University Distinguished Professor of History
Professor Countryman's career has been spent exploring the social consequences of cultural clashes in America. What he has found both complicates and clarifies transformational American experiences, particularly the Revolution, and the forging of a distinct American identity — one that ultimately relies upon the common experiences of people who seem very different but actually share a great deal.
Countryman says he has shown his subjects confronting the tensions in their own lives, struggling to resolve them, and transforming their worlds in:
A People in Revolution — winner of the Bancroft Prize
The American Revolution — used in college courses nationwide
Americans: A Collision of Histories — "What we long have needed: a compact, illuminating overview of the intricate strands of early American History." The New York Times Book Review
Enjoy the Same Liberty — locates the problem of slavery in Revolutionary America against a hemispheric background, concentrates on what Black Americans did during the era, and sees the revolutionary era as the beginning of slavery’s ultimate end.
Edward F. Countryman in the News
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