The story of the American Revolution has long been framed as a quest for political and economic liberty. But historian Eric Metaxas argues there is a profound undercurrent to this story that is frequently overlooked.
In “Revolution: The Birth of the Greatest Nation in the History of the World,” Metaxas views the conflict through the spectrum of a culture war. According to the author, the Atlantic Ocean wasn’t the only thing separating Britain and its American colonies. Indeed, the cultural differences grew so severe that it became impossible for those starkly different worlds to coexist.
Matters of Principle
Metaxas begins his tale in a manner that feels closer in spirit to Mel Brooks than David McCullough. He flippantly recalls the abrupt death in 1760 of the aged King George II after relieving himself following the ingestion of a laxative. The monarch’s heir was his 22-year-old grandson, who took the name George III. He was ill-advised and ill-prepared to deal with the disaster that awaited him….