Forced Founders
Indians, Debtors, Slaves, and the Making of the American Revolution in Virginia
By Woody Holton
256 pp., 6.125 x 9.25, 13 illus., 3 maps, notes, index
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Paperback ISBN: 978-0-8078-4784-8
Published: September 1999 -
E-book EPUB ISBN: 978-0-8078-9986-1
Published: January 2011 -
E-book PDF ISBN: 979-8-8908-7077-3
Published: January 2011
Published by the Omohundro Institute of Early American History and Culture and the University of North Carolina Press
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Published by the Omohundro Institute of Early American History and Culture and the University of North Carolina Press
Awards & distinctions
2000 Merle Curti Award in American Social History, Organization of American Historians
A Nota Bene selection of The Chronicle of Higher Education
2000 Fraunces Tavern Book Award, Fraunces Tavern Museum
The Virginia gentry's efforts to shape London's imperial policy were thwarted by British merchants and by a coalition of Indian nations. In 1774, elite Virginians suspended trade with Britain in order to pressure Parliament and, at the same time, to save restive Virginia debtors from a terrible recession. The boycott and the growing imperial conflict led to rebellions by enslaved Virginians, Indians, and tobacco farmers. By the spring of 1776 the gentry believed the only way to regain control of the common people was to take Virginia out of the British Empire.
Forced Founders uses the new social history to shed light on a classic political question: why did the owners of vast plantations, viewed by many of their contemporaries as aristocrats, start a revolution? As Holton's fast-paced narrative unfolds, the old story of patriot versus loyalist becomes decidedly more complex.
About the Author
Woody Holton is assistant professor of American history at the University of Richmond.
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Reviews
"A challenging reconstruction of the trajectory which carried Virginia's gentlemen revolutionaries from resistance to independence. It will be appreciated by serious scholars of Virginia's revolutionary period; its lively style and wealth of anecdotes will make it an enjoyable read for anyone." —Journal of American Studies
"A fascinating reinterpretation of the coming of the Revolution in Virginia. . . . Each vividly detailed and keenly argued section of the book demonstrates how a diverse collection of ordinary men and women pushed Virginia's leaders to declare independence. . . . Holton's powerful and innovative book should influence the study of the American Revolution for years to come." —Virginia Magazine of History and Biography
"This may be the most important book on the political culture of Revolutionary Virginia since Rhys Isaac's The Transformation of Virginia, 1740-1790. It is certainly the most provocative." —Journal of Southern History
"This book gives us a brisk and convincing analysis of a region—and revolutionary leaders—we thought we already knew. Given the threats they faced, we can only marvel that those uneasy leaders ever succeeded in such a desperate feat as making a revolution in such a dangerous and divided region. As Holton shows us, they were forced to." —Journal of American History
"A fine new book. . . . Where Holton moves beyond his predecessors is the large and colorful cast of characters that he includes in this story." —James H. Merrell, H-Net
"In a detailed, painstakingly researched book that examines the forces that fomented revolution in Colonial Virginia, Holton reveals a new view of Virginia history and a lesser-known side of himself." —Richmond Times-Dispatch
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