Eustatius in providing the first salute that recognized the United States as a belligerent in the American Revolution. The title of this book springs from the importance of the “golden rock” of St. Given the fact that it is hard to say something about the American Revolution that has not been said thousands of times before, this effort demonstrates that Tuchman had something new and worthwhile to say and was able to put it in a way that allows readers fond of her detail-heavy narrative historical approach (myself included) to enjoy a refreshing account of the importance of diplomacy and logistics to the study of the American revolution. Whether or not this book is enough to qualify Tuchman as an Atlantic historian a la Bailyn is unclear, but this book certainly makes a case for Tuchman’s awareness of the importance of the Atlantic world–not only the English but also the French and especially the Dutch–to the ability of America’s rebels to withstand the military might of the (not very) United Kingdom. I must say that I was rather impressed with this book, not least in the way that Tuchman managed to demonstrate the importance of the Caribbean and its role in the trade nodes that connected continental North America to Europe in the successful efforts of the United States to gain its independence in the American Revolution. The First Salute: A View Of The American Revolution, by Barbara W.
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