Part of the "Problems in American Civilization" series this book contains nine reading selected by faculty in the Department of American Studies at Amherst College. Readings are in three groups with one final essay. The first presents arguments for and against economic concerns as a root cause of the Revolution (authored by Louis M. Hacker, Charles M. Andrews, and John C. Miller). The second group discusses the course of events from 1764 to 1776 (Carl Becker, John C. Miller, and Claude H. Van Tyne). The third group places the Revolution in broader context of world affairs (Lawrence Gopson, and James Adams). There is a final discussion of the role of "Ideas, Ideals, and Propaganda" in the war. The book was first published in 1950 and it is to this edition the description refers.