Read American Tempest How the Boston Tea Party Sparked a Revolution Harlow Giles Unger 9780306820793 Books

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Product details Paperback 304 pages Publisher Da Capo Press (March 6, 2012) Language English ISBN-10 9780306820793 ISBN-13 978-0306820793 ASIN 030682079X

American Tempest How the Boston Tea Party Sparked a Revolution Harlow Giles Unger 9780306820793 Books Reviews

• This is a 'gritty' account of the events at Boston that led to the spark of the American Revolution. Gritty in that it is a rendition that is not often told - exposing a good bit of the selfish motivations and oafish methods of our forefathers. Why any of this surprises should be the surprise. American historiography probably got off to a bad start with the 'gushing' Parson Weems-style renditions so popular in the 19th century, placing the founders on a pedestal of reverence impossible to fully justify even with a cursory examination, and then it became the expectation.
  
  Author Harlow Giles Unger begins "American Tempest" with 'first principals' in this account, the founders are humans and decidedly not saints. The story exposes motivations - not always - but often led by economics, or personal power no differently than today. The British quandary over American reaction to a relatively trivial tax, on a commodity unimportant in American society, for a purpose essential to American security can be understood. For the Americans, there was an essential indignity underlying the whole of the taxes that had less to do with economics than dignity. The colonies had matured to a point that their control by a parliament thousands of miles away, led by an effete class, in which they held no sway at all became the real ignitor for the conflagration that followed.
  
  A very recommended read, "American Tempest" treats an old topic in a modern light. Unger's writing style is certain, urgent, and efficient. The story is relatively brief by today's standards, 240 pages plus afterward materials, which keeps it well paced and on-topic and told so compellingly that a 5th star is justified. Once let go of the notion of the 'Sainted Founder', the reader is exposed to the events in a way that gets to a clearer understanding of BOTH sides, and at the end much better enlightens, yet still leaves the pedestals of the founders untoppled. Also - for a British view of the whole Revolution see O'Shaughnessy's brilliant The Men Who Lost America British Leadership, the American Revolution, and the Fate of the Empire.
• Fascinating and well researched history of the events that lead up to the break with England. Much of what is taught in our schools is not much more than what Jeffrey Spiccoli thought. Researching and understanding the 'why' and the 'how' is much more involved than the simple "the King taxed our our tea, so we said 'bogus, dude!' and then we threw the tea over board!"
  
  Learning the motives of the Bostonians is a key. John Hancock, Sam Adams and a number of others worked hard and in a time with no social media, had to create an organized and enthusiastic crowd that make the Baltimore Rioters look like panty waists. Not only did this group knock on enemy doors each night, they publicly kidnapped them, poured hot tar on them and feathered them. Of the Royalists, the mobs would attack the homes and completely destroy the houses.
  
  Ironically, the very reason for the war-taxes-would lead to many problems after the war-taxes. Taxes went up and up at a great deal higher than if the US stayed a colony. Further irony, Shay's Rebellion of Massachusetts, was meant to horn in the government and was put down by some of the key leaders Sam Adams! "Anyone that rebels against our new government deserves death!"
  
  As for the Virginians, the turning of the tide was The Quebec Act, which made 80% of the land claimed by Virginia part of the newly conquered Colony of Quebec. Land claimed by the Virginia Gentry-Washington, the Lee's and others were declared null and void. Colonel Washington at this point said "Bogus, Dude."
  
  A well done history. What impressed me was the amount of research on some of the secondary characters-the Royal Governors, some of the supporting Tea Party leaders, spies, leaders in London and more. This fills out many unanswered questions and raised more for more research. Thumbs up on this one.
• I have read numerous books on the American Revolution and found this book to be one of the best. The author gives rich detail to the event, which is exactly what people need to understand the Boston Tea Party. I especially enjoyed the background and analysis of the main players, never feeling the author had any type of agenda to pump up or deflate anyone. He also chose the correct events to discuss that influenced the event. The author connected many events in Boston, in Massachusetts, and in the colonies that helped explain the Boston Tea Party more thoroughly. I think all Americans, especially the modern Tea Party movement should read this book to help understand our country's origins, including the fact that the original Tea Party Patriots were against corporate welfare by the government - East India Company getting special treatment by the British government. The modern Tea Party movement doesn't seem to figure out that they also should be protesting corporations influence on our government (and vice-versa) if they want to use the same name as our founders.
  
  The only drawback was that the version had a couple dates wrong (e.g. Massacre Day on March 2) and also showed 65% completed even though the book ended? Then a glitch would not allow me to turn the page to the Appendix because of some ad or survey at the end of the book.