As If an Enemy's Country: The British Occupation of Boston and the Origins of Revolution
Oxford University Press: Pivotal Moments in US History
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Narrated by:
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Fred Stella
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By:
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Richard Archer
About this listen
In the dramatic few years when colonial Americans were galvanized to resist British rule, perhaps nothing did more to foment anti-British sentiment than the armed occupation of Boston.
As If an Enemy's Country is Richard Archer's gripping narrative of those critical months between October 1, 1768, and the winter of 1770, when Boston was an occupied town. Bringing colonial Boston to life, Archer deftly moves between the governor's mansion and cobblestoned back alleys as he traces the origins of the colonists' conflict with Britain. He reveals the maneuvering of colonial political leaders, such as Governor Francis Bernard, Lieutenant Governor Thomas Hutchinson, and James Otis Jr. as they responded to London's new policies, and he evokes the outrage many Bostonians felt towards Parliament and its local representatives.
Archer captures the popular mobilization under the leadership of John Hancock and Samuel Adams that met the oppressive imperial measures - most notably the Sugar Act and the Stamp Act. When the British government decided to garrison Boston with troops, it posed a shocking challenge to the people of Massachusetts. The city was flooded with troops; almost immediately, tempers flared and violent conflicts broke out. Archer's vivid tale culminates in the swirling tragedy of the Boston Massacre and its aftermath, including the trial and exoneration of the British troops involved. A thrilling and original work of history, As If an Enemy's Country tells the riveting story of what made the Boston townspeople, and with them other colonists, turn toward revolution.
The “Pivotal Moments in American History” series seeks to unite the old and the new history, combining the insights and techniques of recent historiography with the power of traditional narrative. Each title has a strong narrative arc with drama, irony, suspense, and - most importantly - great characters who embody the human dimension of historical events.
Download the accompanying reference guide.©2010 Richard Archer (P)2011 Audible, Inc.Listeners also enjoyed...
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A spellbinding storyteller, historian David O. Stewart traces the canny and charismatic Aaron Burr from the threshold of the presidency in 1800 to his duel with Alexander Hamilton. Stewart recounts Burr’s efforts to carve out an empire, taking listeners across the American West as the renegade vice president schemes with foreign ambassadors, the U.S. general-in-chief, and future presidents.
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Aaron Burr history
- By Gerald on 01-06-13
By: David O. Stewart
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The Sons of Liberty: The Lives and Legacies of John Adams, Samuel Adams, Paul Revere and John Hancock
- By: Charles River Editors
- Narrated by: Chris Brinkley
- Length: 4 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
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For over 200 years, Americans have been fascinated by the Revolutionary period and the patriots who led the growing resistance movement against British authority. In particular, the clandestine activities of Boston's Sons of Liberty in the decade before the war continue to be a source of both intrigue and mystery. The Sons of Liberty chronicles the amazing lives and careers of the four most famous members of the Sons of Liberty, examines their relationships before and during the Revolution, and analyzes their lasting legacies. Along with pictures of important people, places, and events, you will learn about Samuel Adams, John Adams, Paul Revere and John Hancock like you never have before.
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it should be required reading in our high schools.
- By Amazon Customer on 04-05-17
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Washington and Hamilton
- The Alliance That Forged America
- By: Stephen F. Knott, Tony Williams
- Narrated by: Ron Butler
- Length: 10 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
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In the wake of the American Revolution, the Founding Fathers faced a daunting task: overcome their competing visions to build a new nation, the likes of which the world had never seen. Washington and Hamilton chronicles the unlikely collaboration between two conflicting characters working together to protect their hard-won freedoms. Yet while Washington and Hamilton's different personalities often led to fruitful collaboration, their conflicting ideals also tested the boundaries of their relationship - and threatened the future of the new republic.
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Biography
- By Emily on 06-14-18
By: Stephen F. Knott, and others
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Andrew Jackson
- His Life and Times
- By: H.W. Brands
- Narrated by: John H. Mayer
- Length: 25 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
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The extraordinary story of Andrew Jackson—the colorful, dynamic, and forceful president who ushered in the Age of Democracy and set a still young America on its path to greatness—told by the bestselling author of The First American.
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Very Thorough
- By Eric on 02-07-06
By: H.W. Brands
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'Mr. President'
- George Washington and the Making of the Nation's Highest Office
- By: Harlow Giles Unger
- Narrated by: Robertson Dean
- Length: 6 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
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Although the framers gave the president little authority, Washington knew whatever he did would set precedents for generations of his successors. To ensure their ability to defend the nation, he simply ignored the Constitution when he thought it necessary and reshaped the presidency into what James Madison called a "monarchical presidency." Modern scholars call it the "imperial presidency."
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A political genius
- By Michael on 03-28-17
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Lexington and Concord
- The Battle Heard Round the World
- By: George C. Daughan
- Narrated by: Mike Chamberlain
- Length: 10 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
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George C. Daughan's magnificently detailed account of the battle of Lexington and Concord will challenge the prevailing narrative of the American War of Independence. It was, Daughan argues, based as much on economics as on politics.
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The long lead-up to the American Revolution
- By Matthew on 12-19-18
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The First Congress
- How James Madison, George Washington, and a Group of Extraordinary Men Invented the Government
- By: Fergus M. Bordewich
- Narrated by: Sean Runnette
- Length: 12 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
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The First Congress was the most important in US history, says prizewinning author and historian Fergus Bordewich, because it established how our government would actually function. Had it failed - as many at the time feared it would - it's possible that the United States as we know it would not exist today.
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Compelling
- By Jean on 03-05-18
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John Jay
- Founding Father
- By: Walter Stahr
- Narrated by: Andrew Garman
- Length: 19 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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John Jay was a central figure in the early history of the American Republic. A New York lawyer, born in 1745, Jay served his country with the greatest distinction, and was one of the most influential of its Founding Fathers. In this first full-length biography of John Jay in almost 70 years, Walter Stahr brings Jay vividly to life, setting his astonishing career against the background of the American Revolution. Drawing on substantial new material, Walter Stahr has written a full and highly enjoyable portrait of both the public and private man.
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balanced
- By Bob on 04-06-24
By: Walter Stahr
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An Empire on the Edge
- How Britain Came to Fight America
- By: Nick Bunker
- Narrated by: Robert Ian Mackenzie
- Length: 17 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
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The story of the American Revolution told from the unique perspective of British Parliament and the streets of London, rather than that of the Colonies. Here, Nick Bunker explores and illuminates the dramatic chain of events that led to the outbreak of the war-revealing a tale of muddle, mistakes, and misunderstandings by men in London that led to the Boston tea party and then to the decision to send redcoats into action against the minutemen.
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Hard to put down
- By Mike From Mesa on 03-07-15
By: Nick Bunker
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Founding Martyr
- The Life and Death of Dr. Joseph Warren, the American Revolution's Lost Hero
- By: Christian Di Spigna
- Narrated by: Mark Bramhall
- Length: 8 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
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A rich and illuminating biography of America’s forgotten Founding Father, the patriot physician and major general who fomented rebellion and died heroically at the battle of Bunker Hill on the brink of revolution. Little has been known of one of the most important figures in early American history, Dr. Joseph Warren, an architect of the colonial rebellion, and a man who might have led the country as Washington or Jefferson did had he not been martyred at Bunker Hill in 1775. Warren was involved in almost every major insurrectionary act in the Boston area for a decade.
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really mixed
- By Amazon Customer on 07-16-22
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The Whiskey Rebellion
- By: William Hogeland
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 9 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
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A gripping and provocative tale of violence, alcohol, and taxes, The Whiskey Rebellion pits President George Washington and Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton against angry, armed settlers across the Appalachians. Unearthing a pungent segment of early American history long ignored by historians, William Hogeland brings to startling life the rebellion that decisively contributed to the establishment of federal authority.
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Great story and narration
- By Kismet on 08-12-06
By: William Hogeland
What listeners say about As If an Enemy's Country: The British Occupation of Boston and the Origins of Revolution
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- NYCShopper
- 05-14-16
Illuminating
If you could sum up As If an Enemy's Country: The British Occupation of Boston and the Origins of Revolution in three words, what would they be?
A book that digs behind the stories and myths we learned in school.
What did you like best about this story?
It humanizes history, clears away the idealizing nonsense, and really helps you understand Boston's part in sparking the American Revolution.
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- Lynn
- 04-14-12
A fascinating topic, but reads like a Ph.D. thesis
As a former Boston resident, I really, really wanted to like this book...but for my taste, it was pretty dry stuff. I generally like histories featuring cultural, societal, and biographical tidbits -- I want a story about colorful individuals, vividly set in a different world -- but this book focuses largely on groups. Near the end it picks up energy, and the description of the Boston Massacre is absolutely gripping... But the book could have been so much better. The narration is a bit odd: the narrator has a very resonant voice, but his delivery is so mechanical it sounds almost artificial.
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4 people found this helpful
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- JKR
- 05-09-17
Kinda dry
While the topic is well researched and certainly interesting, it's a dry audio book. Probably better read than listened to. It's the kind of book that's perfect for reference, but less of a source of entertainment. One other reviewer said it read like a thesis and that is the best way to describe it. Reader is a little mechanical for such a topic, although I suspect that has more to do with the content. Bet the foot notes are fantastic...it's that kind of a book.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Mike From Mesa
- 01-11-22
It's OK.
The story of how the American colonies went from loyal British citizens to rebels in only 10 years is a tale filled with heroes and villains, the innocent and the guilty, wise statesmen and those unwilling to think about the results of their actions. It is the stuff of thriller novels, but in real life, and any book about those times ought to be riveting and read like a cliff-hanger. Instead we have a rather academic and mostly boring retelling of what was one of those turning points in the history of the world.
The facts are all there - the riots, the legal and illegal actions taken in response to the British Government's actions, the efforts to keep the import exclusions in place, the actions that worked and the ones that did not and, of course, the story of the Boston Massacre, including the trial afterwards. The facts are there, but I had the felling that I was reading one of those boring High School history books. I have come to love history through authors that know how to tell a tale, but could barely get through this book.
If you are interested in what happened between 1766 and 1770 (the period covered by this book) you will find the facts here. If you are interested in being caught up by the events of a truly historic period you probably want to look elsewhere.
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