DOCUMENTS AND ESSAYS OF MAJOR PROBLEMS IN COLONIAL AMERICA.

Tackling one of the most prevalent myths about insurgencies, this book examines and rebuts the popular belief that Mao Zedong created a fundamentally new form of warfare that transformed the nature of modern insurgency. The labeling of an insurgent enemy as using “Maoist Warfare” has been a common phenomenon since Mao’s victory over the Guomindang in 1949, from Malaya and Vietnam during the Cold War to Afghanistan and Syria today. Yet, this practice is heavily flawed. This book argues that Mao did not invent a new breed of insurgency, failed to produce a coherent vision of how insurgencies should be fought, and was not influential in his impact upon subsequent insurgencies. Consequently, Mao’s writings cannot be used to generate meaningful insights for understanding those insurgencies that came after him. This means that scholars and policymakers should stop using Mao as a tool for understanding insurgencies and as a straw man against whom to target counterinsurgency strategies.

“The Revolutionary War” provides a detailed overview of the American battle for independence and the forging of a nation. From the earliest skirmishes at Lexington and Concord to the decisive victory at Yorktown, to the writing of the Constitution and the struggles of early national America, this book tracks both the logistical and intellectual dimensions of the "revolution," which, as John Adams said, took place "in the hearts and minds of Americans . . . before a single drop of blood was shed." As much as it vividly documents the particulars of battle, it is the dizzying aftermath of the war and the complexities of fulfilling the "idea" of America that form the impressive substance of this book. Also discussed are the social, cultural, and artistic advances of the post-Revolutionary period, including women's suffrage and the beginning of public education, with special emphasis given to the "American Renaissance" and the rising of distinctly American literature.

This packet provides a detailed overview of the American battle for independence. From the earliest skirmishes at Lexington and Concord to the victory at Saratoga, this packet tracks both the logistical and intellectual dimensions of the "revolution," which, as John Adams said, took place "in the hearts and minds of Americans . . . before a single drop of blood was shed."