Book HackThe CauseBy Joseph J. Ellis Ph.D.
In a Nutshell
Historian Joseph J. Ellis reveals how the American Revolution was driven not by a unified national identity but by 'The Cause' — a broad, often contradictory ideal that bound together colonists with vastly different goals and exposed the deep fractures over slavery and power.
Favorite Quote
These former colonists did not regard themselves as Americans, but rather as New Englanders, Virginians, or Pennsylvanians. No such thing as an American national identity yet existed. The term they used to describe their war for independence was The Cause.
Joseph J. Ellis
Introduction
Many consider the American Revolution the birth of the modern era and the first moment in history when a modern nation was founded on the ideals of the Enlightenment.
But some argue that the American Revolution was not really a fight to establish a new nation at all.
In his 2021 book, The Cause, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Joseph J. Ellis argues that the Founding Fathers were united not by a shared national identity, but by a shifting collection of ideals they called 'The Cause.'
With new historical insight, Ellis reveals how this loosely defined principle allowed diverse – and often conflicting – visions of liberty, independence, and identity to coexist.
Here are the 3 key insights from this Hack
- 1.The American Revolution was fought to preserve a familiar way of life, not to create a new one
- 2.Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Nunc volutpat, leo ut.
- 3.Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Nunc volutpat, leo ut.
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