A captivating and lucid narrative of America's revolutionary generation, Jefferson's America takes the reader from the earliest rumblings of colonial dissent, through the crises of revolution and nation-making, to the heroic drama of the War of 1812. Risjord deftly weaves together strands of biography and social history with military and political history to depict the rich fabric of the young republic.While most writers on this period conclude with the end of the Revolution, the ratification of the Constitution, or the election of Jefferson, Risjord contends that there is a fundamental continuity in the history of the Early Republic. The basic problems involved in creating a stable, representative government were not resolved until the "second war of independence," a symbolic end for the Revolutionary generation, which produced a sense of national unity and determined the viability of the new nation.Risjord incorporates new social and economic perspectives, and he deals suggestively with the struggle over "who shall rule at home." Yet he still presents the pivotal events of the War for Independence, the framing of the Constitution, the "Revolution of 1800," and the War of 1812 in an interesting and understandable way. This is no watered-down version of the national myth, but a subtle and well-told story.The third edition reflects new research on a number of topics; including the role of women in the resistance to British measures; the impact of the Revolution on blacks, both slave and free; and the lot of the common soldier during the same period.

PrefacePrelude: The American Landscape in 1760Chapter 1: The Atlantic Trading CommunityChapter 2: The Atlantic Cultural CommunityChapter 3: The Imperial Challenge, 1763-1770Chapter 4: The Road to Revolution, 1770-1774Chapter 5: Struggle for Independence, 1775-1778Chapter 6: A Nation BornChapter 7: The Revolution at HomeChapter 8: A Time of TrialChapter 9: From Many, OneChapter 10: The New NationChapter 11: Launching the Ship of State, 1789-1794Chapter 12: Fall of the Federalists, 1794-1800Chapter 13: The Search for National IdentityChapter 14: Jeffersonian LiberalismChapter 15: Jeffersonian NationalismChapter 16: The Road to War, 1805-1812Chapter 17: "Mr. Madison's War"Suggested Readings