Rise to rebellion: causes and consequences

Rise to Rebellion

The book "Rise to Rebellion: A Novel of the American Revolution" by Jeff Shaara is the story. It tells the story of the American Revolutionary War through the eyes of many real people who fought and worked for American freedom, like John Adams, George Washington, and Benjamin Franklin. It covers the time period from 1770 to when the Declaration of Independence was signed in 1776. It uses real events from history but it is written like a novel, which makes it much more interesting to read.

The author's thesis in writing this book was not to rewrite history, but to make it more understandable to a new generation of readers. Everybody knows we won the American Revolution, so he had to find another angle of the story to make it new and unique. The big new idea that he writes about is that American Margaret Gage, wife of English Lieutenant-General Thomas Gage, was sympathetic to the American Revolution cause and gave English military information to the Americans until she left the country and went to England. Is this the truth? Shaara thinks it is, and that is one of the major themes of this book, and the reason why he wrote yet another book on the Revolutionary War. It gives a different view of history and a different thesis, and so, it is almost like reading a newer history of the War.

It is clear that the author uses incredible amounts of research to write his books. He says that he likes to use letters, diaries, memoirs, journals, and stories written by people who lived during the time to get a feeling for them, what they did and how they lived (Shaara ix). That is very clear as you read the book, because the author's research helps make the characters come alive so the reader understands them more clearly and understands why they did what they did. In a historical novel, research is very important, and it is clear that research is a very important part of the author's writing.

There are many things to like about this book. In the Introduction, the author introduces the characters so the reader understands just who will play an important part in the book and what their background is. Some of the characters, like Washington, Adams, and Franklin are very well-known, but others like Thomas Gage and his wife are not, and so the Introduction helps make the book make more sense. It also presents the history in a way that makes it more interesting than just a dry, history textbook. The author tells a story, and even though it is based in fact, the book is paced quickly, is fairly easy to read, so it makes the facts interesting, and makes the reader want to learn more.

It is also important to the history and to the book that the author made both English and Americans main characters. It shows the difference between the cultures, and what the Americans were fighting for much quicker than trying to describe the differences. For example, Thomas Gage is an Englishman, and how he approaches the war and battles is different from how the Americans, such as General Washington, approach the battles. The English are more cultured and more regimented, while the Americans are more free and more adaptable. When the War is beginning, the English do not have enough troops to make a statement, and the Americans take advantage of that and build bulwarks on Breed's Hill in Boston. While they are building, the English are debating how to attack. Gage says, "Let us now consider the specific deployment of the troops. I want the initial wave to be the finest men we have, the grenadiers, the royal marines. If this is to be a show, then let it be a glorious show!'" (Shaara 354). The British are concerned with how they look and how the appear to the Americans. In fact, when new generals come to America, the first thing they worry about is buying a new carriage that is "worthy" of their status. In contrast, the Americans just want to win. They do not care about fancy uniforms. General Washington wears an old uniform to the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia, and he things to himself, "He had worn the old uniform because he had thought it was a necessary symbol, a sign that Virginia was prepared to meet any challenge" (Shaara 381). The Americans were not interested in showy uniforms and fancy fighting; they were interested in beating the British and gaining freedom. The book clearly shows the difference between the two armies, and why the British lost, but it does it so the topic in interesting and engrossing, not boring. It makes the reader want to turn the pages and learn more.

Gage and his military and personal position also show the ultimate contempt the British had for Americans, even if at first they did not try to show it. Early in the book Gage thinks to himself, "She [Mary] had never been to England, not yet, and he knew that somewhere in their future, sometime when he could settle into graceful retirement, she would finally understand what he missed" (Shaara 26). No matter what, the British did not like America that much, and just wanted to beat the Americans and go home. On the other hand, the Americans are proud of their country, and they just want it to themselves. Making the major characters both British and American really helps show the real distance between the two countries.