The American Revolution

October 1, 2018
The American War for Independence was more than a contest between scrappy colonists and British regulars on the North American continent. It was, as this collection of new essays edited by Smithsonian scholar Allison and historian Ferreiro explains, one theater of one campaign within a grand conflict with and among European powers that stretched over more than a century. This richly illustrated and colorful volume, drawing on the Smithsonian's holdings, is an accompaniment to a yearlong exhibition of the same name at the National Museum of American History, and highlights artwork, documents, and artifacts. The narratives cover such topics as the British Grand Strategy and the war aims of America's allies among the major powers; the roles of campaigns in India, on the high seas, and at the colonial periphery; and the global legacies of these wars for autonomy and freedom. This welcoming and informative book is a great addition to history collections. Everyone owes it to themselves to experience this view of America's past and place in the larger world.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)

Starred review from September 15, 2018
A fresh look at the Revolutionary War from an international perspective.That America, with help from France, won independence by defeating the mighty British Empire may be the History Channel view, but it cuts no ice with the dozen international historians in this collection of lively, generously illustrated essays, a companion to a current exhibition at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History. In their view, which is not controversial, the war began in 1775 as a Colonial rebellion but attracted attention from Britain's European rivals, who supported it not-so surreptitiously and then openly. European powers offered a more potent threat than Colonial rebels. As naval history professor Andrew Lambert writes, they "could invade Britain, disrupt British trade, and attack British possessions in the Mediterranean, the Caribbean, and India....Responding to these threats took priority over subduing the rebel colonists." Soon after France declared war in 1778 (Spain joined in 1779), Britain re-evaluated its strategy. Trade, not national glory, supported its empire, and West Indian sugar islands were far more lucrative than North America. The same was true of Asia. By 1780, Britain was engaged in a life-or-death struggle, its outnumbered army and navy battling across the world from India to Africa to Latin American to the Mediterranean. After 1778, it sent more troops to the West Indies than to America. Some of those regiments were sent from America itself. Most startling of all, the contributors conclude that Britain won the world war. Losing the Colonies was upsetting, but France was bankrupt and Spain more moribund than ever. Britain became absolute master of the sea (always its first priority) and acquired a slew of new colonies. Within a generation, she possessed a new empire more extensive than the old. In addition to editors Allison and Ferreiro, the contributors include Alan Taylor, John Garrigus, and Kathleen DuVal.A fine corrective to the traditional David-vs.-Goliath account of our War of Independence and a thoroughly entertaining read.

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