Rise to RebellionRise to Rebellion

The 1770 killing of civilians by British troops during the Boston Massacre and the tumultuous trial that follows ignite the flames of revolution that will culminate in America's epic struggle for independence. The author who illuminated the Civil War and the Mexican-American War brings to life the American Revolution. In 1770, the fuse of revolution is lit by a fateful command - Fire!- as England's peacekeeping mission ignites into the Boston Massacre. The senseless killing of civilians leads to a tumultuous trial in which lawyer John Adams must defend the very enemy who has assaulted and abused the laws he holds sacred. The courtroom drama soon broadens into war as King George III leads a reckless and corrupt government in London toward the escalating abuse of his colonies. Outraged by the increasing loss of their liberties, an extraordinary gathering of America's most inspiring leaders confronts the British presence with the ideals that will change history: John Adams, the idealistic attorney devoted to the law, who rises to greatness by the power of his words; Ben Franklin, one of the most celebrated men of his time, the elderly and audacious inventor and philosopher who endures firsthand the hostile prejudice of the British government; Thomas Gage, the British general given the impossible task of crushing a colonial rebellion without starting an all-out war; George Washington, the dashing Virginian whose battle experience in the French and Indian War brings him the recognition that elevates him to command of a colonial army; and many other immortal names: Abigail Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Joseph Warren, Samuel Adams, Richard Henry Lee. From the Hardcover edition.