In The Time Of The Revolution by Alan Axelrod

In the Time of the Revolution by Alan Axelrod explores the American Revolution from the perspective of the people who lived it. Beyond battles and political events, Axelrod examines daily life, personal struggles, and the beliefs that shaped the founding of the United States. 

By combining historical context with the lived experiences of ordinary Americans, the book brings the revolutionary era to life.

Why Our Fathers Fought Our Mother Country

• Colonial Identity
  • Early Americans saw themselves as English
  • Geography made governance slow and difficult: 6-18 week trips, expensive
  • Colonists gradually developed separate culture
• Salutary Neglect
  • Colonists largely self-governed for decades
  • Britain provided military protection during 18th-century wars
  • Post-war debt made Britain more controlling
• British Intervention
  • Strict trade regulations, new taxes imposed
  • 1765 Quartering Act: colonies required to house and provision royal troops
• Move Toward Independence
  • Colonists denied traditional English rights (trial by jury, representation)
  • Contrary to Magna Carta principles
  • Geography and population made representation impossible
  • Made independence the only solution

The War Young Washington Started

• Pre-War Tensions (1748-1752)
  • Britain expanded west; tensions rose with France
  • 21-year-old George Washington sent to order French out of Ohio; they refused
  • Washington’s assault triggered the French & Indian War (first world war)
• Early British Failure
  • First four years poorly managed; alienated natives and colonies
  • British often incompetent; colonials performed better
  • Some colonies refused cooperation due to trade with France
  • By 1756, English settlers had withdrawn 150 miles
• William Pitt
  • Took charge of colonial affairs; sent thousands more troops
  • Coordinated with colonies and Native allies
  • Colonies began supporting war effort
  • Key victories: recaptured Ohio, northern border, and Quebec
• Treaty of Paris (1763)
  • France ceded territory west of Mississippi to Spain; all other territory to Britain
  • Proclamation of 1763 restricted English settlement to east of Appalachians
  • Treaty drawn without colonial input → seen as unjust
  • Combined with prior military incompetence, colonists’ respect for Britain declined

The Rich, the Poor, and the “Middling Sort”

• Colonies were surprisingly diverse — economic status, race, ideology, theology
• Economic Mobility: ~1/3 remained poor, but many saw rising incomes and opportunities
• 7 Social Categories
  • Enslaved Field Hands – largest portion of enslaved population
  • Enslaved House Servants – ~25% of population; 4/5 in the South
  • Indentured Servants – half of immigrants were indentured, served 3-7 years
  • Free Blacks – small portion; could own property, still not full rights
  • Farmers – largest class; small family labor, rarely more than 2 slaves
  • The Middling Sort – prosperous farmers, tradespeople, professionals
  • Gentry – large landowners, wealthy merchants; served in military, administrative, legal, and church roles

Patriots & Loyalists

• Patriots → younger, less established
  • Believed they were morally justified after being denied English rights
  • Confident a free government could replace colonial rule
• Loyalists → older, risk-averse
  • Viewed opposition to the crown as immoral
  • Preferred the “devil you know”
• Key Events
  • Jan 1776: Thomas Paine published Common Sense, first clear argument for independence; sold 120,000 copies in 3 months
  • Colonial split: ~40% Patriots, 15–20% Loyalists, ~40% undecided
  • July 4, 1776: Declaration of Independence
  • Purged royal officials
  • Loyalty to the crown forbidden

America Praying, America Thinking

• The Great Awakening
  • Religious participation was high: 80%+ regularly worshiped
  • Emphasized individual spirituality over external authority
  • Reinforced belief that the individual is the ultimate arbiter
  • Rapid establishment of higher education: Harvard (1636)
• Scientific Revolution & Enlightenment
  • Newton: world governed by natural laws, reshaping world understanding
  • John Locke: skeptical inquiry; no one holds all answers, citizens need freedom to seek knowledge
  • Revolution began in the mind: thought, society, and civilization – not just political and economic independence

King and Parliament

• King George III’s Early Reign
  • At 22, sought to assert authority; ended “salutary neglect”
  • Allowed searches of private homes without court orders
  • Post-French & Indian War: colonies less willing to accept taxes
• Proclamation Line & Taxation
  • Created Proclamation Line; failed to protect settlers from Native attacks
  • Imposed taxes/restrictions: Sugar Act, Currency Act, Wool Act, Naval Stores Act, Hat Act, Molasses Act, Iron Act, Mutiny Act, Quartering Act
  • Colonists protested: boycotted goods, refused to fund soldiers
• Stamp Act (1765)
  • Taxed printed materials: legal, commercial, intellectual, and political documents
  • Samuel Adams & Sons of Liberty harassed stamp agents
  • John Adams drafted protest document; Virginia declared legislative independence
  • Parliament repealed it but passed Declaratory Act: all future laws will be binding
• Townshend Acts (1767)
  • Revenue taxes on lead, glass, paint, tea, paper
  • Created royal customs, raided merchant vessels, suspended NY Assembly
  • Sparked independence movement in colonies and England
  • Massachusetts Circular Letter: colonies could not be properly represented → independence necessary
  • John Dickinson Letter: taxation without representation illegal; suspending NY Assembly tyrannical
  • All acts repealed except Tea Tax → wanted to show we could tax

From Massacre to Tea Party

• Regulators: vigilante band to oppose taxes and corruption
  • 70 men attacked tax collector’s home; leaders arrested, 700 men freed them
  • Burned tax collector’s house, horsewhipped him
  • Battle of Alamance: most Regulators fled west over the mountains
• Boston Massacre (March 5, 1770)
  • Off-duty soldier at wharf angered mob amid a recession; mob chased him off
  • Soldiers tried to protect Hugh White; confronted by mob
  • Skirmish escalated: wooden club hit soldier, shots fired, multiple killed
  • Sam Adams labeled it “Boston Massacre”, fueling revolutionary sentiment
• Boston Tea Party (1773)
  • Britain cut tea tax but left American tax; American merchants out of business
  • Sam Adams & Sons of Liberty forced tea ships back in Philly, NYC, Charleston
  • Massachusetts governor refused Boston ship turn-back
  • 150 men with painted faces dumped $1.7 million of tea into harbor
• British Response
  • King George III: “We must master them”
  • Closed Boston port, declared martial law, moved capital to Salem, ordered Congress dissolved, reinstated Quartering Act
  • Bostonians tolled bells, wore black mourning badges
  • Formed Continental Congress → delegates from all 13 colonies; America nearly united

Tipping Point

• Quebec Act (1774)
  • Granted French-Canadians U.S. land
  • Imposed French laws on Americans in those areas
  • Violated Magna Carta principles: British subjects entitled to English legal rights
• Continental Congress (Philadelphia, 1774)
  • Declared British measures unconstitutional
  • Boycotted English goods; prepared to take up arms until acts repealed
  • Drafted 10 resolutions affirming American rights (precursor to Bill of Rights)
• Preparations
  • Royal military tried to seize colonial arsenals
  • Couriers like Paul Revere warned colonies; militias formed and hid supplies
  • Sabotaged British: destroyed barges, vandalized wagons, stole arms
  • Britain confused by efficiency and organization; rebellion clearly underway
• Patrick Henry (1775)
  • Famous speech ended with “Give me liberty or give me death!”
  • Helped focus colonial resistance and commitment to independence

Heard Round The World

• April 1775
  • 800 Boston royal soldiers sailed to arrest Sam Adams & John Hancock
  • Paul Revere, spymaster, rode to warn colonists; “The regulars are out!”
  • Militias mobilized along the route
• Lexington & Concord (April 19, 1775)
  • At dawn, British troops found armed colonists at Lexington Green
  • Someone fired first shot (unknown side)
  • Colonists from nearby villages (~3,765) converged on Concord
  • British reinforcements left from Boston, faced sniper fire for over 20 hours
  • British met at Lexington again but had to retreat to Boston under warship cover
• Results
  • British: 73 dead, 26 MIA, 174 wounded
  • Patriots: 49 dead, 5 MIA, 41 wounded
• Aftermath
  • Continental Congress authorized formation of Continental Army – 13,600 troops
  • Militia from across colonies laid siege to British army in Boston