Quoted:
I find myself wanting to know more about this time in our history. Sadly most of my knowledge comes from those old history books back in the 70's/early 80's. Where's a good place to start?
View Quote
Track down copies of "The Beginnings of the American Revolution" by Ellen Chase. There are 3 volumes.
The work is a collection of letters and diary entries written by colonists about the events preceding and during the revolution. They are first-hand accounts and extremely enlightening.
If you do some searching you can find pdf files of all 3 volumes online. They are out of print, having been published around 1900.
You'll be amazed at what you learn.
Lots of little details to absorb. For example, I was intrigued that:
1. The colonists were not caught off guard when the red coats invaded Lexington and Concord. They'd been holding secret nightly meetings for months, had prepared arms and provisions, had an emergency communications network, and were ready to fight. They knew it was coming and they were ready.
2. When the red coats marched into Concord the very first thing they did was burn the homes and workshops of gunsmiths. The targets were known and there was no delay. They marched directly to those specific structures and destroyed them. No questions, no loitering in the town square... they marched straight into town and directly to those pre-determined targets and destroyed them.