Synopses & Reviews
A distinctive portrait of the crescendo moment in American history from the Pulitzer-winning American historian, Joseph Ellis.
The summer months of 1776 witnessed the most consequential events in the story of our country’s founding. While the thirteen colonies came together and agreed to secede from the British Empire, the British were dispatching the largest armada ever to cross the Atlantic to crush the rebellion in the cradle. The Continental Congress and the Continental Army were forced to make decisions on the run, improvising as history congealed around them. In a brilliant and seamless narrative, Ellis meticulously examines the most influential figures in this propitious moment, including George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, and Britain’s Admiral Lord Richard and General William Howe. He weaves together the political and military experiences as two sides of a single story, and shows how events on one front influenced outcomes on the other.
Revolutionary Summer tells an old story in a new way, with a freshness at once colorful and compelling.
Review
"In Revolutionary Summer, Joseph J. Ellis serves up the spirit of 1776 with sparkling prose, lucid analysis, and knowing portraits of Washington, Jefferson, Franklin, and Adams. Best of all, he captures the subtle and often complex interplay between the lofty rhetoric pouring forth from the Continental Congress in Philadelphia and the perilous plight of the Continental Army in New York. This invaluable addition to the rich literature of the Revolutionary War is a volume to savor, ponder, and simply enjoy." Ron Chernow, author of Washington, A Life
Review
"Ellis once again demonstrates that a proper narrative of events, considered to be so well known as to present no puzzles, can exhibit the deep causes of the conflicts that forced men to war. His lucidity and insight make him the master story teller of the
Revolutionary moment." Edmund S. Morgan, author of Benjamin Franklin
Review
"Joseph Ellis has once again liberated the American Revolution from powdered wigs and patriotic cant. Riding briskly through the summer of 1776, he portrays the birth of independence as untidy, improvised, and at times, miraculous. This is a lucid and revelatory read for novices and buffs alike." Tony Horwitz
Review
"The definitive book on the revolutionary events of the summer of 1776. Ellis's prose is characteristically seductive, his insights frequent, his sketches of people and events captivating, and his critical facility always alive....Another brilliantly told story, carried along on solid interpretive grounds, by one of our best historians of the early nation." Publishers Weekly, starred review
Review
"An insightful history." Kirkus, starred review
Review
"With revolutionary-period expertise and extensive knowledge of the founders, Ellis contends that American independence was born during this 'long summer'....This thought-provoking, well-documented historical narrative is packed with insightful analysis." Library Journal
Synopsis
From the award-winning, preeminent American historian: a revelatory portrait of a crescendo moment in American history.
Joseph J. Ellis' focus: the summer of 1776, the most dramatic few months in the story of our country's founding. The thirteen colonies came together and agreed to secede from the British Empire. At the same time, the British dispatched the largest armada ever to cross the Atlantic; it cruised off the coast of Staten Island in early July. The Continental Congress and the Continental Army were forced to make decisions on the run, improvising as history congealed around them. In a brilliant and seamless narrative, Ellis weaves the political and military experiences as two sides of a single story, and shows how events on one front influenced outcomes on the other. Revolutionary Summer enlivens familiar historical events with a freshness at once revelatory and compelling.
About the Author
Joseph Ellis is the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of
Founding Brothers. His portrait of Thomas Jefferson,
American Sphinx, won the National Book Award. He lives in Amherst, Massachusetts, with his wife and their youngest son.