Morgan has a long and distinguished pedigree as an American historian. This book is one of his earliest works and it isn't his best. It's a light, quick read about the preludes to the Revolutionary War, the war itself, the adoption of the Articles of Confederation and ultimately the creation of the national, federal government with the politically-charged ratification of the Constitution.
It's a lively read for the big easy picture of the chronology of birth of the republic.
However, Morgan collapses and obscures too much detail in the interest of brevity. He bravely and vainly insists, to the point of very annoying repetition, that the "principle of human equality" was a defining bulwark of the formation of our national government and national consciousness. Repeatedly, he offers details about events and protagonists that give the lie to his misguided anchoring of the "human equality" concept.
In the hands of a wise professor, this could be a useful reference book to set the stage for discussion of the events of 1763-1789.
It is a dangerously and deceptively simplified book for a general readership.
It's a repeatedly annoying book for a student who has at least a generally informed familiarity with the events of 18763-1789, which played out in a less "principled" scenario than the one glossily described by Prof. Morgan.
Read more on my blog: http://barleyliterate.blogspot.com/ ( )

This is a marvelous little book that goes from Lexington through the ratification of the Constitution in 155 pages. After reading it I don't feel that the author left out anything important and he did give me a good understanding of what happened in this period.
While short the book is not a quick and easy read because of the wealth of details scattered throughout the book. The book's size gives it the ability to provide an understanding of the relationship of the events that gave rise to our nation.
The author shows a great mastery and subtle understanding of the events covered to convey such a clear understanding of the events of this period of 26 years.
I would think the book is excellent to read at any stage in a study of this period. If you are deep in a detailed treatise on the writing of the constitution this book will give you a quick overview that places the events you are reading about in perspective. If you are beginning to read about this era this book provides a thoughtful outline of the period.
It takes a special type of understanding and talent to put a series of very significant events that occurred over a period of 26 years in such a concise form. If you have any interest in the events of these years this book will greatly add to your understanding of this era. ( )

I have loved Edmund Morgan ever since I first read the second edition of The Birth of the Republic in AP American History as a high school sophomore. Back in those days before amazon, I convinced my parents to drive me to the Yale University bookstore to get my hands on a copy of my very own.

This slim volume is a very succinct summation of the revolutionary period, from the Sugar Act to ratification of the Constitution. All the important background material is there, from the Glorious Revolution to the 7 years war to the abilities of British statesmen, without drowning the reader in detail. Morgan also considers the most popular interpretations of the American War of Independence including Beard's An Economic Interpretation of the Constitution of the United States. The appendix includes the entire texts of the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. What more could one want out of 206 pages! ( )