Independence : the struggle to set America free
(Book)

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Ferling (history, U. of West Georgia), author of many books on Revolutionary War era America, traces the evolution of the idea of independence and the events and decisions that ultimately led Congress, with the support of most Americans, to declare independence. The book evaluates key players in the process, both important members of the Continental Congress, many of whom were deeply divided about which course to pursue up until July 1776, and important British ministers and their principal adversaries in Parliament. American independence was not inevitable, Ferling asserts, but the result of a protracted struggle in America over how best to secure the interests of individual colonies and of the North American empire, and in Great Britain over how best to hold their power in North America. Annotation ©2011 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)