Alexis de Tocqueville (1805-59) came to America in 1831 to see what a great republic was like. What struck him most was the country's equality of conditions; its democracy. The book he wrote on his return to France; Democracy in America; is both the best ever written on democracy and the best ever written on America. It remains the most often quoted book about the United States; not only because it has something to interest and please everyone; but also because it has something to teach everyone.
#1195894 in Books Howard H Peckham 1965-04-15Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 8.00 x .68 x 5.25l; .64 #File Name: 0226653145266 pagesThe Colonial Wars
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Excellent History ResourceBy Eric D. BarnesAs a Colonial American history buff; this is a great resource for all of the wars preceding the American Revolution. This book contains excellent descriptions on wars that are not talked about much in school. King William's War; Queen Anne's War and other conflicts with French Canada are all detailed nicely. Moreover; this book gives great information on colonial skirmishes with frontier and northeastern Indian tribes. What I liked most about this book are the mini-biographies of great colonial military leaders like James Oglethorpe and William Pepperrell. This is a great resource about a little known part of American history. It shows the resiliance of American colonists and shows just how difficult the early settlement of our nation was.4 of 5 people found the following review helpful. Covers the topic but really dry readingBy Howard SchulmanHoward Peckham's book on the Colonial Wars certainly covers an interesting topic for those interested in early American history. I had recently finished an extremely well written book "The Crucible of War" by Fred Anderson on the last "colonial war"-the French and Indian War-and was looking to fill in the gaps. Anderson mentions that there were several important wars preceding the French and Indian War; but he didn't say much more. For early American history buffs; we know that the French and Indian War is extremely fascinating and underappreciated. I thought it would be interesting to find out more about the preceding events. There is not a lot written on this topic.Unfortunately; despite being well researched and factual; the book does not pull the earlier colonial wars together in a meaningful way. The early wars are presented one skirmish after the other; one minor character after the other; without any overriding themes and without much-needed background information. Some background is given; but much more was needed.The reading got slightly better during the King George's War in the 1740's during which the British captured Louisbourg from the French (and then gave it right back to the French after the colonialists had fought so hard to capture it; infuriating the colonialists). The text on the French and Indian War was better; but after reading Anderson's fantastic account and analysis of it; I was wasting my time.So; if you want some good reading; I'd advise to look elsewhere; but if you are an expert on the topic; this book may have something of value to you. It's relatively short and quick reading; but it was as dry as the pages it was printed on.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Five StarsBy Alabama PrideGood read
