In a grand and immemsely readable synthesis of historical, political, cultural, and economic analysis, a prize-winning historian depicts much more than a break with England. He gives readers a revolution that transformed an almost feudal society into a democratic one, whose emerging realities sometimes baffled and disappointed its founding fathers.

""The most important study of the American Revolution to appear in over twenty years ... a landmark book."" —The New York Times Book Review

""A breathtaking social, political, and ideological analysis. This book will set the agenda for discussion for some time to come."" —Richard L. Bushman