This authoritative historical work traces the evolutionary process of American institutions and governance from the early discoveries and settlements of the late fifteenth century through the formation of the Federal Constitution in the late eighteenth century. The authors establish three foundational pillars: presenting the Southern point of view in great national controversies, treating the Revolutionary War and its causes with impartiality toward British contentions, and emphasizing the crucial role of the American West in national development.
The early chapters detail the aborigines, the pre-Columbian voyages of the Northmen, Columbus and the Spanish discoveries, and the establishment of the first plantations by the English, Dutch, and French. The narrative covers the planting and growth of Virginia, Plymouth, Massachusetts, Maryland, the Carolinas, and Pennsylvania, illustrating how distinct social, economic, and political structures emerged in New England, the Middle colonies, and the South.
The institutional conflict with Great Britain forms the central dynamic of the middle portion of the book. The authors analyze the various Navigation Acts, the introduction of revenue measures such as the Stamp Act and the Townshend Acts, and the development of colonial resistance through committees of correspondence and provincial congresses. The escalation into open conflict at Lexington and Concord initiates the military narrative of the Revolutionary War.
The tactical evolution of the conflict is traced through Washington's command, the campaigns of the Northern and Middle states, the French alliance, the Western expeditions of George Rogers Clark, and the final Southern campaigns culminating in the surrender at Yorktown. The narrative carefully evaluates the performance of military leaders on both sides, detailing the mechanics of tactical maneuvers without resorting to simplification.
The final section addresses the critical period under the Articles of Confederation and the emergence of the constitutional framework. The work concludes by examining how the removal of external threats enabled the new nation to organize its political parties and territorial expansion, setting the stage for national development through the close of the nineteenth century.
