The Ideological Origins of the American Revolution (The Macat Library)

Historians of the American Revolution had always seen the struggle for independence either as a conflict sparked by heavyweight ideology, or as a war between opposing social groups acting out of self-interest.In The Ideological Origins of the American Revolution, Bernard Bailyn begged to differ, re-examining familiar evidence to establish new connections that in turn allowed him to generate fresh explanations.His influential reconceptualizing of the underlying reasons for America's independence drive focused instead on pamphleteering - and specifically on the actions of an influential group of ‘conspirators’ who identified, and were determined to protect, a particularly American set of values.For Bailyn, these ideas could indeed be traced back to the ferment of the English Civil War - stemming from radical pamphleteers whose anti-authoritarian ideas crossed the Atlantic and embedded themselves in colonial ideology.Bailyn's thesis helps to explain the Revolution's success by pointing ou