Crucible of War

Dates Covered: 1754 - 1766
ISBN: 0375406425
HH Rating:

Our Take

At 100 pages per year, Fred Anderson's history of the Seven Years' War (known to us Colonials as the French and Indian War) is daunting to say the least. Realizing that it only covers the North American theatre in detail seems at first like another reason to skip this book for some lighter reading. That would be a mistake. This book has a specific motivation: to place the beginning of American Revolution historiography at the start of the Seven Years' War, rather than at the end where most textbooks pick up. As a general history it has its weak points, but you should read it for a detailed and highly personal view of how early America's culture was formed: not only by philosophical disputes over the rights of taxation and British tyranny as your teachers may have taught, but through grisly Indian raids, feuds with the French, land speculation, petty and magnificent corruption, indispensible Indian allies. This is a great introduction to the shifting sensibilities of the British subjects who would only with reluctance one day declare themselves American.

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