The American Revolution and the Fate of the World

Praise for The American Revolution and the Fate of the World

“Bell pays ample attention to the nameless, the powerless, and the unknown in this lively history.” —Foreign Affairs

“Brings many unfamiliar stories and situations to the surface, making the American Revolution a much more important event in world history than many may have previously understood…. An excellent and interesting addition to Revolutionary War scholarship.”—Journal of the American Revolution

“The causes, course, and consequences of the war are given a fresh perspective and told in a spirited style. Recommended for anyone interested in U.S. and world history.”—Library Journal, STARRED review

“Riveting profiles provide a clear-eyed accounting of a formative conflict for the modern world.”—Publishers Weekly, STARRED review

“Based on solid and deep research, [this] book is written in clear, accessible prose—with entertaining minutia . . . that will appeal to general readers with an interest in history. A fresh perspective on a familiar subject.”—Kirkus, STARRED review

“Richard Bell tells American history as if from a barstool, not a lecture podium. Giddy, rollicking, and bold, this is the story of America told up close and personal, with individuals and adventures summoned in deep, sensory detail, with all their nastiness and beauty. Infusing all is the critical idea that the dream, project, and revolution of America have always been bigger than its borders.” —Ilyon Woo, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Master Slave Husband Wife

“The American Revolution ranged across the seas, upon every inhabited continent, and across a ‘vast global canvas,’ as Richard Bell so powerfully exposes. His masterful synthesis provides accessible and impassioned entry to anyone interested in understanding the nation’s founding from a dazzling, kaleidoscopic perspective. Highly recommended.” —Ned Blackhawk, National Book Award-winning author of The Rediscovery of America: Native Peoples and the Unmaking of U.S. History

“Lucid and expansive, Richard Bell’s book presents vivid characters who reveal the global stage and stakes of a revolution that was American and much more.” —Alan Taylor, two-time Pulitzer Prize–winning author of American Revolutions: A Continental History

“Richard Bell has woven a coat of many colors—in enviably handsome prose—from the Scots who mutinied against army service in America, the Chinese workers who reenacted the Boston Tea Party (with opium), the hundreds of ex-slaves who took refuge with Britain’s ‘Hessian’ allies, and more.”—Woody Holton, author of Liberty Is Sweet: The Hidden History of the American Revolution and Abigail Adams: A Life