The American Revolution: A Constitutional Interpretation

by Charles Howard McIlwain

In this work, which won the 1924 Pulitzer Prize in history, McIlwain
argues that the central problem in the genesis of the American
Revolution was the determination of the exact nature of the British
Empire's constitution.

Genres: History, American

198 pages, Hardcover

First published December 30, 1899

Reviews

[Andrew · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was bored silly. But I'm glad through all of the Latin and textual analysis, McIlwain was able to prove that the American Revolution was constitutional!

[Dave Carroll · Rating 4 out of 5]

Was America's case for revolution a constitutional or corporate argument?

This Interpretation of the American Revolution honestly felt more like a thesis than a book. In fact, I would not be surprised that this was a dusty paper resurrected in book fashion by Charles Howard McIlwain was a Princeton History Professor who probably only received the 1924 Pulitzer Prize for History because Princeton was in charge of choosing the winners that year and many Princeton academics and alumni were bestowed Pulitzer Prizes that year. In his thesis he argued the American Revolution came about because of a disagreement over the interpretation of the constitution of the United Kingdom . And while the American Colonies were ready to fight over taxation without representation, as Parliament had dared with the Stamp Act, in truth, as America was a for-profit venture, like a ship or a bank, it may not have been entitled to representation than any other corporate entity. It's an intriguing argument.

[William Whalen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I laughed, I cried, I screamed in horror. Sorry, that was a different book that I'm currently reading. This was a boring slog, but very enlightening. It served its' purpose well.