Tyrants and rogues : understanding the Declaration of Independence / Robert G. Parkinson.
"We think of the Declaration of Independence as timeless. We know the sacred phrases: "all men are created equal," "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness," "self-evident truths," "certain inalienable rights." These are some of the most important words human beings have ever written. And they are all from the Declaration's preamble, which has inspired people for centuries, including generations of revolutionaries all over the world. But as historian Robert G. Parkinson points out, the Declaration was not written as a timeless statement of political philosophy. It was, rather, produced in the heat of a confusing, bloody, and desperate war. And in that moment, it wasn't high ideals alone that drove the patriots forward. Parkinson's great innovation is to allow us, 250 years on, to see the Declaration as its authors did. For them, the opening paragraphs were not the main event. It was the body of the Declaration--the twenty-seven grievances against King George--that formed the essential part. Even Thomas Jefferson would have been puzzled by history's fixation on his opening sentences. Parkinson takes us into the grievances, giving us stories of the Revolutionary era that are little known today but loomed large for the patriots. As the leaders of the Revolution saw it, they had been pushed to the breaking point by British officials who undermined colonial legislatures and courts, corrupted the judiciary, turned military power against civilians, inflamed slave revolts, forced colonists to fight one another--ultimately, waging war on their own people. In his brilliantly original reading of the Declaration, Parkinson asks fundamental questions that have too often been overlooked: Why did the colonies declare independence when they did? What were their nonnegotiable demands? Who were the individuals whose actions made reconciliation impossible? By recovering the people and conflicts behind the Declaration's grievances, Parkinson offers a strikingly new account of the American Revolution--and shows that the issues that most alarmed colonists in 1776 are urgent once again today"-- Provided by publisher.
Record details
- ISBN: 9781324124542
- ISBN: 1324124547
- Physical Description: 329 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm
- Edition: First edition.
- Publisher: New York : W. W. Norton & Company, [2026]
- Copyright: ©2026
Content descriptions
- Bibliography, etc. Note:
- Includes bibliographical references (pages [293]-310) and index.
- Formatted Contents Note:
- Introduction: Pulling down the king on Bowling Green -- Chronology -- Part 1. The king and his inner circle. The conspiracy of King George III: Grievance 1 ; The cabinet's utter neglect: Grievance 2 ; "The right of representation": Grievance 3 -- Part 2. The king's officers. The crisis in Massachusetts: Grievances 4 and 5 ; Convulsions in North Carolina: Grievance 6 ; Virginia's fight for Ohio: Grievance 7 ; Justice in North Carolina: Grievance 8 ; Swarms and standing armies: Grievances 9, 10, and 11 ; The Gaspée Affair: Grievance 12 -- Part 3. 778 tyrants: Parliament. The rise of parliament: Grievance 13 ; "Pretended legislation": Grievances 14 through 22 -- Part 4. The king's fighters. Waging war: Grievance 23 ; The burning of Falmouth: Grievance 24 ; "Armies of foreign mercenaries": Grievance 25 ; Becoming executioners: Grievance 26 ; "Domestic insurrections": Grievance 27(a) ; "Merciless Indian savages": Grievance 27(b) -- Part 5. These united colonies. "Assemblage of horrors": the two deleted grievances ; The American public and the grievances -- Conclusion: The law is king -- Epilogue: After 1776 -- Appendix: The Declaration of Independence.
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Available copies
- 8 of 22 copies available at NC Cardinal. (Show)
- 1 of 1 copy available at Madison County Public Library.
Holds
- 1 current hold with 22 total copies.
Show Only Available Copies
| Location | Call Number / Copy Notes | Barcode | Shelving Location | Status | Due Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hot Springs Library | 973.313 PAR (Text) | 30229101449295 | Adult New Nonfiction | Available | - |
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| 504 | . | ‡aIncludes bibliographical references (pages [293]-310) and index. | |
| 505 | 0 | . | ‡aIntroduction: Pulling down the king on Bowling Green -- Chronology -- Part 1. The king and his inner circle. The conspiracy of King George III: Grievance 1 ; The cabinet's utter neglect: Grievance 2 ; "The right of representation": Grievance 3 -- Part 2. The king's officers. The crisis in Massachusetts: Grievances 4 and 5 ; Convulsions in North Carolina: Grievance 6 ; Virginia's fight for Ohio: Grievance 7 ; Justice in North Carolina: Grievance 8 ; Swarms and standing armies: Grievances 9, 10, and 11 ; The Gaspée Affair: Grievance 12 -- Part 3. 778 tyrants: Parliament. The rise of parliament: Grievance 13 ; "Pretended legislation": Grievances 14 through 22 -- Part 4. The king's fighters. Waging war: Grievance 23 ; The burning of Falmouth: Grievance 24 ; "Armies of foreign mercenaries": Grievance 25 ; Becoming executioners: Grievance 26 ; "Domestic insurrections": Grievance 27(a) ; "Merciless Indian savages": Grievance 27(b) -- Part 5. These united colonies. "Assemblage of horrors": the two deleted grievances ; The American public and the grievances -- Conclusion: The law is king -- Epilogue: After 1776 -- Appendix: The Declaration of Independence. |
| 520 | . | ‡a"We think of the Declaration of Independence as timeless. We know the sacred phrases: "all men are created equal," "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness," "self-evident truths," "certain inalienable rights." These are some of the most important words human beings have ever written. And they are all from the Declaration's preamble, which has inspired people for centuries, including generations of revolutionaries all over the world. But as historian Robert G. Parkinson points out, the Declaration was not written as a timeless statement of political philosophy. It was, rather, produced in the heat of a confusing, bloody, and desperate war. And in that moment, it wasn't high ideals alone that drove the patriots forward. Parkinson's great innovation is to allow us, 250 years on, to see the Declaration as its authors did. For them, the opening paragraphs were not the main event. It was the body of the Declaration--the twenty-seven grievances against King George--that formed the essential part. Even Thomas Jefferson would have been puzzled by history's fixation on his opening sentences. Parkinson takes us into the grievances, giving us stories of the Revolutionary era that are little known today but loomed large for the patriots. As the leaders of the Revolution saw it, they had been pushed to the breaking point by British officials who undermined colonial legislatures and courts, corrupted the judiciary, turned military power against civilians, inflamed slave revolts, forced colonists to fight one another--ultimately, waging war on their own people. In his brilliantly original reading of the Declaration, Parkinson asks fundamental questions that have too often been overlooked: Why did the colonies declare independence when they did? What were their nonnegotiable demands? Who were the individuals whose actions made reconciliation impossible? By recovering the people and conflicts behind the Declaration's grievances, Parkinson offers a strikingly new account of the American Revolution--and shows that the issues that most alarmed colonists in 1776 are urgent once again today"-- ‡cProvided by publisher. | |
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