American Revolutions: A Continental History, 1750-1804

Content Warning: The section of the guide includes discussions on violence, slavery, and the displacement of Indigenous peoples, reflecting the period’s brutality and the suffering of marginalized groups.

In the Introduction, Taylor engages with Nathaniel Hawthorne’s narrative “My Kinsman, Major Molineux” as a thematic prelude to the complexities of the American Revolution. The story follows Robin, a young man in search of his kinsman, Major Molineux, in a New England colony, hoping to benefit from the Major’s prosperity and status. However, Robin’s journey takes an unexpected turn when he finds Molineux humiliated by a mob, tarred and feathered. This moment of public shaming and Robin’s reaction—initially one of pity and terror that then transforms into laughter—serves as a metaphor for the broader societal transformations and conflicts during the revolution.

Taylor uses this tale to challenge the sanitized narratives of the American Revolution. He suggests that the revolution was America’s first civil war, characterized not by unity and orderliness but by deep divisions, violence, and upheaval. The revolution involved not only the fight for independence from British rule but also internal conflicts, including the oppression of Indigenous Americans, the enslavement of African Americans, and the ostracization of Loyalists.