The Radicalism of the American Revolution by Gordon S. Wood

It is easy to see that The Radicalism of the American Revolution was written by a conservative. According to the author British citizens, including those in their American colonies, enjoyed greater freedom than citizens of European countries. This may have been true, but, according to this book, they did not enjoy very much freedom. Only white males who owned land were allowed to participate in any form of politics. In regards to elections in the United States it is interesting that there is no mention of the Electoral College in this book. I think that this is something that should have been included. The author also says that at the time that he wrote the book that almost all U.S. adult citizens were able to find employment. The book was published in1991. I know that at that time I was having difficulty finding a job, and I knew other people who had the same problem. Also, the author ignores the religious persecution that had happened in Great Britain before the revolution. There may have been more religious freedom than there was in other countries, but there are many recorded cases of that religious persecution, especially against Roman Catholics. This is an interesting book, but it definitely has a conservative slant.

This book won the Pulitzer Prize. The Denial of Death by Ernest Becker was another winner of the same prize. These books and other winners of the same prize make me want to avoid books that win the same prize.