The Birth of the Republic, 1763-89, Fourth Edition (The Chicago History of American Civilization) by Edmund S. Morgan (PDF)

Description

In The Birth of the Republic, 1763–89, Edmund S. Morgan shows how the challenge of British taxation started Americans on a search for constitutional principles to protect their freedom, and eventually led to the Revolution. By demonstrating that the founding fathers’ political philosophy was not grounded in theory, but rather grew out of their own immediate needs, Morgan paints a vivid portrait of how the founders’ own experiences shaped their passionate convictions, and these in turn were incorporated into the Constitution and other governmental documents. The Birth of the Republic is the classic account of the beginnings of the American government, and in this fourth edition the original text is supplemented with a new foreword by Joseph J. Ellis and a historiographic essay by Rosemarie Zagarri.

User’s Reviews

Reviews from Amazon users which were colected at the time this book was published on the website:

⭐I highly recommend this book for anyone who wants to know more than the “who did what” facts about the birth of our country. It is more than the title suggests. Morgan’s “The Birth of the Republic” begins with an explanation of the political and economic environment that made the idea of revolution attractive to the Colonists. It takes the reader through the Founding Fathers’ conception of independence, the development of the embryonic idea, the birth of the republic, and our infancy as a nation. Along each step of the way, Morgan gives in-depth explanations of why things happened as they did, giving the reader greater insight as to the motives that lead to the creation of our nation.The get the most out of “The Birth of the Republic”, however, one should have some prior knowledge of that period in our history. I recommend two books: “Patriots: The Men Who Started the American Revolution” by A.J. Langguth, and “Miracle at Philadelphia” by Katherine Drinker Bowen. (unfortunately, neither is available on Kindle at this time, but may be found on Amazon). Readers who are beginning a study of this time in our history will find each of these books very interesting.I was pleasantly surprised to find that “The Birth of the Republic” went beyond the stories of the fathers of our country, and spoke to not only what motivated them, but to the issues facing the colonial “man on the street”. It brought to light the political and economic issues facing the colonists as common people who were trying to make a daily living, and how they overcame the efforts of the English Parliament to maintain control over the American colonies.I am an amateur student of the American Revolutionary era, but this book taught me much that I had not gotten from previous readings.

⭐Don’t buy it if you have the 1992 third edition of this book. Word for word the text is the same as the 3rd edition. Well, what’s new then? A 3 and 1/2 page introduction by Joseph Ellis, and at the end a brief essay on the scholarship of the American Revolution by Rosemarie Zagarri. Not even the bibliography has been updated for this “edition”. It even states in the book that the text hasn’t been changed.I won’t write a review of the text. There are many fine reviews that you can read for the 3rd edition, and I mostly agree with the four and five star reviews. It’s a great, although brief book on the political aspects of the history of the period. My only qualification is that if you are truly interested in the Revolutionary era you need more books than just this one. Unfortunately the 20 year old bibliography isn’t an awful lot of help…although there are some still in print classics listed by authors such as Bailyn (Ideological Origins of the American Revolution), Fischer (Albion’s Seed), Wood (Radicalism of the American Revolution), Middlekauff (The Glorious Cause), and others.I am really concerned about the ethics of a growing trend among publishers who have become too enamored of words like “new”, “revised” and “anniversary” placed in front of “edition” when there really has been no modification of the text.If you don’t own any edition of this book, then by all means buy it. If you have the 3rd edition my recommendation is to save some money, and don’t buy it.

⭐Hippo Books fully addressed the issue within 24 hour of my contacting Hippo Books.Fully satisfied with the level of customer support provided.

⭐Absolutely loved this book–it’s an engaging, informative, and engrossing read on the American Revolution. The author is a fantastic storyteller and weaves interesting insights into key moments of history. I appreciated the balance of historical context, economics, geopolitics, biographies, and relevant fun facts peppered throughout. And anyone who can make tax policy come to life deserves 5 stars. This book will be enjoyed by all, no matter your background in American history, from seasoned academic historians to Hamilton (the musical) fans who want to go behind-the-scenes of the American Revolution.

⭐Excellent book on the period. It’s not about the Revolutionary War, but rather the cause and effects of people and events that led up to the war, and all that followed including the Constitutional Convention. Morgan neither deifies nor demonizes the players of the period, contrary to the popular trend today. If you want the undistorted, unbiased history surrounding the American Revolution, this is a great book. Easy to read, no flowery or emphatic declarations of good or bad, right or wrong, nor does it gloss over the facts. Well worth the read.

⭐It is a very introductory book to the subject. It does not provide with the flavor attached to each Founding Father and their contributions. Interesting narrative to get a basic understanding of the facts and thoughts of both English and Americans that eventually drove them to clash for a final separation.

⭐I found this book among the best I have read covering the American Revolution and the founding of the USA. In an era when everyone seems to have an opinion about what we were meant to be it’s good to read about the What, Why and Who of our beginnings as a nation. I wish more candidates for federal office read it before trying to tell us their opinions. It’s easy enough to read for everyone to appreciate and a road map for those who want to delve deeper.

⭐I found Morgan’s The Birth of the Republic a good introduction to the American Revolution. Short on flowing narrative, it does cover the history with focus on the causes for the Revolution. If you are looking for a better narrative, I would highly recommend Angel in the Whirlwind by Benson Bobrick. For a focus on the battles, Richard Ketchum’s series is excellent.

⭐Not a hugely in depth read, and is definitely written from seemingly a more right-wing American perspective, but certainly an excellent overview to the period and covers a good introduction to the colonial period too. Recommended for refreshers or those new to the period

⭐It is a little brief but well written and quite interesting.

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