Thirteen Clocks
How Race United the Colonies and Made the Declaration of Independence
Robert G. Parkinson
Publisher: University of North Carolina Press
Imprint: The University of North Carolina Press
Published: 03/2021
Pages: 256
Subject: History, Social Science, Political Science
Print ISBN: 9781469662572
eBook ISBN: 9781469662589
Download a Sample Syllabus for Upper Level History Courses || Download a Sample Syllabus for American History Survey Courses || Professors Rave about Thirteen Clocks in the Classroom (download PDF)
DESCRIPTION
In his celebrated account of the origins of American unity, John
Adams described July 1776 as the moment when thirteen clocks
managed to strike at the same time. So how did these American
colonies overcome long odds to create a durable union capable of
declaring independence from Britain? In this powerful new history
of the fifteen tense months that culminated in the Declaration of
Independence, Robert G. Parkinson provides a troubling answer:
racial fear. Tracing the circulation of information in the colonial
news systems that linked patriot leaders and average colonists,
Parkinson reveals how the system's participants constructed a
compelling drama featuring virtuous men who suddenly found
themselves threatened by ruthless Indians and defiant slaves acting
on behalf of the king.
Parkinson argues that patriot leaders used racial prejudices to persuade Americans to declare independence. Between the Revolutionary War's start at Lexington and the Declaration, they broadcast any news they could find about Native Americans, enslaved Blacks, and Hessian mercenaries working with their British enemies. American independence thus owed less to the love of liberty than to the exploitation of colonial fears about race. Thirteen Clocks offers an accessible history of the Revolution that uncovers the uncomfortable origins of the republic even as it speaks to our own moment.
Parkinson argues that patriot leaders used racial prejudices to persuade Americans to declare independence. Between the Revolutionary War's start at Lexington and the Declaration, they broadcast any news they could find about Native Americans, enslaved Blacks, and Hessian mercenaries working with their British enemies. American independence thus owed less to the love of liberty than to the exploitation of colonial fears about race. Thirteen Clocks offers an accessible history of the Revolution that uncovers the uncomfortable origins of the republic even as it speaks to our own moment.
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