Disunion Among Ourselves: The Perilous Politics of the American Revolution

Blog overview

The 5 essays in this series reveal the deep political divisions that almost tore the American Union apart during the War of Independence (1774-1783). So fractious were the founders’ political fights that they feared the Revolution might end in disunion and civil war among themselves. Instead of disbanding into blood-soaked separate regional confederacies, the founders managed to unite for the sake of liberty and self-preservation. This series, based upon the author’s new book ‘Disunion Among Ourselves: The Perilous Politics of the American Revolution’, serves as a touchstone for understanding the cornerstones of democracy, reminding us that commitment to civic virtue and ethical leadership is essential to sustain this fragile form of government.

Thomas Paine’s Radical Plan for Ending Slavery in 1775

By Eli Merritt

November 30, 2023

In my preceding essay, “The ‘Survivalist Interpretation’ of Slavery”–based on the findings of my book Disunion Among Ourselves: The Perilous Politics of the American Revolution–I lay out three paradigms for understanding why the founders of the United States did virtually nothing during the nine years of the American Revolution to put an end to the …...

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The ‘Survivalist Interpretation’ of Slavery

By Eli Merritt

November 23, 2023

My book Disunion Among Ourselves: The Perilous Politics of the American Revolution tells the story of regional conflict and disunionist crisis in the Continental Congress from 1774, when delegates from the colonies first gathered to protest the deplorable Intolerable Acts, until 1783, when the Treaty of Paris finally secured independence and ended the war. What …...

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How to Avert Disunion and Civil War, According to John Adams

By Eli Merritt

November 16, 2023

Conventional wisdom prescribes that the first eighty-five years of American history took place in phases: Phase 1, white male harmony and heroism during the founding and federalist periods; Phase 2, the growth and spread of slavery and disruption of the founding harmony; and Phase 3, disunion sparking the Civil War, followed by the restoration of …...

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Why George Washington became Commander-in-Chief

By Eli Merritt

November 9, 2023

According to more than two centuries of conventional history written about the grandeur and glory of George Washington of Virginia, the Continental Congress of 1775 “unanimously” elected him as commander-in-chief of the new American army for his celebrated qualities of moral steeliness, selflessness in the execution of civic duty, and courage under fire. While this …...

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The United States’ First Secession Threat

By Eli Merritt

November 2, 2023

By conventional wisdom, the United States’ first serious threat of secession did not strike until the Nullification Crisis of 1832-1833, when South Carolina menaced disunion over what many Southerners described as the federal government’s “Tariff of Abominations.” They viewed the tariff as both oppressive to the Southern economy of staple export crops––and flatly unconstitutional. In …...

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