Oppression : the origins of the American revolution -- The vision of '76 : popular ideology and the revolution -- The gospel of moneyed men : the gentry's new ideals -- The sheriff's wagon : the crisis of the 1780s -- Equal power : "the people" attempt to reclaim the revolution -- The problem with politics : why reform fell short -- Rings of protection : popular resistance during the 1780s -- "A stronger barrier against democracy" : the struggle over constitutions -- Roads closed : desperate opposition to the new order -- The Pennsylvania regulation of 1794 : a rebellion over whiskey? -- The Pennsylvania regulation of 1799 : John Fries's rebellion?
Summary
Terry Bouton challenges the received wisdom about what was achieved in 1776, arguing that the American Revolution did not produce the democracy that was hoped for by the American people when they joined the Revolutionary movement.
