This book describes the everyday lives of people during the American Revolution as they adapted to the political and military conflicts of the time.Students studying the American Revolutionary War learn primarily about battles and how independence from the British was achieved. In Voices of Revolutionary America: Contemporary Accounts of Daily Life, readers get the largely untold story of the American Revolution: the ongoing issues and details of life in the background, behind the battles.This book surveys the entirety of the Revolutionary era, describing topics like marriage, childbirth, learning a trade, cost of living, slavery, and religion in the late 18th century. While some documents from the 1760s and early 1770s are provided to present general information about life, the book focuses on the years of the war from 1775 to 1783 and describes how the prolonged conflict impacted people's day-to-day lives.

Contains a helpful glossary of terms

PrefaceIntroductionHow to Evaluate Primary DocumentsChronology of Events from the Accession of George III to the Throne of Great Britain to the End of the American Revolution, 1760-1783DOCUMENTS OF REVOLUTIONARY AMERICADisruption and Continuation of Daily Life1. Regular Routines in Life: Newspaper Obituaries (1768-1782)2. A Fact of Life: Newspaper Reports of Accidental Deaths (1773-1783)3. Trials of Daily Life: Newspaper Advertisements about Spousal Abuse and Abandonment (1775-1776)4. The Dangers of Daily Life: Newspaper Accounts of Fires (1771-1776)5. The Difficulties of Running a Household during Wartime: Temperance Smith's Account (1775)6. Living under Fire during War: Timothy Newell's Journal (1775)7. Some Things in Life Continue, Even in War: Newspaper Accounts of Weddings (1767-1775)8. The Trials of Life: Newspaper Advertisements for Lost and Found Animals (1775-1776)9. Wars Eventually End: Anna Rawle's Diary (1781)Economics and Employment10. Headaches during Wartime: Government Efforts to Deal with Economic Problems (1774-1782)11. The Daily Necessities of Life Get Caught up in the Revolution: Newspaper Advertisements for Cloth (1773-1775)12. Getting Needed Information: Newspaper Advertisements for Almanacs (1775)13. War Produces Property Destruction: Robert Morton's Diary (1777)14. Trials of Wartime: Advertisements in the Connecticut Courant Reflect the Scarcity of Supplies (1776-1777)15. Daily Trials: Newspaper Reports of the Impact of Weather on Daily Life (1771-1780)Fun and Games16. Continuing to Learn How to Have Fun: Philip Fithian's Diary (1773)17. Having Fun Even during Wartime: Sarah Wister's Journal (1777)18. Seeking Relief and Relaxation: Reports of Theater Productions during the War (1776-1778)Health and Medicine19. Dealing with Illnesses: Nicholas Cresswell's Diary (1774)20. Preventive Medicine: Accounts of Smallpox Inoculations in the Army (1776-1777)21. Impact of Smallpox Inoculations on a Family: Letter from Abigail Adams to John Adams (July 13, 1776)22. Death Omnipresent: Dr. Lewis Beebe's Diary (1776)23. Epidemics an Ongoing Problem: Joseph Plumb Martin Describes a Yellow Fever Epidemic in the Continental Army (1782)Love, Marriage, and Family24. Raising Children: Eleazar Moody's The School of Good Manners (1772)25. War Drives Families Apart: Letter from Benjamin Franklin to William Franklin (October 6, 1773)26. Managing the Family Business: Abigail and John Adams (1776-1778, 1783)27. Moving as the Armies Move: Baroness von Riedesel's Journal (November 1778-February 1779)28. War Splits Families: Letter from Timothy Pickering Jr., to His Father (February 23, 1778)29. Raising Children: Letters between Thomas Jefferson and His Daughter Martha (1783, 1787)Religion30. Different Cultures: Native American Christianity, Nicholas Cresswell's Diary (1775)31. Religion Influences Action: The Schwenkfelders' Declaration against Service in the Militia (1777)32. The Issue of Religious Freedom: Boston Supports Religion for the Sake of Order in Its Response to the Massachusetts Declaration of Rights of 1780 (May 12, 1780)33. The Question of Public Support for Organized Religion: Ashby, Massachusetts, Opposes Enforced Public Support in Its Response to the Massachusetts Declaration of Rights of 1780 (June 2, 1780)34. The Revolt against Great Britain Is a Bad Idea: Jonathan Boucher Preaches a Sermon in Opposition to Revolution (1775)35. The Revolt against Great Britain Is a Good Idea: Abraham Keteltas Preaches a Sermon in Support of Revolution (1777)Slavery36. Growing Opposition to Slavery: Petition Seeking Freedom (1777)37. Growing Opposition to Slavery: Legal Arguments against the Institution in Massachusetts (1780, 1783)38. Advertisements for Runaway Apprentices and Slaves (1775-1780)39. Let's Free the Slaves: Letter from Alexander Hamilton to John Jay (March 14, 1777)40. Growing Questions about Slavery: Essay by Caesar Sarter (1774)41. The Church Questions the Institution of Slavery: Essay by the Reverend Samuel Hopkins (1776)War and Local Conflict42. Conflicts on the Frontier during the War: Indian Attacks (1773-1777)43. Naval Service during War: Andrew Sherburne's Memoir (1779)44. "Hard Winter": Joseph Plumb Martin's Memoir (1779-1780)45. Impact of War on the People: Letter from Nathaniel Greene to His Wife, Catherine (January 12, 1781)46. The Horrors of Civil War: Descriptions of Conflicts between Patriots and Loyalists (1781)Appendix 1: Biographical Sketches of Important Individuals Mentioned in the TextAppendix 2: Glossary of Terms Mentioned in the TextBibliographyIndex