1. Roots of Radicalism

Jailbreaks at Newark 2
Christ's Poor 8
Little Carpenter's Dilemma 12
"The Mobbish Turn" in Boston 18
"Cum Multis Aegis" in Philadelphia 25
"Fondness for Freedom" 32
Heralds of Abolition 39

2. Years of Insurgence, 1761-1766

The Crowd Finds Its Own Mind 45
Restive Slaves 59
Stricken Conscience 62
The Great Indian Awakening 66
Insurgent Farmers 72

3. Building Momentum, 1766-1774

"The Rising Spirit of the People" 91
Backcountry Crises 103
"The Natural Rights of Africans" 114
Indian Hating on the Middle Ground 128
Out of the Shadows 133
Radical Religion 146

4. Reaching the Climax, 1776-1778

Abolitionism Under War Clouds 151
"Liberty to Slaves" 157
Logan's Lament 166
Plowmen and Leather Aprons 178
Breaking the Logjam 189
The Genie Unbottled 199

5. The Dual Revolution, 1776-1780

Unalienable Rights for Whom? 210
The Myth of the Minuteman 216
Fighting to Be Free 223
Rioting to Eat 232
Radical Loyalism 238
Choosing Sides 247

6. Writing on the Clean Slate, 1776-1780

First Attempts 266
A Militiaman's Constitution 268
The Frightened Response 277
Vermont and Maryland 280
E Pluribus Unum? 288
Betrayal in Massachussetts 290

7. Radicalism at Floodtide, 1778-1781

Blood in the Streets 307
New Choices for African Americans 320
Defending Virginia 339
Native American Agonies 345
Radical Mutineers 357

8. Taming the Revolution, 1780-1785

"Band of Brotherhood" 369
Peace Without Peace 376
Southern Fissures 387
Northern Struggles for Equity 395
Leaving America 402
Finding Freedom 407
Women of the Republic 417

Epilogue: Sparks from the Altar of '76

The Dream Deferred 426
The Last Best Chance 429
The Indispensible Enemy 435
The Veterans' Cheat 441
Small-Producer Persistence 443
Passing the Torch 450

Acknowledgements 457
Notes 459
Index 495