War and society in the American Revolution by J.Resch - Essay Example

The American Revolution is one of the most important events in the history of the United States.This revolution refers to a major upheaval in the 18th century where the colonies in Northern America rallied themselves against the British Army and won independence. This social upheaval resulted to the formation of the United States of America.Due to its relevance to United States history, there is a wealth of literature on the subject which is typified by a chronological discussion of political and military upheavals, military strategies and tactics, personalities and capped off with a conclusion of the importance of this war to the way the United States is now today.

However, the book War and Society in the American Revolution: Mobilization and Home Fronts offers a fresh perspective of the American Revolution as it deviates from the usual enumeration of leaders and battles. Instead, it tells the story of the revolution thru the experiences of plain soldiers, African Americans, women and Indians during the war. The book reveals their motivations for joining the war and how they were affected by it. History books usually discard this part of the drama and instead treat the common people anonymously or unknown characters in the pictures they include in the book.

The book is actually collection of essays employing narrative and analytical writing aimed at establishing a more realistic picture of the war and its effects on society. War and Society in the American Revolution came out in 2006 thru the efforts of Jon Resch who has a Ph.D. in History and is a much awarded authority on American History. Dr. Resch is currently teaching History and other Humanity subjects in the University of New Hampshire at Manchester. He authored of the widely acclaimed Americans at War: Society, Culture, and the Homefront (Macmillan Reference USA, 2005) and the Suffering Soldiers: Revolutionary War Veterans, Moral Sentiment and Political Culture in the Early Republic (University of Massachusetts Press, 1999). 2. Summary of the Book The book is divided into two parts namely Soldiers: Motivation and Mobilization and Communities: Retribution, Allies, and Women at War.

The first part dealt with an analysis and narrative of the rank and file of soldiers particularly in Massachusetts. The essays in the first part were primarily concerned with detailing what went on in the plain soldiers' mind in joining the war. Here we see how the people weighed their decision of family commitments and economic concerns against patriotism. The passages of the essays revealed the human social side and not only military and political inclinations. Here we see the plain soldiers thinking, feeling and deciding whether to join the war or become passive observers in this major upheaval.

McDonnell' "Fit for Service" delved on how the concept of race permeated the mobilization of the militia. Just how were the African Americans and the Native Americans influenced to join the militia in the war against the British Empire when they hated the White Americans as well and how did White Americans took the involvement of Indians and Black Slaves in the freedom of the nation The second part of the book deals more on the community part. It tells the part the women played to help in the revolution which involved their husbands, sons and fathers.

In it, we learned how they were willing to serve as auxiliaries or as camp followers. They may not be those who wielded rifles and tomahawks but they were certainly capable of raising the morale of an exhausted army. In here, we also see how the Native Indians and American Africans came to a decision in helping the patriots instead of allying themselves with loyalists. The book weaved a more complete story of the drama of the American Revo