Liberty Tree

Alfred F. Young is Alfred Young is Emeritus Professor of History, Northern Illinois University. His numerous books include The Shoemaker and the Tea Party: Memory and the American Revolution and Liberty Tree: Ordinary People and the American Revolution (NYU Press).

";To read these eloquent essays by one of the wisest historians of our time is to be drawn into a remarkable conversation: practical, eloquent, decent, and shrewd. Behind Alfred Young's mesmerizing prose lies dazzling detective work that finds courageous people in all the fullness of their lives, who made a revolution as surely as did more famous leaders. Within the lively stories he tells is also a sharp skepticism of the ways that, over the years, tales of the Revolution have been spun to serve selfish political needs. And throughout Al Young's interpretations there sings a humane vision for our future, as readers of history, as tourists, and as citizens." - Linda K. Kerber,author of No Constitutional Right to Be Ladies: Women and the Obligations of Citizenship "&#8220t;Drawing on his unsurpassed knowledge of the American Revolution, and his powerful commitment to the idea of 'history from below,' Alfred Young gives us a stirring reminder of the role of 'the people' in the Revolution. He challenges the orthodox emphasis on the 'great men' of that time, and with vivid specificity provides an analysis which is subtle, complex, and bold." - Howard Zinn,Professor Emeritus, Boston University and author, A People's History of the United States "This fascinating collection of essays makes a gripping display of the American historian's efforts to construct a more inclusive, nuanced vision of the Revolutionary War era. . . . A social historian committed to rounding out our cultural memory, Young includes traditionally marginalized groups (women, the poor, the working class, African Americans and Native Americans), but is interested neither in adding token representations nor in replacing the founding fathers. Rather, Young seeks to re-imagine the Revolutionary War era holistically, and what emerges is not only a first look at key but forgotten Revolutionary players, but also a fresh look at figures like Hamilton, Revere and Adams, portrayed here with a richness and humanity lacking in more celebratory treatments. Although these are serious academic essays, Young's prose is clear and concise, and he judiciously relegates the more technical, scholarly matters to end notes. The result is a work that will be of equal interest to professional scholars and amateur historians." (Publishers Weekly) "The key point that shines through all these essays is how dependent our hallowed Founding heroes were on the shifting political alliances they had to form with citizens of lower economic status in order to provide the leadership we honor them for today." (Washington Times) ";Young assists the construction of a fuller historical picture of the Revolutionary American era by focusing on the common peoplet o gain a more complete understanding of the interplay between the political and social elite and these groups. Highly recommended." (Choice)

• ContentsList of IllustrationsIntroduction: Why Write the History of Ordinary People? Part I. The People Out of DoorsThe Mechanics of the Revolution: "By Hammer and Hand All Arts Do Stand" "Persons of Consequence": The Women of Boston and the Making of the American RevolutionTar and Feathers and the Ghost of Oliver Cromwell: English Plebeian Culture and American Radicalism Part II. AccommodationsConservatives, the Constitution, and the "Genius of the People" How Radical Was the American Revolution? Part III. Memory: Lost and FoundThe Celebration and Damnation of Thomas PaineThe Freedom Trail: Walking the Revolution in Boston Liberty Tree: Made in America, Lost in America Index About the Author