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Gordon S. Wood
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The Creation of the American Republic, 1776-1787 Paperback – April 6, 1998

by Gordon S. Wood (Author)
4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 139 ratings
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One of the half dozen most important books ever written about the American Revolution.--New York Times Book Review

"During the nearly two decades since its publication, this book has set the pace, furnished benchmarks, and afforded targets for many subsequent studies. If ever a work of history merited the appellation 'modern classic,' this is surely one.--William and Mary Quarterly

"[A] brilliant and sweeping interpretation of political culture in the Revolutionary generation.--New England Quarterly

"This is an admirable, thoughtful, and penetrating study of one of the most important chapters in American history.--Wesley Frank Craven
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Previous page
  1. Print length
    680 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Omohundro Institute and University of North Carolina Press
  4. Publication date
    April 6, 1998
  5. Dimensions
    5.75 x 1.75 x 9 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0807847232
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0807847237
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

[A] brilliant and sweeping interpretation of political culture in the Revolutionary generation.

"New England Quarterly"

ÝA¨ brilliant and sweeping interpretation of political culture in the Revolutionary generation.

"New England Quarterly"

If ever a work of history merited the appellation 'modern classic, ' this is surely one.

"William and Mary Quarterly"

This is an admirable, thoughtful, and penetrating study of one of the most important chapters in American history.

Wesley Frank Craven

"If ever a work of history merited the appellation 'modern classic, ' this is surely one.

"William and Mary Quarterly""

"This is an admirable, thoughtful, and penetrating study of one of the most important chapters in American history.

Wesley Frank Craven"

One of the half dozen most important books ever written about the American Revolution.

"New York Times Book Review"

Review

This is an admirable, thoughtful, and penetrating study of one of the most important chapters in American history.--Wesley Frank Craven

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Omohundro Institute and University of North Carolina Press (April 6, 1998)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 680 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0807847232
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0807847237
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.98 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.75 x 1.75 x 9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 139 ratings

About the author

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Gordon S. Wood

Gordon S. Wood

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Gordon S. Wood is Alva O. Way Professor of History Emeritus at Brown University. His books include the Pulitzer Prize-winning The Radicalism of the American Revolution, the Bancroft Prize-winning The Creation of the American Republic, 1776-1787, The Americanization of Benjamin Franklin, and The Purpose of the Past: Reflections on the Uses of History. He writes frequently for The New York Review of Books and The New Republic.

Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
4.7 out of 5
139 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Roger Berlind
5.0 out of 5 stars Esential Overview of the Origins of America's Political System
Reviewed in the United States on April 11, 2009
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This classic work from 1969 is an outstanding work of original scholarship that provides an essential overview of the origins of America's political system. Like Bernard Bailyn's "The Ideological Origins of the American Revolution", it covers the Greek, Roman, and British political ideas that influenced the American Revolution and its ultimate result, the federal system created by the U.S. Constitution. But Wood goes much deeper than Bailyn did in analyzing the development of American political thought and systems of government in the years between 1776 and 1787. This is a long book - over 600 pages - with lots of details, so it might be too much for casual readers; but readers who really want to understand the early development of America's political system will find it very valuable and learn a lot from it. It won the prestigious Bancroft and John H. Dunning prizes for American history in 1970.

Since other reviewers have done a good job describing the book, I won't do so myself. However, I would like to talk about the differences between it and Wood's "The Radicalism of the American Revolution" from 1991 which won the Pulitzer Prize in History. You might be wondering whether you really need to buy and read both of these books. If you're interested in this period of American history, then my answer is an unqualified "yes". The two books are actually quite different in their focus. While this book tracks the political developments that occurred during the American Revolution, the other book focuses much more on the social changes that took place, which Wood follows all the way to the 1830s.

You might also wonder which of these books to read first. Since this one was written earlier, reading it first has a certain logic and is what I did; but you could read them in either order, perhaps guided by your personal interest or time constraints. (RotAR is under 400 pages.) Neither book is a prerequisite for the other.
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gloine36
5.0 out of 5 stars Still the Definitive Work on how the American System of Government was developed
Reviewed in the United States on November 18, 2013
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Although this book was written 44 years ago, it is just as relevant today as it was then. How the people of 1787 managed to write a Constitution and create an entirely different type of political system has been one of history’s most amazing stories of all time. Gordon Wood wrote a magnificent book which explained how that event occurred. By studying the writings of the main participants and the hundreds of political pamphlets written in that era he managed to discern the various streams of political thought of that time. Only by understanding how the people of that time thought regarding politics was he able to see how they accomplished this improbable feat. Improbable it was because what they did was completely different than anything done to that point in time.

In understanding the context of this book we also need to realize that Wood wrote it during the 1960s at the height of the divide over American political thought in that time. Creation should serve as a metaphor for American political thought. Things were in a dire crisis in the 1780s, yet the country survived by creating a government which has lasted ever since. The events of the 1960s were survivable and of course we know that America overcame them and continued on. Today we see the political strife, yet we should be comforted by understanding that history shows America will overcome this as well. If the people of the 1780s could develop an entirely new government which they felt was the capstone to the American Revolution and inaugurated a new political system, then the people of today will get past the issues that divide them.

Thomas Paine wrote, “The independence of America considered merely as a separation from England, would have been a matter but of little importance had it not been accompanied by a revolution in the principles and practise of governments.” Paine was right. Independence was of little consequence because until the creation of the Constitution the thirteen states were merely carrying on a modified form of English constitutional government. That meant that government was a compact between rulers and the ruled or the people. The American system of government created in 1787 was a compact only between the people themselves, not the rulers or any other body. All government stemmed from them. Wood makes this the focal point of the book.

The issue of representation was the driving force of the American Revolution. James Otis remarked early on that taxation required representation which the American colonists had none of in Parliament. This was a unique idea and one the British finally answered with the concept of virtual representation. However, the Americans felt this was not the right answer. In creating a political system they sought an answer to the question of how people should be represented. Throughout this book Wood keeps coming back to this issue. At the end of it he answers it but the reader sees in the pages leading up to the answer how the people of that era arrived at the answer which is important. Wood explains that it was the process of answering that question that helped create the American system of government which was radically different than the English system which until that point had been considered by most people to be the proper form of government.

This shows just how different American political thought changed from British political thought and for modern students of politics why there is such a substantial difference between American government and European governments. To this day, the issue of representation is one where people can see just how free people are. When all power stems from the people and they are the ones who select their representatives, then they are free. When any part of that is removed from them then they are not free. As a result of the American system, an additional check was created upon government which does not get discussed that much and that is the check of the people themselves. No matter what, if any representative of the government acts in opposition of the will of the people they have the ability to replace that individual at the next election. In this manner the people possess the ability to correct their own mistakes if they make them.

Gordon Wood’s career has been one in which he is easily considered one of the top historians of the second half of the 20th century. He along with Edmund Morgan and Bernard Bailyn changed the perceptions people had of the American Revolution and the Constitution. Wood and Bailyn are even described as creating their own branch of historical study into this era although they certainly didn’t set out to do so. That just sort of occurred as a natural result of their studies. Wood won several awards for Creation of the American Republic including the Bancroft Prize. He would later win the Pulitzer Prize for History in 1993 with The Radicalism of the American Revolution. He is the Alva O. Way University Professor and Professor of History Emeritus at Brown University.

You can always tell when a book has made an impact upon historians. It is cited repeatedly by many of them which shows it is part of their scholarly learning. This book is required reading for all American history doctoral students who study any part of American history to 1865. It is also mandatory for all American politics doctoral students as well. It can be a bit difficult for many to read who are not acquainted with primary sources or historical inquiry. The book is definitely a deep reading experience and readers will want to read it in sections to allow for some thinking between them. It helps to remember the people of the era in question were addressing the issues confronting them and not any modern issues which were not envisioned by them. I think that is far too often ignored by many who seek answers for today’s issues. They first need to understand the issues of the past which will help them understand why the American system of government was derived. Then they can look to address today’s problems.

Wood kept great records of the materials he worked with as any good historian should and that helps students
understand where he got his information from. His comments on his sources are also revealing in that he could not find many of them in contemporary print. This is a strong indicator about why he was able to come to the conclusions he did which differed so much from others. He studied the writings of the revolutionary era, not secondary sources. This should be a lesson to all historians about the importance of primary sources over secondary sources. It should also be a lesson to all about the dangers of relying on other opinions when some of those opinions are from those are uninformed about the past or seeking to gain power by misleading people for their own political gain.

Creation is a definite must read and most worthy addition to my library and one which I am already using in my own historical writings. Wood’s work with sources helps identify primary sources to consult for my own use as well.
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5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 18, 2017
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