A Leap in the Dark: The Struggle to Create the American Republic

Organized resistance, declaring independence, winning the subsequent war with Great Britain, establishing a national constitutional state, and surviving the minefields of European rivalries - none of these developments were inevitable, or some cases even probable. A Leap in the Dark is an excellent exposition of the efforts, difficulties, conflicting interests, and justifications that were factors in the various colonies moving away from the protection of the mother state and achieving a stable, although somewhat fortunate, political presence. The leading figures (and some lesser figures) of the Revolutionary and post-Revolutionary era are seen having to deal with highly complex and divisive issues. A lot of ground is covered in this book. The book opens with Benjamin Franklin, as an attendee of a multi-colonial conference in the mid 1750s, proposing that the colonies form a national body primarily for defense against the French and Indians. But the various colonies were far too protective of their quasi-independent standing to seriously pursue unity, not to mention the uneasiness of England in such a proposal. It took a series of incredibly heavy-handed edicts initiated by Parliament and British ministers from 1764-74 to create a sense of unity and common resolve among the colonists that countered their vast geographical and informational separation. But unanimity against the British hardly existed. A constant theme in the book is the interplay of conservative, elitist, and aristocratic interests versus those more popular and democratic - that is republican. That divide also was part and parcel of the interplay of rural and urban interests; farming, artisanal, and mercantile interests; the interests of northern, middle Atlantic, and southern colonies; etc. It was no small feat to gain sufficient support to realistically declare independence; predictably new problems emerged. The newly emergent United States had to contend with an ineffectual national structure (the Articles of Confederation); inadequate funding of the war effort coupled with rampant inflation; and a series of military blunders - which taken together could have easily lost the war for the US. The more conservative of the founders recognized the precarious position of the United States in the world community after signing a peace accord with Great Britain and pushed for a constitutional convention. The same differences and perspectives existed as before, but now the conservatives had the upper hand. The author clearly sees the US Constitution as a triumph for conservatives by the creation of a document that clearly was structured to check republican reform. The contentious ratification of the Constitution was a mere harbinger of what was to come in the next twelve years. During the presidencies of Washington and Adams, foreign affairs and the potential for alignment or warfare with Britain or France exacerbated existing differences and led to the more formal formation of the

As Ferling explains, "The title of this book was taken from a line in a newspaper essay written in 1776 by a Pennsylvanian who opposed American independence. [A substantial majority of colonials did.] To separate from the mother country, he cautioned, was to make 'a leap in the dark,' to jump into an uncertain future." Ferling goes on to note that, indeed, "Twenty years before independence, it would have been a leap in the dark for the individual colonies to surrender their autonomy and consent to a national confederation of thirteen provinces or for the imperial government in London to countenance such a union." In this volume, Ferling covers a period of time which extends from the Stamp Act of 1765 until Thomas Jefferson's inauguration as president in 1801. His focus is less on the Revolutionary War itself, more on the immensely complicated, at times confusing political process prior to and following the Declaration of Independence. Those who signed that document fully understood that they were also signing their own death warrant if the subsequent war were lost. It is probably impossible for us today to appreciate the nature and extent of uncertainty for those who resisted British policies, declared independence, went to war against the (then) world's greatest military power, embraced republicanism, ratified the Constitution, enfranchised additional citizens, elected or selected officials who had no prior experience with public service, and cast aside the culture and values of their Anglo-American past. It is this great "darkness" of peril and ambiguity which Ferling enables his reader to explore. With all due respect to Ferling's comprehensive and compelling erudition, I especially appreciate his writing style with which he brilliantly enlivens the narrative with a mastery of figurative language worthy of a Dickens or Balzac. Without in any sense compromising his primary and secondary sources, he brings to life a society more than 200 years distant from ours and portrays each of its great leaders with style, wit, and grace, to be sure, but also acknowledges their flaws. I have always believed that major historical figures are credible only to the extent that they are presented as human beings rather than as deities. (I think that is especially true of John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and George Washington.) In his final chapter, Ferling's concluding remarks about the election of 1800 also provide what I consider to be an appropriate conclusion to this brief commentary of mine: "Thus, the election of 1800 ushered in a revolution 'in the principles of our government as [profound as] that of 1776 was in its form.' The route to this new day was the road chosen by America's patriots in 1776, for they had believed that the 'blessings...necessary to make us a happy and prosperous people' included 'a wise and frugal government' that rejected tyranny and was based on the popular will. The day now had arrived when the government they wished was being

This book does an excellent job of synthesizing the political beliefs of the many founders of our country, providing context of both time and economic conditions. It is a well-written, engaging book for those of us who got caught up in the new round of biographies -- John Adama and Benjamin Franklin, most notably -- that renewed our love of U.S. history. It puts these figures in context against each other and gives us something to build from as we continue the exploration of our country's roots.

I've read a number of works about colonial America, the American Revolution, and the subsequent founding of the United States.In my opinion, this is by far the best single volume book on the subject of the birth of the United States. Not only do you get a great overview of the events leading up to the American Revolution and the Revolution itself, but the story about the struggle to create the new nation after the 1783 peace settlement is also fascinating. This book is very well written. It will be welcomed reading for both the knowledgable American history enthusiast and for those who for the first time may be seeking to understand the birth of our great nation.

america needs to get a grip on it's own history to better relate to the rest of the world. from president bush down to the coffee house waitress, everyone needs to read this book. concentrating on the politics and personalities that produced our nation, it demonstrates that despite the flaws and narrow mindedness of many that the product of their work is about as good as people can devise. the founders were far from perfect, nor motives always pure, but they did the best they could with the cards dealt them. from the stamp act in 1765 to the election of jefferson in 1800, where the book ends, is a 35 year period that could have gone many different directions. then another 65 years to settle some of the unresolved issues with the civil war. then another 100 years to guarentee full citizenship to all people. we should remember this as the US seeks change in other countries under very difficult circumsatnces.