PDF The Radicalism of the American Revolution by Gordon S. Wood in History

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. The American Revolution as Radical Departure from the Monarchical and Hierarchical Mind-set of 18th Century EuropeBy Mike KilianskiThis work was at times had some very gripping historical narrative. Most notably; what comes to mind for me; is the detailed and vivid description that Mr. Wood provides when describing the ordering life of Revolutionary War era Americans in the Carolina backwoods region. Mr. Wood also delves deeply into the psyche of post-colonial Americans; and has a true historian's grasp on the 18th century mind-set. In fact; never once does Mr; Wood err in applying 20th or 21st century values to 18th century persons; and that alone; makes The Radicalism of the American Revolution a remarkable book. Gordon Wood's premise in this work is simple and concise and it is can be summed up by saying that given the monarchical/hierarchical mind-set of 18th century Europeans; the Republicanism that the American Revolution instilled and promulgated for all white males (not just property owners) was truly radical and revolutionary for its time. It was only by way of revisionist history which represented our American founders as stable pillars of traditionalism that we have been conditioned to think that the American Revolution was not as radical as the nearly contemporary French Revolution which began in 1789.This work; I believe won the Pulitzer Prize for history in 1991; and even some 25+years later its general assertions still ring true. However; at times; probably because of the general simplicity of the work's main premise; the narrative does drag and become a little bit redundant. That is the only reason that I did not give Mr. Wood's study 5 starts.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. The origins of individualismBy Stuart W GrandeWood is one of the leaders in the field. His narrative dives deeply into the lives and context of the 19th century. He provides an illustrative picture of daily life without getting lost in the detail. By showing his readers how daily events reflect the context of the period and the overall political will of the day; Wood gives us both a grounded and informed view of the Revolution. I particularly enjoyed how he provides evidence to support his suppositions about culture or changes in culture. While I might be less comfortable with some of his detail at times; he never loses the reader in the presentation of contextual information. You read his work feeling confident about the time period and its customs. This allows the reader to move beyond any superficial descriptions of smell; noice; and weather to more thoughtfully reflect on the much more timely and relevant social nuances the "radical" thinking of the revolution. Through a well-constructed context; Wood guides the reader through origins and consequences of English hierarchy and social stratification. While never taking sides; Wood demonstrates just how critical 19th century America was for reshaping human potential. Wood applies his narrative expertise to expose just how novel Amercian thinking was; at the time; to fostering modern visions ofindividualism and capitalism.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. The best discussion of the meaning of American RevolutionBy CustomerProf. Wood's work ushered into the meaning of American revolution the more fundamental fact that an American society and political culture that were entirely new and original was created by the process; and that resistance needs to be treated seperately from this transformative "revolution".