If you are looking for a book to help you understand the life of the colonies before, during, and after the American Revolution, The Minutemen and Their World by Robert Gross is a great place to start. Countless books and essays have been written on the American Revolution, however Dr.Gross’s book is written in a different perspective that focuses on the social and political history of Concord itself. Throughout this book, Gross gives great details on the many conflicts, tensions, and disputes that led to the American Revolution, as well as how life changed for the Concordians following the Revolution. He discusses the inner workings of town politics, society, and religion of the time, elaborating on important details about Concord and its people that might have gone unobtrusive or unremarked upon by historians more concerned with parochial matters.
In The Minutemen and Their World, Gross argues that the American Revolution transformed Concord. He argues that it made the people more resistant to authority, rank, and privilege, and less close-minded to its own politics and social worldview. At the start of the book, Robert Gross describes Concord during the pre-revolution era. At that time, Concord was much more focused on local affairs such as church and religion. Despite their issues with one another, they never would have considered becoming independent or separating from the British empire. However, the many events leading up to the American Revolution made the people of the small town start to feel differently.
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Robert Gross does a great job of addressing the prior religious issues that kicked off the thick tension between the small town. It started off as a debate over who should lead there society, following the great leadership of Ephraim Wood, who was highly respected and appreciated by the Concordians. Following that came the issue of the location of the church and schools, and what was considered to be more convenient for the town. I really liked the way Gross approached the issues by discussing how the town’s “neglect for their needs” and refusal to accommodate led to the initial reasoning behind the first request for separation. He was sure to include the feelings of the different areas of the town during this situation and how it started to brew tension between the town and the government.
Next, the author includes the selfish and derogatory acts and taxes the British started to impose as a response to the town’s decisions to segregate. I feel that Dr. Gross did a fine job explaining these different events in a way that is understandable so the “cause and effect” element of the events is easily interpreted for those who may not be aware of them prior to reading his book. He argues that these self-serving decisions were made by the British to tighten control on the colonies, becoming the root of the revolutionary attitude held by the Concordians.
As you continue to read the book, you notice that Gross refers to the people of Concord as the “reluctant revolutionaries.” This is because the people never truly wanted to break away from the British or start any type of war with them. They were aware of the possible consequences that could come from a war with them, and they were not ready to take that step of breaking away and becoming a separate nation. With the evidence provided, Gross has some valid points here. He reiterates that the loyalty the Concordians held to their King was very important to them, so breaking away wasn’t much of a considered option. He emphasises the fact that the people of Concord were trying to find as many economic alternatives as possible to avoid a revolution. Even when they decided to resist the restrictions placed upon them from London, they still desired to keep their community whole. Gross explains how they tried their best to stay committed to the resistance but their “resistance was limited (47).” Even after being tested and prompted by the British so many times with different acts, taxes, and plans of American enslavement, the people of Concord still tried to resist a war.
However, the lives of the people started to change. Gross proclaimed that the war made the small town of Concord even more uncertain and insecure than before, which I find to be true. Families were being forced out of their town, forced into the army or into the life of a servent. The Concordians had been pushed into a life of struggle, a life of failure and disappointment. The saddening reality that the people wouldn’t be able to pass anything down to their families, with the British aiming to take the little that some had left to give, was the final straw to push the people to a rebellion.
Later in the book, the author argues that the American Revolution actually reunited the town rather than splitting it up as they expected. He points out that all the locals were expected to defend their town, leaving them with no choice but to come together and stand as one. I certainly agree with this argument being made, considering that the revolution changed the way the people thought and behaved. I also liked the way he addressed the “shot heard around the world.” He expresses how the first shot was the initiator of the separation of identity between the Americans and the British. The Americans were seen as one to protect and sacrifice for one another, while the British were seen as the ones to harm and kill.
As the war prolonged, structural changes arose that would permanently reshape the townspeople and how they viewed themselves. Everyone’s mindset became centered around the war itself and the reformations it was causing. Economic and structural changes occurred, appalling the current social hierarchy. The birth rate started to slack, and occupations started to focus on ways to assist the war. Gross argues that the war changed the way people viewed authority, and gave future generations an opportunity to reconstruct it. The Revolution changed the way the people voted, and their views of the militia. He says that the movement was “transforming the relations between magistrates and people (62).”
Overall, the Revolution turned out to have some positive impacts on the small town of Concord. According to Robert Gross, “many townspeople had glimpsed the possibility of transcending the tense divisions that had beset their community in the pre-Revolutionary period (67).” It helped them understand the importance of coming together and acting as one. The Revolution also helped Concord gain a form of balance between resources and find ways to avoid overpopulation. The control of land from the farmers lessened, as did the bills and taxes owed by the people. The war was certainly a turning point for the economic and political side of Concord as well. The gap between the rich and poor slowly decreased, making the class division between the colonists nearly non-existent.
Following the war, the townspeople faced a few extra problems. According to the author, aside from fearing revenge from the British, the people now had to “face the consequences of their fervent Whig existence on the people’s right to rule (133).” Dr.Gross exemplifies that the courts were now depending on the people to do more than they ever expected, which was certainly true through the evidence provided. They were now responsible for furnishing the men, equipping the troops, and even supporting the military families. The war also led to the people of Concord allowing the government to have extreme power over their lives, which Gross did a great job of explaining throughout his book. Altogether, I feel that Robert Gross did an excellent job with showing both the pros and the cons following the presence of the American Revolution.
In conclusion, I really enjoyed reading this particular book. I found The Minutemen and Their World to be a graphic, captivating book that hyperbolized the political consciousness and conflict in the Revolutionary War. It was very informative and helpful in fully understanding the American Revolution. Before reading this book I was unaware of how critical this town’s role was for the revolution. I’ve discussed the American Revolution many times, but after reading this book I feel that it was explained from a much broader perspective. I think Robert Gross wrote The Minutemen and Their World the way he did because he wanted to place people into the context of the American Revolution, which, in my opinion, was certainly achieved. He constructed the book in a way that was easy to follow and understand. If a deeper understanding of the American Revolution is desired, I would certainly recommend reading this one.
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