Jon Butler Becoming America Analysis

Jon Butler Précis Becoming America Jon Butler, a William Robertson Coe Professor of American Studies and History and Professor of Religious Studies at Yale University, wrote the book, Becoming American: The Revolution Before 1776, which was published in 2000 by the Harvard University Press. Butler is an accomplished and respected historian who has won multiple awards as a professor and a writer. In Becoming American, Butler analyzes the impacts the colonists had on the New World during the years 1680 to 1770. Butler argues that in the British Mainland Colonies, colonists went through many changes during the 1680’s to 1770’s to form a “modern” and uniquely America. From 1670 to 1770, the New World was colonized by different racial groups from Europe who lived together heterogeneously which led the New World to become “modern” and uniquely “American”. In 1670, many Europeans, like the Dutch, French, Irish, Scottish, English and German colonists, came to the New World either to break away from European traditions or to fulfill their desire for adventure. Butler wrote that the colonists all lived heterogeneously and brought their own cultures and religions to the New World to create diversity, which helped contribute America to become “modern”. Butler argues that the

Legal disputes led to a rise in the practice of law; however, most were on a local level where political process was not as complex as a regional or national level. As the colonies developed suffrage became more important and providential elections prompted widespread public discussions of political issues and formation of political groups. Butler argues that it was during these times that there was a transition from a hierarchal political structure to a more open democratic system. Their large-scale political system reflected and autonomous