Summary Of Forced Founders By Woody Holton

The novel Forced Founders: Indians, Debtors, Slaves, and the Making of the American Revolution in Virginia written by Woody Holton is a compelling book that breaks down the revolutionary history of the state of Virginia. This book provides insight into the lives of the enslaved African American population along with the Native American during the revolutionary period in American History. Referred to as the forced fathers, Holton’s explains how the Virginia gentry effected the independence movement in Virginia from 1763 up until 1776. By expressing the relationship between the gentry and the various other classes of the area, Holton is able to demonstrate just how the free people of Virginia were able to be successful in the independence

These boycotts against British shipping were the best manner for the colonists to demonstrate their distain for British rule. In Virginia, the boycott of the ports was a significant move that ultimately pushed the citizens in the area towards independence. The other cause that pushed the gentry to revolution stemmed from the unforeseen consequences of their boycott of British shipping. This would result in their protests of 1774 turning into the revolutionary movement of 1775 up until the Treaty of Paris in 1783 that ended the war, giving independence to the United States (Holton xviii). Referred to as Non-exportation, this protest was directly against the Coercive Acts that Parliament adopted for the colonies (Holton 124). The group’s effort of withholding meant that farmers restricted the world 's supply of tobacco, forcing the price to skyrocket globally. "Virginia farmers are so much indebted to the merchants that they hardly care which end goes foremost" (Holton 126). This quote illustrates the relationship between the farmers and the smallholders. The efforts of withholding the crop greatly shifted the balance of power in the