Book Review: Declaration by William Hogeland

The Declaration by William Hogeland moves into the grandeur of the nine weeks leading up to the Declaration of Independence. Throughout the book the history and thoughts of Samuel Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin and other notable characters interact with events that eventually lead to a call for revolution. Hidden within the pages are intrigue, drama, and political debates that almost derailed a society into maintaining its servitude position under the British Crown. Yet it was these events that lead to one of the world's longest running social experiments.

With the secret meetings of Samuel Adams, the unfair taxes paid to the crown, a lack of colonial representation, and eventually the Boston Massacre, events played an important part in convincing the masses it was time for action. Through publications and printed works like Common Sense, insider knowledge, rumor dropping, farmer groups, and radicals a new way of viewing society emerged. This new view spiraled into a whole level of existence and way of thinking.

Debates raged in everything from sufferance to landless representation. To many at the time the uneducated and landless were known as an unruly "mob" that would blindly follow the intimate desires of the more influential owners of labor. The structure of these debates were a new paradigm of governmental responsibility that many Americans take for granted today. The society we know today almost never was. Through blood, sweat, and tears colonists began to see themselves as a singular entity with unalienable rights.

The book discussed the period in American history from May 1, 1776 to July 4th, 1776 in striking detail. Furthermore, it maintains a credible level of references that support the authors thoughts and work with historically accurate accounts of events. The book helps Americans put in perspective a more true context of the countries beginning and modern political debate. Before the foamy ale we currently know as Samuel Adams, and the exciting colors that light up the sky on Independence Day, is a history many have forgotten. It is a story of struggle against physical, political, and intellectual persecution that eventually lead to the development of a free people endowed with rights to choose their own destiny.

Hogeland, W. (2010). Declaration: The nine tumultuous weeks when American became independent, May 1-July 4, 1776. NY: Simon & Schulster. ISBN: 978-1-4165-8409-4

Pages: 186
Price: $7.00
Blog Rating: 4.1
 Notes: The book is worth the read and easy to follow. It provides an overview of the those 9 weeks before the election and a level of insight into some of the more notable characters of liberty. Nice use of references and notes page. It is worth its current price.