Book Review: As If An Enemy’s Country
As If an Enemy’s Country: The British Occupation of Boston and the Origins of Revolution
By Richard Archer
In this book, Richard Archer tells the story of the armed occupation of Boston by the British.
After resistance to the Sugar Act, the Stamp Act, and the Townshend Acts, Britain sent ships of soldiers to Boston to maintain order. From 1768 to 1770, the British occupation had Bostonians and Britains and each other’s throats. This occupation created the rebellious sentiment that fueled a revolution.
The story follows reactions of political leaders and the general public. The colonists obviously resented the soldiers’ presence. On the other side, British military didn’t like being stationed among people who disliked and disrespected them. Fights and insults were commonplace between residents and soldiers. The rising anger and resentment eventually led to the famous massacre on King Street (shown on the cover using Paul Revere’s famous print).
Archer has done a great job describing Boston, the tension in the people, and the way the tragedy unfolds.
I blazed through this concise account of pre-war Boston, and I recommend it to anyone interested in the events leading up to the American Revolution.
More info:
- Richard Archer is also the author of Fissures in the Rock: New England in the Seventeenth Century.
- As If An Enemy’s Country was published in February 2009 by Oxford University Press.
- See the book on Amazon.
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