Thirteen Clocks

“Thirteen Clocks is a highly accessible distillation of Parkinson’s compelling thesis and will remain a touchstone for the next generation of historians grappling with foundations of both independence and racism in the United States.”—Eighteenth-Century Studies

“A wonderful achievement . . . superbly clear, approachable, and vivid. It is clearly a book of its moment, and as such it has an important place in our classrooms.”—H-Early-America

“An accessible account that is highly recommended for those who want a historical perspective on current issues and those interested in the nation’s founding.”—Library Journal

“A knowledgeable, disturbing presentation of the prominent role of racism in the years of the nation’s birth. . . . Parkinson pulls no punches.”—Kirkus Reviews

"Parkinson’s study  explores the deeper and darker meanings of the American Revolution. He not only makes his widely acclaimed work, The Common Cause, more accessible but also distills its timely and powerful essence.” —Rosemary Zagarri, author of Revolutionary Backlash: Women and Politics in the American Revolution

“With his stunning debut, The Common Cause, Parkinson established himself as one of the most astute historians of the Revolution. Drawing from that exhaustive research, he has written a brilliant history of events that culminated in the Declaration of Independence. Thirteen Clocks should be read by all who are interested in the origins of the American story.” —Annette Gordon-Reed, coauthor with Peter S. Onuf of Most Blessed of the Patriarchs: Thomas Jefferson and the Empire of the Imagination

“Are we ready for the American Revolution to join the rest of colonial, or indeed American, history? This is the most original work on 1776 in a generation. Parkinson explains the specifically political and national roots of American racism.” —David Waldstreicher, author of Runaway America: Benjamin Franklin, Slavery, and the American Revolution