Revolution Song: A Story of American Freedom

by Russell Shorto

Russell Shorto’s work has been praised as “first-rate intellectual history” (Wall Street Journal), “literary alchemy” (Chicago Tribune) and simply “astonishing” (New York Times).

In his epic new book, Russell Shorto takes us back to the founding of the American nation, drawing on diaries, letters and autobiographies to flesh out six lives that cast the era in a fresh new light. They include an African man who freed himself and his family from slavery, a rebellious young woman who abandoned her abusive husband to chart her own course and a certain Mr. Washington, who was admired for his social graces but harshly criticized for his often-disastrous military strategy.

Through these lives we understand that the revolution was fought over the meaning of individual freedom, a philosophical idea that became a force for violent change. A powerful narrative and a brilliant defense of American values, Revolution Song makes the compelling case that the American Revolution is still being fought today and that its ideals are worth defending.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, American History, Biography, American Revolution, American Revolutionary War, Historical

509 pages, Hardcover

First published November 6, 2018

About the author

Russell Shorto is the author, most recently, of Revolution Song, a new narrative of the American Revolution, which the New York Times called a "remarkable" achievement and the Chicago Tribune described as "an engaging piece of historical detective work and narrative craft." He is also the author of The Island at the Center of the World, a national bestseller about the Dutch founding of New York. Shorto is senior scholar at the New Netherland Institute and was formerly the director of the John Adams Institute in Amsterdam.

Reviews

[Scott Rhee · Rating 5 out of 5]

History comes to life in Russell Shorto's brilliant 2018 book "Revolution Song", a nonfiction multi-biography of six real-life figures that helped shape and define the American Revolution.

The book follows Cornplanter, a Seneca chief who initially sided with the British and, later, worked with the fledgling American government to help the various tribes of the Northwest; George Washington, the reluctant general and beloved war hero who would become the natural choice for first president of the United States; Lord George Germain (Sackville), a British Secretary of State whose hard-line views led to war against the colonies; Venture Smith, a slave who bought his freedom and became an embryonic force for the abolitionist movement; Margaret Moncrieffe (later, by marriage, Coghlan), a British aristocrat forced into a bad marriage who, while in debtor's prison, published one of the early feminist manifestos that inspired the Suffragette movement; Abraham Yates, Jr, a patriotic politician and virulent anti-federalist who fought against the "elites" like Alexander Hamilton to provide basic rights for the common people of the new U.S. and not just for rich white landowners.

This book is phenomenal, if only for its diverse cross-section of multiple actors in the Revolution, many of whom have been, until recently, traditionally ignored by historians.

[Grumpus · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve enjoyed the author’s work in the past especially The Island at the Center of the World: The Epic Story of Dutch Manhattan and the Forgotten Colony That Shaped America, so I was excited to learn of this book.

It is (as the title indicates), the story of America’s founding in six remarkable lives. I thought it would be interesting to get a revolutionary perspective from these diverse viewpoints—George Washington (of course), a slave, a couple of politicians (one British and one American), a native American, a young girl of a British soldier who was forced to marry at 15. Typically, the account of this period is through the history of George Washington. So, it was very interesting to learn of the stories of these people and their unique experiences during this time.

The audiobook was a little difficult to get into as I was initially lost trying to understand the shift in characters. I feared this was going to be another disappointment like The Greater Journey: Americans in Paris where I had issues regarding the multiple life stories. I was very disappointed and wrote one of my favorite commentaries. It is my review with the greatest number of comments. You can read it here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

It took a little while, but it recovered nicely, and I soon had my bearings. Maybe it was the audiobook format where chapter breaks, and headings are obviously not visible—so it is possible that this would be better absorbed through print.

You tend to think of the Revolutionary period as the great and successful struggle that it was. This was an eye-opening look at the impact it had on the lives of others that were not directly involved. A very good read.

[Els · Rating 5 out of 5]

Revolution Song is just that. I apologize for my earlier insulting of the title. It draws together the stories of six persons - from every race, gender, class, and outlook - who watched the birth of America. I love seeing already hashed-out events from a fresh perspective, and this book did that. In fact it gave me all the perspectives. It was more than a song- it was a symphony.
Besides, we get a lot of great stories.

- that time Sackville literally postponed a slightly unimportant charge for- what, five minutes?- because he received conflicting orders and almost got hung for treason, as the people burned his effigy. He was perfectly popular up to this point. People.

-that time Thomas Paine got ticked off at Washington and wrote that "although I have known the General for quite some time, we are merely acquaintances," because George Washington "Does not have any friends and is incapable of making any."

- that time people thought Margaret Coghlan was in love with the atrocious-looking General Putnam

- the many, many times Sackville managed to dodge a trip to America

- our air is not poisonous, contrary to popular opinion, darling.

- every single time Abraham Yates felt like murdering Alexander Hamilton

- which was pretty much all the time

- I understand the feeling, Yates

- and that time Yates wrote a huge thesis explaining why he thought the Constitution was taking away lower class rights before signing it, because Hamilton convinced him he had to.

- but he wasn't going down without a fight nah-ah.

- okay, everything Yates did.

- Especially keeping the Hamilton family in quarantine when they attempted to enter Albany.

- I love me a good historical grudge.

- a thousand more better stories which I have subsequently forgotten, and which you must read the book to find.

-seriously, I spent a lot of the time laughing

- they were people too.


Meet the Characters:

Broteer Furro, aka Venture Smith
From prince to slave to lover to father to well-respected real estate monger. This man faced so much in prejudice and hardship that I'm honestly not certain he noticed the American revolution. Which is totally fine. He was a perspective we needed, and I felt for him a lot.

Margaret Coghlan
She was absolutely confused as to which side she adhered to, so not even trying to pin her down. During most of the Revolutionary War, she was a British sympathizer, however.

Honestly, I spent the entire book going NO MEG NO MEG NO MEG NO THIS IS NOT WHAT FREEDOM LOOKS LIKE MEG NO I blame Aaron Burr NO MEG NOOOOOOOO...
Her story is a result of the way women were thought of at the time, though, and while she wasn't blameless it hurt to see her story unfold. If I build a time-travel machine I'll go give her a good, motherly talk. Sadly I know I won't be able too because otherwise, I would not be writing this review right now. *narrowly misses diving into a time-travel rant* She started out with so much potential- she was spunk, she was brilliance, she faked her own death- what's not to love? But she didn't know what she was looking for. As she unhappily danced through life on many a man's arm, I felt like slapping her, and I felt like hugging her. poor girl.


Abraham Yates
I loved him. I loved his crankiness. I loved the way he worked his way up, and I loved the way he held on to his roots. He was a hoot to read about. An Anti-Federalist and a freedom fighter. Read the book, if only for his sections.

Kaiiontwa'kon, aka Gaiänt'wakê aka Cornplanter aka Captain O'Beel aka John Abeel III
YAY SENECA TRIBE REPRESENTATION because although they played a big part in the Revolutionary War and the Iroquois Nation it seems like they're skimmed over a lot? Or just referenced as Iroquois? There's so much more there, people. If you didn't know who "Cornplanter" (his most commonly-referred-to name) was before you read this review, we may have a problem. I do wish Shorto had referred to him by one of his real names, instead of Cornplanter. (Same with Broteer.) BUT STILL. Glad to see him around, even if I don't particularly appreciate all his choices.

George Sackville aka Lord Germain
And I will never stop wondering if Tolkien named the Sackville-Bagginses after this man, or if he was just using the name for its philological references. *peers intently at The Hobbit* For the first half of his biography, I was thinking who on earth is this person and why have I, extensive researcher of this time period, never heard of him? Then he changed his name, and I breathed a massive sigh of relief at my intellect. (Still can't believe I didn't remember Germain's name was really Sackville? Why did I not know this? Well, we live and learn.) It was exceedingly interesting to see his perspective.

AND FINALLY
George Washington
And if you don't know who he is I officially disown you. Guess I don't have to write much, other than I had forgotten how much GW was just a dad to everyone. I loveth it. Go father figures. Do I agree with everything he stood for? Nah. But then I disagree violently on one (not the same, but a) major point with 100% of my friends. I just avoid the subject. Kindness is great, people. We're all entitled to our blatantly wrong opinions. We're human.

Well, that turned out insipidly and not half as fun as I hoped it would be, but that's what happens when you procrastinate reviewing. XD Note The second song in Washington's biography is rather lewd and graphic and entirely unnecessary. There were no Good Old Days™.

[Chris Witkowski · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this compelling, meticulously researched work, Russell Shorto tells the story of the American Revolution through the eyes of six very different people: a founding father, George Washington, a British politician and architect of the war, George Germain, a bureaucrat from Albany, N.Y., Abraham Yates, an African born slave, Venture Smith, an American Indian, Cornplanter and a woman, Margaret Coghlan, daughter of a British soldier, who was forced into marriage at the age of 15.

The individual stories are fascinating, particularly that of Venture Smith, who bought his freedom not long after being brought to America and built a fairly successful and satisfying life in Connecticut. Cornplanter's tale is equally interesting and is one of a brave, fearless, intelligent native American who fought long and hard for his people.

Throughout the narrative, Shorto reminds the reader that the fight for independence was based on the belief that all men are created equal and deserving of freedom, but sadly, freedom was not won for all. It would be many more years before slavery was abolished and even more years before women gained the freedoms that men had enjoyed since the beginning of our nation. And then there's what happened to the American Indians.

I have never been a great reader of history , finding it difficult to sustain interest, so Shorto's book, personalizing facts that could otherwise be dry, and textbook-like, helped to make the story of the birth of our nation a riveting one.

[Tony · Rating 4 out of 5]

Revolution Song treats readers to six very interesting short biographies all set during the US revolutionary era. However, it fails to connect these narratives in any meaningful way. Shorto repeatedly argues that each of his subjects fought for freedom in his or her own manner. But, even this broad claim is difficult to sustain. For what freedom did George Sackville fight--the freedom for Parliament to tax the American colonies? The freedom to rid his reputation of the stain from Minden? Margaret Coghlan did fight for freedom, but she did so principally in England and against the laws and mores of mainland British society. I do not see how her plight--although very sympathetic--has much to do with the struggles of the colonials. Revolution Song is, in essence, a collection of six brilliant (and true) short stories, but not compelling as a unified work of history.

[Roya · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is possibly my favorite book of 2017. I love the history of ordinary people. Russell Shorto presents the America Revolution from 6 different points of view (George Washington, a mixed race Seneca Native American, a slave, a shoemaker, a woman, and a British aristocrat). Furthermore, it's relevant to issues today.

[Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shorto interweaves the lives and stories of six people who lived during the early years of American colonization (1766 or so). It appears he's writing a "Narrative Nonfiction" as is the popular approach to history. But with the personalities and aim of this book, that works.

Some of the six people are well known, like George Washington, others somewhat known to us like the Iroquois chief Cornplanter and George Sackville/Germain, a distant ancestor of Vita Sackville-West, but the other three are unknown (to me). They are Broteer Furro, a slave from Guinea whose American name is Venture Smith, Abraham Yates an early NY politician and a founder of sorts of the republic, and finally Margaret Moncrieffe whose related by marriage to the John Jay family. As I understand it, none of these people actually met or knew each other but their lives, the lives they led, certainly lived in the general area and would have been impacted by the happenings of early colonization.

Shorto begins the book with a short introduction to Sackville, and then goes on to talk about the most compelling and fascinating of the six people, Broteer Furro. As a boy, he witnessed his father tortured and killed by a neighboring tribe (out to steal his father's valuables). Ultimately Broteer is sent to the coast where he's boarded on a slave ship destined for the new world. Interestingly, Shorto claims that "Europeans had not introduced slavery. The practice of capturing and enslaving other Africans had long been a feature of many cultures in the region ... but as more European sent ships, their trade" (p28) began to include slaves, and that trade grew quickly as agricultural (and population growth) methods required more labor. He also makes the point (p80) that thousands of poor whites form the B. Isles were taken from prisons and orphanages to become indentured servants but they were virtually treated as slaves, albeit in theory an eventual end to their indenture. Broteer succeeds in the new world, first because of his great height and strength but primarily because he's a smart man who quickly begans to understand the value of land and money, and how he can make them work to his advantage. Ultimately, he buys his and his wife's freedom and becomes a man of substance and respect. Along the way he gains the name of Venture, and he later adds Smith.They create a city that still exists. Shorto describes him as "transactional by nature." (p298) He knew how to work numbers and he also knew how to gain the respect of his white owners and neighbors. Not that he didn't have great troubles and tribulations. He was beaten, cheated, and suffered greatly by the death and behavior of his children. But in the end, he triumphed, and he lives on through an autobiography that he dictated in his old age.

Shorto points out the irony that some colonists were engaged in slavery while calling for freedom from GB. Also an irony, the "planters were themselves emplying slave labor to further enslave themselves to overseas creditors ..." (p163) And some lashed out at England for having brought slavery into their economic system. Apparently at some point, some slave holders either freed their slaves or freed them, then hired them (and gave them some land) as workers on their farms. I'm wondering why this wasn't a solution to the slavery problem which almost all the founders disliked, for moral or economic reasons. Slave holders would have had costs involved in feeding, clothing, and caring for their slaves which would/could be offset by hiring them as employees.

George Sackville comes off very badly. His personality is harsh, arrogant and not very flexible or likeable. He believes the Irish and certainly the Americans ought to be punished into obedience and subservience to the English. But he really misses the mark throughout his life, and in the end, retires to his great house, Knole, if not despised probably not held in very high esteem by his country.

Washington is the Washington we know and love, but Shorto does include many of Washington's failures such as the massacre of the French "diplomatic" party, and the brutal killing and scalping of Jumonville by a Seneca Indian, Half-King. This event is still intensely debated but I've heard it said that because of this, Washington has been credited with (blamed for) starting the French/Indian War, 1753.

Abraham Yates, a Dutch immigrant, who spent his life in Albany, NY, was a strong antifederalist, opposing anything that hinted of monarchy or tyranny. He grew in stature and in political skills over the years, beginning with the least important or impressive positions. Amazingly, he formed a party of "common" man. Unlike the Washingtons, Madisons, even Hamiltons, Yates gathered around him the laborers, and others, like himself, of a "lower class." With great organizational abilities, he became a political powerhouse, including a representative to the Continental Congress where he regularly created a nuisance of himself by standing steadfast against anything that smacked of a strong federal government.

This was the age of enlightenment and the rights of the individual were being touted and incorporated into the psyche of most Europeans and certainly the new American colonies. Many (including Yates) were readers and followers of Descartes, Locke, Montesque and Thomas Paine. (p237-242) It was time of revolution, the overthrowing of the "natural" order for individual rights and liberties, not just in the colonies. In 1789, the French stormed the Bastille and instituted a new form of government for their country (which didn't work out as well as the American Revolution).

Cornplanter is another fascinating character in Shorto's book, probably the most intriguing and mysterious. From Shorto's portrayal, Cornplanter struggled all his life with his identity but also in his feelings of abandonment by his white father (a Dutchman by name of Abeel), who not only had no interest in him, even refused to treat him politely on the occasions when Cornplanter sought him out. But nonetheless he rose to become a respected chief of the Iroqois tribe, or maybe of the entire Seneca coalition. He had great military skills as well as political skills. Shorto says "Cornplanter, the philosopher, understood power." (p407) More importantly for the long term well being of his tribe, he also recognized and understood the concept of banking. Cornplanter even managed to deal with and overcome the resentment of the colonists (including Washington) who felt betrayed by the Indians, like the Seneca, who threw their support behind the British during the struggles with Britain.

Margaret Moncrieffe is the most tragic of the people in Shorto's book. Born in Nova Scotia to a British officer and a mother who died shortly after her birth. Margaret had several stepmothers, and mostly an absent father who was off fighting wars somewhere. She'd been influenced by a play, called Polly Honeycombe, a smart, headstrong girl in search for love, and Margaret's life mirrors Polly's in many ways. (p292-293) At the age of 15 or so, her father decided she needed to marry, needed the protection of marriage, and pretty much forced her to marry a man who turned out to be abusive and mostly a wastrel, good for nothing. When he left the military and headed off to GB with Margaret in tow, she'd really had enough of him, and literally walked away one night, heading off into the countryside with no money and no idea of where she was going. As probably happened and still happens to pretty young women she attracted the attention of wealthy and powerful, men who supported her in grand style and maybe even loved her (but never in the marrying kind of way).

[Matthew Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful, historical novel depicting some of the most incredible stories leading up to America's independence. This one is deeply researched, and paints a very interesting analysis of some of the greatest stories of America in the early years. History fans will enjoy it.

[Nathan Albright · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a stellar example of the best achievements that can result from the contemporary leftist obsession with identity politics combined with a complex and well-researched view of history to provide a complicated tale that checks a great many of the boxes of various identities.  That is not to say that I found this book to be perfect, because the author frequently demonstrated his hostility to Christianity and reveled in the impotence of George Washington as well as the sleeping around of Margaret Coghlan, who went from loyalist refugee to escaped housewife and kept woman to an obscure death after spending lots of time in debtor's prison.  A great many of the stories included in this book are poignant, and they manage to combine and bounce off of each other in complex ways, as a black slave learns from his dying father what it means to be a man and an Iroqouis war chief seeks an honorable peace for his people after the destruction of so much of his people's civilization during the brutality of the American Revolution while his brother seeks to reform his people's heathen faith.  Again, this book was not written for me and the perspective of the author is far different than my own, but there is still a lot to appreciate here based on the compelling way the author has found insight in unfamiliar perspectives on a familiar story.

This volume is about 500 pages long or so and is divided into three parts and twenty chapters that ricochet off of each other from George Washington's youth to the period after American independence where the author reflects on the legacy of the lives of the people here.  We see Washington dealing with the loss of his father and his crazy mother and his desire to rise up to honorable status despite some handicaps.  We see Cornplanter's status as an elite involving difficult negotiations that seek to preserve the dignity and honor and survival of his imperiled people in the face of imperial war and revolution.  We see Venture Smith be kidnapped and sold into slavery and seek his own freedom and that of his family as well as the well-being of his people in New England.  We see Margaret Coghlan seek to be reunited with her father, to escape her abusive husband, and then to find a free life where she can be loved and respected.  We see George Sackville seek to recover from accusations of cowardice at the Battle of Minden and find himself continually being raked over the coals for that moment of weakness despite having achieved high office and noble title.  And we see Abraham Yates struggle to make a good living for himself and deal with New York politics as a populist who seeks to cut elites down to size and provide away for the views and interests of the common folk to be respected and heard.

It is indeed the humanity that the author discusses that comes across strongly here.  Even as someone who is particularly hostile to leftist identity politics and to the author's own hostility to traditional morality and Christian decency, I can recognize why this book is so widely praised.  The author has a genuine degree of sympathy for those who he writes about and at least struggles to keep an even-handed perspective when it comes to the people he is writing about.  And the author's commitment to identity politics is quite notable.  He writes about elites in both the United States (George Washington) and Great Britain (George Sackville), working class whites (Abraham Yates), women (Margaret Coghlan), native Americans (Cornplanter), and blacks (Venture and Meg Smith), many of whom had interactions with others in strange and surprising ways.  The author makes much of Washington's name as "Town Destroyer," which he apparently inherited from an ancestor of his and lived up to in his own efforts in the American Revolution and points out the ugliness and competitiveness of elite politics, but anyone who can draw sympathy for Washington for having to deal with a crazy mother and be viewed as not enough of an elite to marry some of the young women of his class is clearly doing a fine job at seeking to check elite privilege in all kinds of ways.  And without agreeing with it, it is still hard not to respect it.

[Ernie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a fan of Russell Shorto, dating from my encounter with "Island at the Middle of the World". Shorto identifies disruptive ideas then researches the times, place and people associated with the changes manifest by the disruption. In this case, he explores the concept of equality among men and follows the familiar trajectory that led to the American Revolution. Of course, and as we all know, the equality of men at the time meant white men of wealth. Nevertheless, the words resonated widely. In this book Shorto tells the stories of 6 people who represent different elements in the story.

George Washington, founding father; Lord George Germain, aka George Sackville, a British leader who was the leading advocate for subjugation of colonies; Venture Smith, a slave who was brought from Africa to Connecticut but bought his freedom and became a leading citizen of his community, within the limits imposed because of his race; Margaret Moncrieffe (Coghlan) a young woman from a wealthy family who discovered that when she reached marriageable age (14) that she was property and did not have equality with men; Cornplanter, a Seneca of the Iroquois nation who was a leader of his Native American nation and whose life straddled the time when the French and English promised them protection from settlement to the establishment of small reservations and westernizing their life-styles; Abraham Yates, a shoemaker from Albany, NY who becomes active in the movement for independence, seeking elected office in the NY government, deposing of the British government in NY, then become embroiled in the controversy between Federalists and Anti-Federalists with the fear that one or the other will lead to establishment of an American monarchy.

The biography of Washington is well known. Shorto weaves the familiar Washington narratives into the events and lives of the other, lesser known characters. The other characters appear to be selected because of their roles in society, the impact of the call for equality of men and republican government on them, and the existence of diaries and other historical records that describe their lives.

The book does two things. First it does an excellent job describing the challenges that confronted people, both in America and in Britain, regarding the question of managing the colonies. Second it identifies the idea of equality and freedom as being very infectious and capturing the imagination of people beyond the wealthy, white male world to which it was applied. The book raises the hypothesis that this was the beginning of the end of slavery, recognition of the rights of native people in colonized lands and the equality of women. It was a sore disappointment to Venture, Cornplanter and Margaret that their lives did not attain that equality and freedom. The characters at the heart of the change were Washington, Yates and Germain.

The book is not fiction so it defies the neat joining of story lines. Each person had a fascinating life, many aspects of which did not fit neatly into Shorto's hypothesis. He strains at times to make some of his points. Nevertheless, the selection of people is well done, the hypothesis well argued and the book very stimulating. I recommend it.

[Joanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

A spectacular read on multiple perspectives during the Revolutionary War. This is very reminiscent of how the story of the War is told at the Museum of The American Revolution in Philadelphia. This is the future of writing about the past -- history is seen from multiple points of view.

[William Bahr · Rating 4 out of 5]

Revolution, an American song well-sung!

I very much enjoyed this book and found it intriguing, especially the parts about Lord Germain. I would have given the book a 5-star rating had it not had a number of issues relating to the one character (of six covered) I know a little about (Washington). If the author does choose to update his book, in addition to his paying a little more attention to ambiguous pronouns, I’d recommend he address the following:

P 3: “Three thousand miles away [America - England],” is really more like 4000 miles away, with rounding. Maybe 3000 “nautical miles,” a nautical mile being 1.15 miles. Then, too, ships didn't travel in a straight line. P 83: “4000 miles across that same ocean…[Anomabo (West Africa) - Long Island (New York)”: 5000 miles (with rounding) as the crow flies (over some land), must be 4000 nautical miles, but the journey was by sea, so the distance traveled was even longer. P 91: “…their leader was the brother of Jumonville….” Really was older half-brother. P 125: “So, as he had done in copying out the ‘Rules of Civility’ at age sixteen,…” Was done before the age of 16, as at that age he was off on a surveying trip. Copied “Rules” sometime between the age of 13-15. P 179: …”rum, molasses, a barrel of limes and, to please Martha and her sons,…” But in 1766, Martha had only one son. P 232 “He [Germain] had replaced Gage with William Howe, and sent Howe to Boston with new orders.” No, Howe was already in Boston, having fought at Bunker Hill and then replacing Gage. P. 242: “Perhaps as many as a third of Americans were still loyal to Britain.” OK for general debate and possibly true at a moment or two, but this percentage comes from a misused comment by John Adams. Modern historians say 10% revolutionaries, 10% loyalists, and 80% either just wanting to be left alone or going with the ever-changing wind. P 252 “…declaration the members of the Continental Congress had signed five days earlier [4 July].” No, it was printed on that date, having been signed earlier only by John Hancock and the congressional secretary Charles Thompson. P 253: “…neither [Germain and Washington] was especially a man of ideas…” Highly disputed, especially for Washington, the visionary who imagined and constructed the United States of America. P 364: One of his [Washington’s] generals lamented that….” Why not just say Nathaniel Greene? P 384: “He [Cornwallis] wrote to both Clinton and Germain ensuring them…” Typo: should be “assuring.” P 401: “…one of Washington’s junior officers….” I’m not sure I would classify Colonel Lewis Nicola as a junior officer. P 476 “…dentures…made of human teeth held together with ivory and gold.” Mount Vernon describes Washington’s dentures as follows: “Human teeth, probably horse and cow teeth, ivory (probably elephant), lead tin alloy, copper alloy (possibly brass), silver alloy. Just a few human teeth; no gold is mentioned. P 476: “Washington himself had fueled the divide by installing leaders [Hamilton and Jefferson] of the two parties…” Confusing, IMHO, as the parties were formed after Washington had installed the two men. P 477 “…Thomas Paine felt at liberty to air long-standing grievances….” This was a 1796 open letter. How long-standing the grievances were is hard to determine, given Paine’s often profuse praise for Washington earlier. Certainly, Washington’s refusal to directly help Paine out when Paine was “headed” for the French guillotine (by accident he lucked out in the last hours) certainly fueled Francophile Paine’s imagination. P 478 “Abolitionists accused him [Washington] of being the ultimate hypocrite [regarding holding slaves]….” The author fails to address the vast complexity of Washington’s slave-holding situation and that he was unique among the slave-holding founders as to having freed what slaves he could in his will. The author personalizes this charge when on page 506 he faults Washington for “his failure to live up to that ideal [individual freedom]. I can only trust that the facts about the five other characters covered were more or less accurate.

[✨medeia✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Genuinely a great read. It was incredibly refreshing to read this well-known history through the eyes of 6 people who couldn't be more different; 1 founding father, 1 English aristocrat, 1 Native American, 1 freed slave, 1 hardworking American, and 1 rebellious woman. Absolutely loved it, and will definitely look more into the stories of these often overlooked people whose lives were changed forever after the American War of independence. 4.5 stars.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting read of the lives of 6 people involved in the American Revolution. They represent very different experiences and I’m glad I read it-but it took me awhile. It’s amazing our founding fathers pulled this off while at the same time completely ignoring those not included in their fight for freedom. As evidenced by the notes and bibliography Shorto did his research and honestly portrayed these people’s foibles, triumphs and heartaches - each in a quest for freedom.

[Larry Olson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shorto’s book is an engaging piece of historical storytelling. He brings to life six representative voices in the diverse group that fought for, resisted and sought the meaning of American freedom. Among them, a freed slave, a Native American Chief, a local populist official and Washington himself. Interesting take in the Revolutionary War.

[Elias Claeys · Rating 5 out of 5]

Schitterend boek over het ontstaan van de VS.

[Sibrich van Baalen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Die Shorto kan schrijven. Ben echt een sucker for microgeschiedenis. Langs verschillende levenslijnen word je meegenomen in de geschiedenis van het Amerika van Washington. Het duurde echter even voordat ik de wisselingen tussen hoofdstukken en personages doorhad, maar soms ben je nou eenmaal afgeleid. Tweede boek van Shorto en zeker niet de laatste.

[Nancy Green · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good concept. Well-researched book. Poorly written, loosely organized. Numerous long sentences, including one sentence that was an astounding 197 words. Flat writing with excessive detail.

[Robert Muller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Telling the story of the founding of America from several different viewpoints taken from accounts written at the time produces a really interesting take, one that informs in so many ways. The writing is terrific, up to a point: that point is when the author crosses the line that the history profession draws about over-interpreting. Especially with Washington, Shorto injects far too much of his own opinion about the person into the history. I'd have preferred letting the characters give their emotions in their own words, which he does only occasionally. He basically makes Washington's character out as a bumbling, vain, hypocritical, and insecure fool that achieved virtually nothing. I think that's a bit extreme. For example, he mentions Washington's status as a slave owner many times, but never mentions that he freed his slaves in his will, unlike the other founder slave owners (however complex that process was, however late, it deserves mentioning in this context). He uses Yates as the anti-Federalist counterfoil and mentions the broadsides against Washington during his second term without mentioning that Jefferson was largely behind them, making his political/party move, and that that whole situation was far more complex than just a popular rejection of Washington's policies. He treats the farewell address as an admission of failure rather than the exhortation to change that it was: Washington was asking the country to follow the right path to avoid exactly the disasters that befell it (and are afflicting it today, for that matter).

So, read this book for a great understanding of the history, but read other books as well to better understand the characters and context.

[N.L. Brisson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some books get under our skin, and we credit the author for being such a spellbinding writer. We become a fan, and we want to read every book that author has written and any future books s/he writes. That is what happened to my friend when he read Revolution Song: The Story of American Freedom, by Russell Shorto. He was so excited that I agreed to read Shorto's book. Not long ago I read George Washington: A Life by Ron Chernow so I expected that I would just find Shorto covering familiar ground. But the Chernow book was published in 2011 and Shorto's book was published in 2018. The latter book is informed by a whole lot of recent political scrutiny.
Shorto's history does not just cover the role of George Washington in the American founding. He invites some less well-known Americans into the mix (along with a few Brits and Washington's great friend, Lafayette, a Frenchman).

We follow a slave stolen from his native land and brought to America, going by his slave’s name, Venture until he finds his way to freedom, the raison d'etre for the Revolutionary War and a common thread among the characters in Shorto's book. It is a long time before most African Americans achieve freedom.

We follow a Native American, member of the Six Nations, Cornplanter, who treats with leaders who are French, British, and American and who temporarily finds his little piece of freedom.

Margaret Coghlan stands in for all the women whose freedom was ignored in this war for freedom and individual liberty.

"Margaret Coghlan felt this pull of freedom that was in the air in the eighteenth century, but she realized, too late, that it did not apply to half of the human race. History does not record what became of Coghlan's children, the poor waifs she dragged around with her as her tragic life wound down, but her ideological descendants span the history of the women's movement, from Elizabeth Cady Stanton to Gloria Steinem, and for that matter includes people like Amelia Earhart, Ellen DeGeneres and every woman who broke a gender barrier." (p. 506)

Abraham Yates was a conservative who felt that America should be a loose affiliation of states without a strong federal government. He began with almost nothing and had to work very hard to win whatever personal power he could fight his way in society for. He eventually became a lawyer and then a public servant and he had gathered enough clout to be included in the Constitution Convention to rewrite the Articles of Confederation. He had better reasons to back state's rights than slave owners had but George Washington and his rival Alexander Hamilton favored a strong central government, taxation, and a federal bank. Yates was able to force the inclusion of the Bill of Rights in the US Constitution.

Our founders saw the mismatch between promising to honor the belief that "all men are created equal" and the belief of many slave owners that slavery was necessary for the economy and that black men were savages and therefore not equal to white men. No one even considered for a minute the rights of women. They worried that this philosophical lie that lay at the heart of our government would one day destroy the nation.

"At the outset of the war they had gotten a proper scare when news reached them that hundreds of slaves in Jamaica had attempted an uprising. Even more troubling, the Jamaican slaves had apparently been inspired by the very ideals of freedom that Washington and his fellow rebels proclaimed. The Jamaican rebellion had been crushed, its leaders executed and either burned alive or had their bodies displayed as a public warning. For a man like Washington, the affair underscored the dangerous double-edged nature of the ideology the Americans espoused. Uprisings were a nightmare that all southern slaveholding families lived with. To give weapons to people they had been systematically abusing for generations was beyond his comprehension. Freedom was what Washington was fighting for, but not for them. Not now. It was an irony, an incongruity, a flaw in the American project of bringing true individual liberty into being: he did not deny that. But he couldn't solve it. He was not a philosopher. (p. 352)

We are still dealing with the aftermath of this founding dilemma, and it seems to be tearing the nation apart even though slavery is no longer legal. Racism, the news shows us, is still alive and well in America to our shame and it may yet end our long flirtation with liberty.

Washington was also conflicted about whether America should have a strong central government or give autonomy to the several states. We are still fighting about which of these governmental designs would offer the most freedom and individual liberty. Washington chose to use his reputation and fame to back a strong central government, but he was not at all sure that it was the correct choice.

"In June, Washington wrote a circular letter "to the army," but really to the leadership of the state governments. He had spent the entire war enraged at Congress's mismanagement of finances and the underfunding of the army. There had been a power vacuum in the American government throughout the war; now it threatened to open into a chasm. In the letter, he expressed his happy astonishment that what they had fought for had actually been achieved: that Americans were now "possessed of absolute freedom and Independency." But he stressed that the structure for maintaining that freedom was lacking. Taking his cues from Madison and Hamilton he suggested that what was needed was "an indissoluble union of states under one Federal Head." This required that the individual states "suffer Congress" to exercise authority. Without this "everything must rapidly tend to Anarchy and confusion." (p. 402)

Washington shows his prescience when, as the author reports, he says,
"Sounding much like Yates, Washington said he now saw that periods of turbulence would "gradually incline the minds of men to seek security & repose in the absolute power of an Individual and sooner or later the chief of some prevailing faction more able or more fortunate than his competitors, turns this disposition to the purposes of his own elevation on the ruins of Public Liberty."

My friend was right. Russell Shorto nonfiction book was a worthwhile addition to books that cover the era of the American Revolution, and it is important because it discusses the challenges we face right now as we decide anew whether to choose freedom, even if it is only relative freedom, over autocratic rule. (Even those unusual characters in Shorto's book are real people and there were documents telling the stories of their lives, with attributions given in the end notes.)

[John McHenry's journal echoes Washington's statement, "A Republic, if they can keep it."]

[Luis Cuesta · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book as a giveaway. This is a really good choice for readers interested in looking past America’s founding myths. Russel Shorto portrays really well the life of well known historical figures offering new light to them. Drawing on memoirs, letters, archival material, and much historical writing, he fashions a chronological narrative that jumps from one individual to another. I particularly like the depiction of Abraham Yates, a shoemaker who rose to become mayor of his native Albany, New York.

[RMazin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Revolution Song tells the story of the beginnings of the United States through the lives of six very different people. Margaret Moncrieffe is a young girl torn between family and political allegiances. Venture Smith is enslaved but seeking emancipation from his masters. Abraham Smith is a cobbler whose dreams include rising above his station. Cornplanter, a Seneca, witnesses changes to his land and culture. George Germain is seeking to retain the colonies as part of the British Empire. And best known of all is George Washington, portrayed as a more faceted individual than many may remember from school.

The effect of following these interwoven stories builds a sense of what freedom means on both a personal level as well as political, social and economic construct in a world that is rapidly evolving. Shorto gives excellent background to the novice history reader and most likely a gem or two to well-versed American Revolution buffs. The book is engaging and refreshing. It will remind readers of what they learned in class and what they could have learned to make it more interesting. Recommended and an excellent gift, too!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to review this book

[Clyde · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books to define at a human level the course and meaning of the American Revolution. Shorto weaves six American lives into a seamless tale
That brings to life how it was to live through that period, comparing and contrasting the lives of six Americans and how their lives intersected. Should
Be read by every American.

[Marc Lamberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

THIS WAS SO GOOD!

Honestly, I was rather sceptical about this book for several reasons. I read parts of Shorto's previous works and I wasn't impressed to be honest. Usually, I'm not too fond of books about American history, because they often describe a certain arrogance. Either it is written in the light of how great the American Century was or it is written from the point of view of the Europeans, who only see the United States as a rebellious colony. I was so glad that this book was neither and gave me a whole refreshed look on a certain part of American history.

Historiographically speaking, this is a very interesting book. When you follow agencies or actors in writing about history, they tend to be persons who are part of decision making events. I thought it was particularly brilliant of the author to follow six different individuals who all have crossed paths at one time or another. But their individual stories were the most important and that is the strength of the book. The meaning of American freedom does mean something different for all of them and I think that is quite the message: Freedom is not something universal.

I'm a sucker for details when it comes to historical works and this book satisfies me. Every statement is accounted for and a lot of context is given to the global and regional shifting of power. The roles of France, England, The Netherlands (Seven united provinces) and the Native Americans are given. There's a lot of information to consume, yet it does read like a novel most of the time. Some passages cost me more time than others, but I didn't mind that as I was learning new things about that particular age of American history.

Representation and diversity in such works is wished for, but always difficult to write about. It's hard to find out if a society was engaging in diversity and how that played out. To write about that is arguably even harder in my opinion. Although I thought Shorto could have followed more women instead of just one, lives of other women were described extensively.

I was really impressed by this book and that surprised me. It deals with so many socio-cultural and socio-economic questions of the 18th century in England, the common-wealth and the Americas. I like how certain topics like the discussion of freedom, religion and equality - which play a huge part in our lives still - are written about in this work. I really recommend this to anyone who's interested in history and American history in particular.

[Rick Mitchell · Rating 2 out of 5]

There is some very good history, but plowing through to get there takes some work.

Mr. Shorto traces the path to freedom during the middle of the 18th century (he starts way early with the French and Indian War) taken by six people. There is Cornplanter, a Seneca leader, whose story is excellent. Yates, a common man from Albany who breaks the power lock of the Dutch aristocracy and who fights the British and later the Federalists. His story, too, is a good one and informative. Sacklothe/Germain, the English minister who prosecuted the war for the British is also very good. There is the interesting story of a slave who eventually became Venture Smith. Interesting, but not particularly enlightening in a major way. Next, is George Washington. This is an unfortunate choice because there is nothing new in this book that any student of American history would not know. Mrs. Coghlan is an unfortunate choice for the women's selection. She fought for her freedom by attaching herself to a series of men until she wrote a book to get herself out of the threat of more time in debtors' prison. Mr. Shorto sums her up as an example that half the population had no freedom.

So, if three and half of the profiles were good, why the low grade?

There is a lot of irrelevant digressions. The book could easily have been one hundred to one hundred fifty pages shorter.

The book is also in the "narrative history" style. This gets observations (can't call them historical facts) like the following. As Washington sailed down the coast of Connecticut, Venture Smith, the slave, probably didn't see him. Ya think? The author acknowledges that the name of Cornplanter's wife has not come down through history. Despite this, he assured us with certainty that at a particular point her "life was fulfilled". That type of insight drove me batty.

I'm not sorry I read the book, but I can not recommend it.

[Deb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every book about the Revolution reveals more depth about our momentous 8 year war and the start of the United States. Shorto is a superb writer...this history reads like great fiction! To quote another reviewer, "the personalized facts" make for interesting historical reading. This book brings to life a British politician and 4 colonists including: an African born slave, a daughter of a British officer who was forced into marriage to an abusive man, a working class cobbler who worked and studied to become a noted public servant and political writer, and a Native American. You can read and 'live' each of their experiences and perspectives about breaking with England and the effects on their life and sphere. I absolutely loved the different points of view!!! Revolution Song is also another indepth look at George Washington.

Shorto starts by reminding us that we will never know what it is like to experience life from someone else's perspective. He believes ART helps us do it... and history has an element of art. I completely agree.

Just the bibliography of letters, archives, notes, and the index illustrate the compelling research into telling us these stories! The stories of each person are woven around a very clear reminder that the independence that they all sought, equality and freedom, were sadly only meant for Caucasian men, and in the beginning, the men with land and resources. There is small thanks that at least the working class men earned their place by the end of the war.

We all need to refresh our American history, especially the French/Indian War, the making of a revolution, the 8-year war, and the making and accepting of the Constitution. This is the book to do it!

[Brian V · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great history of Revolutionary War described in the entangled bios of 6 characters, made compelling by these personal histories, each reflecting a different vantage point of the war. Native American warrior; slave; Geo Washington; daughter of British officer; chief architect of British war strategy; Albany shoemaker who becomes powerful voice of revolution. Exposes role of French/Indian war influence on Am Revolution (beginning of up close experience of British treating colonists as slaves; Geo Washington's bumbling leads to outbreak of that war.

4 1/2 Stars.

Russell Shorto’s work has been praised as “first-rate intellectual history” (Wall Street Journal), “literary alchemy” (Chicago Tribune) and simply “astonishing” (New York Times).


In his epic new book, Russell Shorto takes us back to the founding of the American nation, drawing on diaries, letters and autobiographies to flesh out six lives that cast the era in a fresh new light. They include an African man who freed himself and his family from slavery, a rebellious young woman who abandoned her abusive husband to chart her own course and a certain Mr. Washington, who was admired for his social graces but harshly criticized for his often-disastrous military strategy.


Through these lives we understand that the revolution was fought over the meaning of individual freedom, a philosophical idea that became a force for violent change. A powerful narrative and a brilliant defense of American values, Revolution Song makes the compelling case that the American Revolution is still being fought today and that its ideals are worth defending.

[Bruce Cook · Rating 4 out of 5]

For the most part, I thought this was a very good book. It certainly takes a unique approach to the story of the Revolution, looking at it through the stories and lives of certain individual people that are not normally thought about when one thinks of the Revolution. I found each of the stories very interesting and the book was well written. The reason I didn't give the book five stars is twofold: Although very interesting, I didn't think the addition of Margaret Coghlan's story to the story of the Revolution was that relevant to the Revolution itself. Yes, maybe relevant to the revolution of women's rights, but I think that is really a different story. She didn't even have that much connection to America, although she lived there for a very short time as a very young person and had a short love affair with a radical in England that supported Americas' rights. The other reason is the bias shown by the author in his treatment of slavery, and also of women's rights. Things were much different back then and it is easy from our perch of hindsight and what we now know today (and the political correctness of our times, at least in our own eyes) to cast judgment on those that came before. I just thought there was too much of that in certain places in the book. It also treated some aspects of the Revolution very scantily and with a broad brush, but that is the nature of the beast when you are focusing on the lives of only a few individuals. I thought the stories of Cornplanter and Abraham Yates were particularly well chosen. Overall, I enjoyed the book, and I learned things about the Revolution that I didn't know before.

[Colleen Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

The themes of this book echo loudly today.

The author paraphrases a former mayor of Albany, Abraham Yates, Jr. (1790-96) writing of the dangers of

"a future president becoming an out-and-out tyrant. All a president needed was enough power to control the Senate. With that, he could force through Supreme Court justices that were to his liking. Then he could proceed to dismantle press freedoms and other checks on power. Yates' fear was that the Constitution, in its very construction, allowed for America's hallowed fight for freedom to be subverted into dictatorship."

He later quotes George Washington, who feared towards the end of his second term as president that periods of turbulence would

"gradually incline the minds of men to seek security & repose in the absolute power of a Individual: and sooner or later the chief of some prevailing faction more able or more fortunate than his competitors, turns this disposition to the purposes of his own elevation, on the ruins of Public Liberty."

Thank you, Russell Shorto, for showing us that the thirst for freedom and justice was not felt only by our "Founding Fathers," but by Americans of every age and gender, race and creed. And as you say in the epilogue, "The past is not as far away as we think. In many ways it's right here with us."

Here's to the next verse of our Revolution Song.

[Brad · Rating 4 out of 5]

The themes of this book echo loudly even today.

This is possibly my favorite book of 2018. I love the history of ordinary people. Russell Shorto presents the America Revolution from 6 different points of view (George Washington, a mixed race Seneca Native American, a slave, a shoemaker, a woman, and a British aristocrat).

This book is loaded with outstanding quotes that stood out to me:

"A future president becoming an out-and-out tyrant. All a president needed was enough power to control the Senate. With that, he could force through Supreme Court justices that were to his liking. Then he could proceed to dismantle press freedoms and other checks on power. Yates' fear was that the Constitution, in its very construction, allowed for America's hallowed fight for freedom to be subverted into dictatorship."

He later quotes George Washington, who feared towards the end of his second term as president that periods of turbulence would:
"Gradually incline the minds of men to seek security & repose in the absolute power of a Individual: and sooner or later the chief of some prevailing faction more able or more fortunate than his competitors, turns this disposition to the purposes of his own elevation, on the ruins of Public Liberty."
"The past is not as far away as we think. In many ways it's right here with us."

Here's to the next verse of our Revolution Song.