The American Revolution and the fate of the world

The American Revolution was "a world war" in "all but name," according to this revealing chronicle. Historian Bell (Stolen) tracks how the conflict "sent caravans of navy vessels... across every ocean on the planet," precipitated "an unprecedented migrant crisis," and "shook the political order" from the Americas to China, "securing freedom and sovereignty for millions, while deferring or denying it for many millions more." The Continental Army was "strikingly polyglot and pluralistic," as was the British coalition, which included Native warriors and Black fugitives from slavery. The Americans relied almost completely on foreign financing and military intervention, turning the war into a full-fledged great-power conflict, with Spain and France attacking British holdings around the world. In telling the full story, Bell places the Sons of Liberty on equal footing with "Chinese tea-pickers... Sierra Leonean separatists, Jamaican washerwomen," and more. Particularly riveting is the story of Molly Bryant, a Mohawk woman and widow of a British "diplomat for Indian affairs," who understood her tribal nation to be "fighting for its survival," with "wealthy speculators" among the revolutionaries, like George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, "gobbling up thousands of acres" of land; she urged for an alliance with Britain to stop the "land grab." Such riveting profiles provide a clear-eyed accounting of a formative conflict for the modern world. (Nov.)

Bell (Stolen: Five Free Boys Kidnapped into Slavery and Their Astonishing Odyssey Home) offers a fresh perspective on the American Revolution. This volume informs readers how the U.S. war for independence was a global effort, not just an event between England and the 13 colonies. Highlighting the stories of Hessians and individuals from Scotland, Asia, France, Africa, and other regions, Bell demonstrates how the colonists impacted different countries while also expressing appreciation for the efforts of foreign nations on behalf of the Patriot cause. The fallout included disruption in trade, formerly enslaved people seeking refuge with the Hessians, Chinese people mimicking the Boston Tea Party and throwing opium overboard, and other similar events. Viewed in this light, the American Revolution is inextricably linked to mid-to-late 18th-century geopolitics and the split between the future U.S. and Great Britain. VERDICT Seen from the perspective of this global interest, the causes, course, and consequences of the war are given a fresh perspective and told in a spirited style. Recommended for anyone interested in U.S. and world history.--Jacqueline Parascandola

The American Revolution reframed as "a world war in all but name." The struggle of 13 North American colonies for independence from Great Britain quickly turned into a global conflict, writes Bell, a professor of history at the University of Maryland. Patriot leaders cultivated the support of England's major rivals, France, Spain, and the Netherlands, which began by covertly supplying the rebels with weapons and by 1779 were engaging in open warfare. French and Spanish fleets turned the Caribbean into a major battlefront, forcing England to send troops from North America to protect its precious "sugar islands," while American privateers inflicted huge losses on British merchant ships and boosted the rebel colonies' economy. A separate Spanish-British war in Florida and South America also weakened England's attempt to suppress the independence, as did French efforts to incite revolts in India against British rule. The repercussions after Americans won their independence also extended beyond the Eastern seaboard. Spain and Britain both tightened their controls over remaining colonies. Native American tribes lost what little protection England had provided against white settlers' incursions on their lands, which grew increasingly aggressive after independence. Enslaved African Americans who fought for Britain on the basis of promises of freedom were resettled first in Nova Scotia and then in Sierra Leone; their odyssey is the subject of a particularly fascinating chapter. Bell's international emphasis occasionally leads him to overreach, as when he claims that the 1780 anti-Catholic Gordon Riots in London were "also an expression of popular opposition to the American war," but his basic argument is sound (and there was considerable antiwar sentiment in England). Based on solid and deep research, his book is written in clear, accessible prose--with entertaining minutiae such as the fact that the minutemen at Lexington and Concord fired guns made in Spain--that will appeal to general readers with an interest in history. A fresh perspective on a familiar subject. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.