Pulitzer Prize History Winner

The War of Independence

by Claude H. Van Tyne

Summary

Van Tyne examines the American Revolution from its colonial roots through the diplomatic and military struggle for independence, weighing the political ideas and imperial tensions that drove the break with Britain. He stresses the interplay between American resolve and the wider European context that shaped the war's outcome. The book stands as a careful synthesis that takes both the colonial and British sides seriously rather than treating the result as inevitable.

Historical Context & Significance

Van Tyne died in 1930, the same year the book received the Pulitzer Prize for History, leaving the planned sequel volumes unfinished.