Tracts of the American Revolution, 1763-1776

Merrill Jensen was Vilas Research Professor of History, University of Wisconsin.

Jensen's selection stands the test of time quite well. Tracts of the American Revolution presents the complete texts of seventeen pamphlets concerning various aspects of British-American relations between 1764 and 1776. Unsurprisingly, most of the pamphlets concern the legal and constitutional questions arising from British taxation policies, although 'A Short Narrative of the Horrid Massacre in Boston' by James Bowdoin, Joseph Warren, and Samuel Pemberton (which, along with Paul Revere's famous engraving, gave birth to the notion of a 'Boston Massacre') provides a perspective from the street protests of the period. In making his selection from among hundreds of pamphlets, Jensen carefully balanced whig and tory views. Daniel Leonard's 'Massachusettensis' appears alongside John Adams' 'Novanglus', and Thomas Paine's 'Common Sense' is answered by James Chalmers' 'Plain Truth.' Similarly, Jensen presents both well-known names such as Adams, Paine, Jefferson, and Otis, and less well-known writers such as Martin Howard, Jr. and William Hicks. While both sides of the political equation are represented, the authors of the pamphlets are exclusively white middle- and upper-class men. This is of course was the demographic group most active in American politics prior to Independence. Overall this collection provides a representative view of the pamphlet literature of the pre-revolutionary era. Hackett Publishing has reprinted the complete text of the original 1966 edition of Tracts of the American Revolution. As such it contains Merill Jensen's original Introduction, which provides a useful summary of events from 1763 to 1776 as well as biographical information about the authors in the collection. . . . This is a welcome (and inexpensive) introduction to the literature of the American Revolution. --Frank Cogliano, Journal of American Studies