In 1777, North Carolina farmers planned a coup against local patriots. Brendan McConville shows they were motivated not by Crown loyalty but by love of individual and religious liberty-as they understood them. Complicating revolutionary narratives, the plotters feared American independence would usher in the very tyranny it claimed to contest.
The Struggle for Property and Power in Early New Jersey
The book explores the intense conflicts in New Jersey prior to the American Revolution, focusing on the rivalry between yeoman farmers and the landed gentry over land tenure. It provides a detailed cultural, political, and social history, highlighting the motivations and beliefs of both the rioters seeking change and the defenders of the status quo. Through this examination, it reveals how these struggles influenced public life in the colony and contributed to the broader revolutionary context.
The book presents a fresh perspective on early American history, emphasizing the strong loyalty colonial society had to British monarchs, which persisted until independence. By analyzing events from the seventeenth century onward, McConville reveals that political conflicts were driven by differing interpretations of the king rather than abstract republican ideals. He argues that the American Revolution arose from the tension between emotional ties to the monarchy and the shortcomings of imperial governance, challenging established historical narratives and inviting discussion.