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The cover of The Radicalism of the American Revolution

The Radicalism of the American Revolution

Gordon S. Wood

Was the American Revolution a conservative event, or did it change how ordinary people live and relate to one another far more deeply than we notice?

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At a glance

Author
Gordon S. Wood

Why read it

  • You will see how a society held together by rank and favors turned into one built on ordinary people's pursuits
  • You will learn why basing a society on everyday self interest was a radical idea in its time
  • You will understand how the middle ranks took moral authority from aristocrats and laborers alike

Who it is for

  • Americans who think the Revolution was mostly about taxes
  • Readers curious how democracy actually took hold
  • Teachers wanting a fresh frame for early America

Contents

  1. Preface
  2. Introduction
  3. i MONARCHY
  4. 1. Hierarchy
  5. 2. Patricians and Plebeians
  6. 3. Patriarchal Dependence
  7. 4. Patronage
  8. 5. Political Authority
  9. ii REPUBLICANISM
  10. 6. The Republicanization of Monarchy
  11. 7. A Truncated Society
  12. 8. Loosening the Bands of Society
  13. 9. Enlightened Paternalism
  14. 10. Revolution
  15. 11. Enlightenment
  16. 12. Benevolence
  17. iii DEMOCRACY
  18. 13. Equality
  19. 14. Interests
  20. 15. The Assault on Aristocracy
  21. 16. Democratic Officeholding
  22. 17. A World Within Themselves
  23. 18. The Celebration of Commerce
  24. 19. Middle-Class Order

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