... of this intelligent, solidly-researched history so that I needn't ramble on about it. It's the shortest and most accessible of Professor David Hackett Fischer's works, and an excellent place to begin an acquaintanceship with one of our strongest contemporary historians. The portrayal of the artisan/merchant milieu of Paul Revere and his co-conspirators certainly deepens one's perception of what the "revolution' was about... of what the stakes were, and for whom. Just a hint: it wasn't all about taxes! But I won't summarize its hypotheses for you, since you owe it to yourself to read the whole book.
I'm calling attention to this thoroughly credible study right now in reaction to recent news about the so-called "Tea Party" movement, which held its national convention in Nashville last week. At that event, various speakers claimed some historical allegiance to the events in Boston in the years 1773-1776 - the Boston Tea Party, Paul Revere's Ride, and others. Reading this book will rapidly disabuse you of such nonsense. The rhetoric of the Tea Party Klan is far closer to that of the 19th C "Know Nothing" Party, and to "nativist" reactionary claques that have sprung up again and again in US history.
Besides this book, I'd recommend "The Shoemaker and the Tea Party" and "The First American Revolution" as an antidote to social reactionary revisionism.Get more detail about Paul Revere's Ride.
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