Radicalism of the American Revolution

¶ … Radicalism of the American Revolution by Gordon S. Wood. Specifically, it will contain a critical evaluation of the book. This Pulitzer Prize winning book covers the American Revolution and the radical thought that led up to American independence. Author Wood indicates where the Americans began to break with the British, and how radical thought was common in free Britain, and so it is no surprise that American Colonials would continue this type of thought in the New World. Wood's theories differ from straight history; for he looks at the social and economic factors that helped leaders look first toward a new Republic, and then toward a more radical democracy. Ultimately, Wood wants readers to understand that the thought behind the American Revolution was anything but conservative. While a wide variety of issues and factors helped lead the country toward revolution, radical thought processes were immensely important to the development of the revolution, and to its eventual successful conclusion and the birth of a new nation.

The author breaks the book down into three main sections that logically follow the steps of the revolution: Monarchy, Republicanism, and Democracy. Within this framework, the author illustrates the differing stages in the American thought process, from breaking with the monarchy, to creating a workable Republic, to finally a democracy that was created for equality for all. Wood's research shows that at this time in American history, Americans were extremely open to change, and they were accepting of anyone who wanted to live in the country. Wood writes, "The truth was, said Thomas Paine in Common Sense, that Americans were the most cosmopolitan people in the world. They surmounted all local prejudices. They regarded everyone from different nations as their countryman" (Wood 223). He feels the ideals Americans used to create their new government may seem "commonplace" today, but at the time they were "momentously radical" at the time (Wood ix). The author uses a variety of research and evidence to reach his conclusions, from papers and books to library research and peer-reviewed journals and thesis. It is clear the author used every available resource to conduct his study, and wanted this book to represent the most exhaustive research on this topic, so there would be no questioning of his results.

The author's method is historic, with social and economic theories in an historical perspective. The data and sources the author used are quite exhaustive, as the extensive notes section of the book clearly shows. Stylistically, the book is certainly well written and researched, and it is quite clear the author has a deep understanding of his subject matter and his own convictions about his research. It is not a simple book to read, and some passages must be read more than once to get the full meaning and importance of what the author is attempting to convey to readers. However, this book is not meant to entertain, it is meant to educate, and so the style is instructive, but certainly readable by most Americans. The organization is also quite helpful to the reader. Since the author breaks down the book into three main categories, and then further breaks down the categories into chapters, the book has logical breaking points, and follows a rational chronology. It is easy to see, after reading this book, the stages our democracy evolved through, and how these systematic stages clearly affected the ultimate result. From Monarchy to Republicanism to Democracy, each section is like a stepping-stone for the founding fathers, and they had to cover each step to find the final pathway to freedom and self-rule.

What is most interesting about this book is that the author's theories are so radical, and that no one, or very few, acknowledged them before. The author's main thesis, that radical thought created the American Revolution, instead of conservative thought that led to determination and revolt, does not seem so radical today, and indeed, the author acknowledges that in the book. Today, the revolutionaries would not be seen as far from "normal" thought, but at the time, their feelings and desires were quite new and different for the world. The author also maintains that ultimately, the democracy these radical thinkers created was far different from other democracies, and perhaps even far different from what they had originally conceived. They created a new society for the "common" man, a society that recognized the cohesion of people rather than their differences, and strove to bring people together under one common roof of leadership. It is also interesting to note that the author believes the leaders of the American Revolution truly hoped to create an enlightened society that understood it was totally responsible for its actions and its results. Wood notes, "They alone were responsible for what they thought and believed and for what would be thought and believed in the future by those they often called the 'millions unborn'" (Wood 190). Clearly, Wood's understanding of the early American revolutionaries is deep and all encompassing.