We the People

The history of the American Revolution has been obscured by hero worship and sacred symbols. Using original sources-articles of clothing, crafts, artwork, and tools, as well as documents-Alfred F. Young and Terry J. Fife attempt to "rescue from oblivion" the ordinary men and women who played so vital a role in shaping the new nation and whose stories have been eclipsed by the extraordinary leaders of that era.Based on a permanent exhibition at the Chicago Historical Society, We the People offers an unfamiliar approach to familiar material. It addresses two central questions: What roles did ordinary people play in creating the nation? and, To what extent did they achieve the ideals expressed in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution? More than 200 artifacts are analyzed in their historical context to explore the meaning of the revolutionary era. The authors invite readers to evaluate and interpret visual evidence from the past: revered objects such as the official Declaration of Independence and Paul Revere's engraving of the Boston Massacre are juxtaposed with objects of everyday life-a slave's shackles, a soldier's powder horn, a letter from a "minuteman" in the Battle of Lexington.Blending new social and cultural history with traditional political narrative, Young and Fife redefine and resort the controversies that marked the revolutionary era from the perspective of ordinary people as well as the "founding fathers." George Washington, John Adams, and Tomas Jefferson figure prominently in this history, as do farmers, artisans, women, African Americans, and American Indians. The book is unique in the way it frames the period, expanding the story of the founding of the Republic by extending it to a full generation beyond the Revolution into the early national era and by extending it geographically into the Old Northwest.With arresting images and authentic voices, We the People captures an American past that will appeal to students, scholars, and general readers who are interested in confronting anew fundamental questions about the founding of America that resonate in our own era. Author note: Alfred F. Young is Senior Research Fellow at the Newberry Library and Professor Emeritus of History at Northern Illinois University. He is the editor of The America Revolution: Explorations in the History of American Radicalism and co-editor of the 45-volume American Heritage Series. >P>Terry J. Fife is President of History Works, Inc., and was curator at the Chicago Historical Society. >P>Mary E. Janzen is Assistant to the President of the Chicago Historical Society.Young, Alfred F. is the author of 'We the People' with ISBN 9780877229384 and ISBN 0877229384.