The Cause

The American Revolution and Its Discontents, 1773-1783

De: Joseph J. Ellis

Narrado por: Graham Winton

A culminating work on the American Founding by one of its leading historians, The Cause rethinks the American Revolution as we have known it.

George Washington claimed that anyone who attempted to provide an accurate account of the war for independence would be accused of writing fiction. At the time, no one called it the “American Revolution”: Former colonists still regarded themselves as Virginians or Pennsylvanians, not Americans, while John Adams insisted that the British were the real revolutionaries, for attempting to impose radical change without their colonists’ consent.

With The Cause, Ellis takes a fresh look at the events between 1773 and 1783, recovering a war more brutal than any in American history save the Civil War and discovering a strange breed of “prudent” revolutionaries, whose prudence proved wise yet tragic when it came to slavery, the original sin that still haunts our land. Written with flair and drama, The Cause brings together a cast of familiar and forgotten characters who, taken together, challenge the story we have long told ourselves about our origins as a people and a nation.

©2021 Joseph J. Ellis (P)2021 Recorded Books

Interesting information

I really learned a lot about “the cause” - things I didn’t realize I was ignorant about. I highly recommend the book to anyone interested in this time period of US history

Great story behind the story of the Am. Revolution!

The author did a great job of sharing behind the scenes happenings that impacted significantly on better known events in the American Revolution.
The oration was also first rate!

The Real Revilution

This tells the story of the American Revolution and the very important people, often behind the scenes, who held it together

Modest history primer, wished for more substance

I’m not sure what exactly I expected from this book, but from the title and summary I believe it was just… more substance. More contemporaneous debate and competing philosophies regarding slavery as a pragmatically necessary evil at the inception of the union. Or more depth in the specific arguments about what exactly “the Cause” meant to distinct groups or individuals. The author often falls back on the idea that it was merely a nebulous phrase with no clear definition, but surely agendas were contemplated and plans devised. Very little detail on that front, beyond the cookie-cutter labels of federalism, confederacy and such. And though it’s not the focus of the book, native voices are sorely missing (as are abolitionists, for that matter). The subjugation of other peoples is treated as an unfortunate hypocrisy of the founding of a “free” nation, but this is exactly the place where these atrocities should have been laid bare. An opportunity missed.

If there is any takeaway from the book, it’s that all the characters in this story are flawed, both amongst the British and the colonials. But we already knew that, didn’t we? It’s only in the Epilogue does the author broach the issues of the willful ignorance of the true meaning of “the Cause”, and the miscalculations and mistakes which led to a disastrous next century, deferring the abolition of slavery until brought to war, and the removal and extermination of native peoples inconveniently standing in the way of the cause.

It may be too much to expect from this modest book, but more substance, motives and ramifications, would have made it significantly better. Perhaps the author, or another, will expand into the meat of the matter in the future. As it is, I'll give 4 stars, as it is good as a basic history primer, nothing particularly new, but a good jumping off point.

Wonderful!

An enlightening must read for all Americans 🇺🇸 It give a perspective to the time period that tells the reader how truly fragile our country is and how hard our founders fought to see it through its infancy.

Wow

What a narrative of the historical Cause. I’ve listened twice now, lol.. it’s amazing how much this book elucidates about the population’s and military’s views of the conflict from so many angles.

A wonderful follow up to ‘Hamilton’

My only issue with this masterful telling is there is no accompanying pdf with maps. It would make a wonderful addition. Thank you! Narration by Mr. Winton is wonderful, also!

One favorite of mine

The author is able to treat several sides of the story/Cause and puts the reader in that place and time.
A good resource book and one that I expect to read in hard copy. 5+ stars/highly recommended..

I loved this book!

I’m a Joseph Ellis fan but this is the first audible book of his I’ve listened to. I’m so glad I did! Well written and read!

Best narrative I have listened to.

The narrator read this book like a mystery novel. I literally did not want to turn it off. Wonderful writing, great notes, and fantastic side stories. Almost perfect, for me.