: He traces the origins of the American military tradition to the practical need for colonists to defend their own homes rather than relying on a professional standing army. Accolades Winner of the Bancroft Prize (1959).
You can find the full text of the work available for digital lending on the Internet Archive or purchase modern editions from retailers like Amazon or Strand Books . The Americans: The Colonial Experience
: Examines the failure of philanthropic and utopian ideals when faced with the harsh realities of frontier life. : He traces the origins of the American
It is followed by The National Experience (covering the Revolution to the Civil War) and The Democratic Experience (covering the Civil War to the present), which won the Pulitzer Prize. : Examines the failure of philanthropic and utopian
: Explores how their rigid religious orthodoxy shifted toward a "practical" and community-focused legalism.
: He discusses how the vastness of the continent and the lack of traditional universities led to a more democratic and widely dispersed form of knowledge.
The book is divided into four main sections, or "books," each focusing on a different colonial community and their "experience" in the New World: