits. THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION received a starred review from Booklist.  

According to the publisher’s summary, THE GREAT CONTRADICTION by Joseph J. Ellis “reckons with the two great failures of America’s founding: the failure to end slavery and the failure to avoid Indian removal.” Ellis is a widely recognized authority on the Revolutionary Era, having won both the Pulitzer Prize (Founding Brothers) and the National Book Award (American Sphinx). In his latest work, he discusses, for example, how a majority of signers of the Declaration owned slaves. Honestly, I was shocked at some of the quotes which were shared; like Ben Franklin (who subsequently changed his views) writing in 1751 “… in America, where we have so fair an opportunity, by excluding all blacks and tawneys, of increasing the lovely white and red? But perhaps I am partial to the complexion of my country, for such kind of partiality is natural to Mankind.” Commentary and analysis in THE GREAT CONTRADICTION is based on significant research (approximately twenty percent of the book comprises Notes and bibliographical references) and the tone is rather scholarly throughout. However, Booklist, Kirkus, Library Journal (calling it an “important and necessary perspective”), and Publishers Weekly all gave this text a starred review. Ellis provides a unique and fascinating look into contemporary perspective on these crucial issues during the nation’s formation.