The South in the Revolution 1763-1789

A History of the South #3

by John Richard Alden

In 1763 the oppressive program of Grenville set up a tempo of resentment. Virginia and Maryland soon struck against the abuse of liberty, with Patrick Henry as their spokesman. Rioting followed the Carolinas and Georgia. With the Townshend Acts of 1767 the crisis worsened. In nine more years the “Tea and Trumpets” period—to use Mr. Alden’s phrase—would explode into the Revolution.

These events form but a single, bright strand in the intricate story of the South during the Revolution. This volume—the first complete account yet written of an exciting period—ranges from the demography of the South (including White, Negro, and Indian groups), through the War of Independence, into the critical early years of the Union.

The emphasis throughout is upon political and social change. The network of historic conditions and human motives is treated with consummate skill; and the heroic story of the war, with its gallery of personalities on both sides, is vigorously narrated.

The book also gives a valuable account both of the origins and evolution of Southern sectionalism and of the role of the South in creating the Union. Besides the full-scale record of the colony-states on the Atlantic seaboard, the development of the Old Southwest is brilliantly detailed, including Indian warfare, the settlement of Kentucky and Tennessee, and many other related topics.

Genres: History, American Revolution, War

442 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1957

About the author

John R. Alden was James B. Duke Professor Emeritus at Duke University and wrote a number of biographies of important figures in the American Revolution, including Thomas Gage, Charles Lee, and Stephen Sayre.

Reviews

[William Guerrant · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found much of the first hundred pages or so nearly unreadable, revealing as much about 1957 (the year the book was published) as about the Revolutionary era. But then (to this reader at least) the book made a remarkable turnaround, presenting fascinating and thoughtful decisions of historically neglected aspects of the era, such as the political history of the Articles of Confederation and the diplomatic history of the Indian wars and associated issues/conflicts. Potential readers should know that the author devotes relatively little space to the Revolutionary War itself--favoring consideration of causes and consequences over combat.