In this provocative reinterpretation of one of the best-known events in American history, Woody Holton shows that when Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, and other elite Virginians joined their peers from other colonies in declaring independence from Britain, they acted partly in response to grassroots rebellions against their own rule.

The Virginia gentry's efforts to shape London's imperial policy were thwarted by British merchants and by a coalition of Indian nations. In 1774, elite Virginians suspended trade with Britain in order to pressure Parliament and, at the same time, to save restive Virginia debtors from a terrible recession. The boycott and the growing imperial conflict led to rebellions by enslaved Virginians, Indians, and tobacco farmers. By the spring of 1776 the gentry believed the only way to regain control of the common people was to take Virginia out of the British Empire.

Forced Founders uses the new social history to shed light on a classic political question: why did the owners of vast plantations, viewed by many of their contemporaries as aristocrats, start a revolution? As Holton's fast-paced narrative unfolds, the old story of patriot versus loyalist becomes decidedly more complex.

Its lively style and wealth of anecdotes will make it an enjoyable read for anyone.

Journal of American Studies

May be the most important book on the political culture of Revolutionary Virginia since Rhys Isaac's The Transformation of Virginia, 1740-1790.

Journal of Southern History

The main strength of Holton's book is his effort to place the actions of the Virginia gentry within a more detailed local context.

Law and History Review

[He] portrays the coming of the Revolution in Virginia as deeply bound up with competing social groups.

American Historical Review

This book gives us a brisk and convincing analysis of a region—and revolutionary leaders—we thought we already knew.

Journal of American History

Challenging traditional interpretations of the American Revolution, Woody Holton argues that the Virginia gentry were forced to rebel against Britain because of pressures exerted by Indians, farmers, and slaves.

Acknowledgments

List of Illustrations

Abbreviations

Introduction

Part I. Grievances, 1763-1774

1. Land Speculators versus Indians and the Privy Council

2. Tobacco Growers versus Merchants and Parliament

Part II. Boycotts, 1769-1774

3. Nonimportation

4. Nonexportation

Part III. Unintended Consequences, 1775-1776

5. Free Virginians versus Slaves and Governor Dunmore

6. Gentlemen versus Farmers

Part IV. Independence, 1776

7. Spirit of the People

8. Epilogue

Index

Illustrations

Figure 1. Conflicting Indian Boundaries of 1768

Figure 2. Sir William Johnson's Testamonial

Figure 3. Drawing of a Pipe; A Belt and Strings of Wampum

Figure 4. Virginia and Its Neighbors, 1776

Figure 5. John Robinson

Figure 6. Crime Scene Detail

Figure 7. Arthur Lee

Figure 8. The Alternative of Williams-Burg

Figure 9. Article 4, Continental Association

Figure 10. Attack on Hampton

Figure 11. Rumors of Slave Plots in the James River Watershed

Figure 12. Williamsburg Gunpowder Magazine

Figure 13. John Murray, Fourth Earl of Dunmore

Figure 14. "A List of Negroes That Went Off to Dunmore"

Figure 15. Landon Carter