The a to Z of Revolutionary America

The American Revolution was one of the most significant events in modern history. Not only did it demonstrate the ability of a significantly smaller group of people to rebel against their oppressors, it also spawned what would become the most powerful country in the world. And while these feats were impressive, it was the drafting of a constitution, the forging of a union between divided states, and the fashioning of a truly democratic form of government that caused this event to go down in the annals of history. The A to Z of Revolutionary America is not just about the grievances that led to war nor the actual war itself, but the subsequent period of trial and error-when success was far from certain and failure could never be ruled out-in which the thirteen states and those that followed were welded into the United States of America. This important epoch is examined in an introductory essay; a chronology; a bibliography; appendixes documenting the signers of the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, the Constitution, and a list of all the Presidents of Congress under the Articles of Confederation; and over 1,100 cross-referenced dictionary entries on significant people as well as the political, economic, and social events of the era.

Terry M. Mays is associate professor at The Citadel in Charleston, South Carolina.