The Idea of America: Reflections on the Birth of the United States

• Author: Matthew E. Dunham
• Position: Judge Advocate, U.S. Air Force
• Pages: 270-277

270 MILITARY LAW REVIEW [Vol. 212

THE IDEA OF AMERICA:

REFLECTIONS ON THE BIRTH OF THE UNITED STATES1

REVIEWED BY MAJOR MATTHEW E. DUNHAM*

To be an American is not to be someone, but to believe

in something.2

I. Introduction

In The Idea of America: Reflections on the Birth of the United States,

Gordon S. Wood looks beyond mere dates and events of the American

Revolution and examines the ideology of the men who founded the

United States of America. By illuminating the beliefs and motivations

behind the Founders’ actions, Wood argues that the Revolution is the

source of the nation’s values and identity, and therefore, “the most

important event in American history, bar none.”3 Full of anecdotes and

careful analysis, The Idea of America bridges the 235-year gap between

the Founders and this generation and persuasively illustrates an

American identity forged by the American Revolution.

Part II of this review looks at this iconic author and his approach to

the American Revolution. Next, Part III analyzes the essay structure and

overall readability of the book. Parts IV and V examine two of Wood’s

essays, “The American Enlightenment” and “The American

Revolutionary Tradition, or Why America Wants to Spread Democracy

Around the World.” These essays represent Wood’s two central

themes:—that history must be viewed through the eyes of

contemporaries, and that the American Revolution was the most

important event in American history because it provided America with

its identity. Finally, Part VI will conclude this review.

* Judge Advocate, U.S. Air Force. Presently assigned as Staff Judge Advocate, Office of

Military Cooperation-Kuwait, U.S. Embassy, Kuwait City, Kuwait. Student, 60th Judge

Advocate Officer Graduate Course, The Judge Advocate General’s Legal Center and

School, U.S. Army, Charlottesville, Virginia.

1 GORDON S. WOOD, THE IDEA OF AMERICA: REFLECTIONS ON THE BIRTH OF THE UNITED

STATES (2011).

2 Id. at 322.

3 Id. at 2.