The Long Road to Change

"By extending his analysis to 1820, Nellis challenges both students and scholars to re-examine their assumptions about the American Revolution." - Elizabeth Mancke, University of Akron

Eric Nellis is an Emeritus Associate Professor in the Department of History at the University of British Columbia.

In The Long Road to Change, Eric Nellis argues that the American Revolution was not a single event that could be replicated elsewhere in the world, but a prolonged process stretching over seven decades, with the War for Independence (1775-83) as one part of the cycle of change. By extending his analysis to 1820, Nellis challenges both students and scholars to re-examine their assumptions about the American Revolution ending with the Treaty of Paris in 1783, or the writing and ratification of the US Constitution (1787-89), or the contentious presidential election of 1800. In an age when politicians think democratic change can be effected in a few years, if not months, Nellis offers a cautionary reminder that the development of American democracy stretched over 70 years. His provocative book is written in a style that is accessible to first year undergraduates, yet substantive enough for graduate students to ground themselves in the major developments of the era. Professors, meanwhile, will find themselves reaching for a copy to revise their lectures.

John E. Crowley, Dalhousie University:

Eric Nellis's gripping narrative and authoritative analysis provides the best single-volume account of the development of an imperialistically expansive republic from a separatist rebellion in British America. The Long Road to Change is a perfect text for United States surveys and for classes on Early American History, with crucial documents, timelines and bibliographic essays for each chapter, and generous maps and tables. It masterfully synthesizes recent and classic historiography on social, economic, political, military, and constitutional history with new emphases on slavery, First Nations, gender, class, and the West.

Robert M. Calhoon, University of North Carolina-Greensboro:

Eric Nellis's book sounds less like an extended piece of writing and more like a brilliant, confident, articulate speaker who engages his audience because his words flow into their thinking. I could almost feel his eye contact. Time and again his account of the Revolution reminded me of the first time I encountered an idea or concept with a freshness that made me sit up, suddenly awake in the presence of an arresting insight. Negotiating conflicting demands for brevity and coverage, Nellis adroitly lavishes attention on some scenes and then moves on.