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Carregando... Our Lives, Our Fortunes and Our Sacred Honor: The Forging of American Independence, 1774-1776de Richard Beeman
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In 1768, Philadelphia physician Benjamin Rush stood before the empty throne of King George III, overcome with emotion as he gazed at the symbol of America's connection with England. Eight years later, he became one of the fifty-six men to sign the Declaration of Independence, severing America forever from its mother country. Rush was not alone in his radical decision--many of those casting their votes in favor of independence did so with a combination of fear, reluctance, and even sadness. In Our Lives, Our Fortunes and Our Sacred Honor, acclaimed historian Richard R. Beeman examines the grueling twenty-two-month period between the meeting of the Continental Congress on September 5, 1774 and the audacious decision for independence in July of 1776. As late as 1774, American independence was hardly inevitable--indeed, most Americans found it neither desirable nor likely. When delegates from the thirteen colonies gathered in September, they were, in the words of John Adams, "a gathering of strangers." Yet over the next two years, military, political, and diplomatic events catalyzed a change of unprecedented magnitude: the colonists' rejection of their British identities in favor of American ones. In arresting detail, Beeman brings to life a cast of characters, including the relentless and passionate John Adams, Adams' much-misunderstood foil John Dickinson, the fiery political activist Samuel Adams, and the relative political neophyte Thomas Jefferson, and with profound insight reveals their path from subjects of England to citizens of a new nation. A vibrant narrative, Our Lives, Our Fortunes and Our Sacred Honor tells the remarkable story of how the delegates to the Continental Congress, through courage and compromise, came to dedicate themselves to the forging of American independence. Não foram encontradas descrições de bibliotecas. |
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Google Books — Carregando... GênerosClassificação decimal de Dewey (CDD)973.3History and Geography North America United States Revolution and confederation (1775-89)Classificação da Biblioteca do Congresso dos E.U.A. (LCC)AvaliaçãoMédia:
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After having spent the last several years reading about the American Revolution, the Declaration, the Constitution, and many of the main players, I've discovered that the contents of this book are most appealing to me. Reading about battles is fine, but my ignorance in geography—especially that of the NE—hinders my enjoyment. But books about why we split from England, and the arduous journey to finally get to the point of actually declaring our independence, is fascinating. And Richard Beeman's "Our Lives, Our Fortunes and Our Sacred Honor" is the best example of this I've read so far. Focusing specifically on the First and Second Continental Congresses, "Our Lives" gives a detailed, almost day-by-day account of where each colony's delegates stood when it came to the questions of reconciliation and independence.
Beeman's breezy style is welcome! So many of these books are far too academic for me, but Beeman's style is often quite funny and wry without losing a whit of credibility.
Highly, highly recommended! ( )