Books
Ray Raphael, A People's History of the American Revolution.
The Revolution-its origins, nature, and consequences -- as seen through
the eyes of ordinary people, including 15-year-old Joseph Plumb Martin,
a soldier in George Washington's army; James Forten, a 15-year-old
African American powder handler; Sybil Luddington, the female Paul
Revere, as well as Tory loyalists, Native Americans, and slaves.
Gordon S. Wood, The Radicalism of the American Revolution.
Rejecting the notion that the revolution was essentially a conservative
effort to defend American rights against British encroachments, Wood
argues that was the Revolution was truly revolutionary-transforming
a hierarchical, deferential society into one that was much more democratic
and commercial.
Films
1776, a musical portraying the events
surrounding the Continental Congress and the signing of
the Declaration of Independence.
Comprehensive reviews of this movie can be found here:
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/movie-1000035/
Hollywood's depiction of the American Revolution:
The first major film to deal with the America Revolution,
Robert Goldstein's Spirit of '76, is a textbook
example of a movie appearing at precisely the wrong time.
The film was completed in 1917, as the United States was
entering World War I as an ally of Britain. A federal
appeals court judge ruled that "the disposition and purpose
of the whole play... is to incite hatred of England and
England's soldiers." Goldstein served three years in jail
for attempting to distribute a picture "calculated to
foment disloyalty or insubordination" among American servicemen.
In general, Hollywood has not had great success with films
about the American Revolution:
Click
here to learn more about the American Revolution on film
Web Sites
Recommended Web Site:
Liberty
http://www.pbs.org/ktca/liberty
The companion site to the PBS series "Liberty! Chronicle of the Revolution."
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