Joseph J. Ellis

Joseph Ellis in The Cause attempts to discern the cause of the American Revolution, which he asserts as many to the period immediately following the French and Indian War.

Ellis departs from conventional thinking when he asserts that the tax bills passed by parliament for the American Colonies were simply a tool to reassert the authority of parliament and not as traditionally thought, simply an attempt to recoup the cost of the war with France.

Ellis goes further in the ongoing debate on whether the cause of the war was a conservative or revolutionary movement. He follows up with a diplomatic, military, and political history of the war illustrating the strengths and weaknesses of Washington as a military leader as well as the colonial government under the Articles of Confederation.

A well thought out book on the conflicting motivations for the war from both the British and Colonial perspectives and the leaders from both sides.

A strong book by Ellis adds to the discussion of the complex causes of the American Revolution, which I strongly recommend.… (more)