This definitive scholarly reference on the American Revolution―written by acclaimed researchers and military experts from around the world―covers the causes, course, and consequences of the war and the political, social, and military origins of the nation.
· Over 1,300 A–Z entries on various topics connected with the American Revolutionary War, including political issues, arms and battlefield strategies, important personalities, and sociocultural issues
· Over 150 distinguished international scholars and independent historians from a variety of disciplines, including experts from Great Britain and France, making this a truly international reference work
· An introductory section offering essays on the war's root causes, the catalyzing events that lead to its outbreak, as well as a synopsis of the war and an analysis of its long-term impact, providing context for readers wishing to know more
· A full volume devoted to key documents relevant to the period, including the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, speeches, and hard-to-find documents such as Anne Hulton's "Letter from a Boston Loyalist" and Joseph Martin Plumb's account of the mutiny on May 25, 1780
· 324 illustrations depicting colonial and Revolutionary America, plus an opening map section depicting major geopolitical relationships and large scale military operations, and 54 maps of the 13 colonies, theaters of operation, and individual battles on land and at sea
· A lengthy list of sources, both primary and secondary, covering all aspects of the Revolutionary War, including material on the foreign powers involved in the conflict, loyalists, and other subjects often overlooked in other works
How did they do it? How did a ragtag army and fractious group of lawyers, farmers, and businessmen—with far from unanimous popular support—defy a global empire and forge the most successful political revolution in human history, creating a blueprint for a nation that has endured for more than two centuries while so many others have failed?
