Jon Butler Becoming America Summary

In “Becoming America: The Revolution Before 1776”, Jon Butler argues that there was massive economic and a political transformation occurred in the era of 1680 and 1770 which had been less examined to the American colonial history. In this book, Butler makes a strong argument for the early modernism of American society which helps to define the growth of American identity. The transformation improved the American socioeconomic character and demonstrated itself almost in every aspect of colonial life. I totally agree with the Jon Butler’s argument that the victories and defeats of the revolutionary war would not define America; it was the middle years of the colonial period that would. And his arguments in this book also challenge the existing history. Butler supports his argument from his own note which he collected from by researching huge amount of specialized history books.
In the first chapter, Butler explains the significance of the increasing population in the American Revolution. The colonies population was fifty thousand in 1650 which surpassed two million in 1700.

There was an enormous transformation in the form of immigration. African slave trade also included in that form. Butler explains that there was “no national, ethnic or religious majority: 42 percent Dutch, 30 percent English, 18 percent African, 9 percent French, and 1 percent Jewish” (Electronics Book, Page 9). According to Butler, this increasing population resulted in a various religious and racial society. In chapter two, Butler deals with the economy of the central colonies. Butler explains that it had faster growth, more complexity, and diversity than any previous industrial economy. This changing economy also played a vital role in the international imports and exports market. Butler simply argues that the economy in the prerevolutionary period already reached a level of modernity which wasn’t in the economies before. After 1680, the agricultural system developed and changed. The farming also shifted to commercial business. Jon Butler also elaborates that “competition increased everywhere, from the farm to the city and families could lose as well as gain across the decades” (Electronics Book, Page 50). The involvement of women’s contribution also made an enormous effect on the economy of the colonial period. “Men and women worked long, difficult, exhausting hours” (Electronics Book, Page 55).
In the third chapter Butler talks about local and national level politics. He argues that the “prerevolutionary American politics stemmed directly from its participants’ willful and disciplined engagement between 1680 and 1770” (Electronics Book, Page 90). In the early 18th century, an increasing number of legal arguments appeared which turn into the practice of law. According to Butler these political issues were not problematic or involved into the local or national level. “Colony wide politics – provincial politics – greatly overshadowed local politics in both immediate and long-term impact as the colonies developed after 1680” (Electronics Book, Page 96). During 17th and 18th centuries, the large-scale political system reflected into a self-governing system. Jon Butler argues that for the progress of the regional politics, the colonies did not wait for any support from Britain. Butler also says that “colonists driving for authority and power built political institutions” (Electronics Book, Page 96).
In the chapter four Butler focuses on the extension of the social life throughout the colonies.

For Butler, housing, food, furnishing, and clothing were four main characteristics which shaped the colonists’ material world. Butler strongly argues that the colonists had a better diet than the European; there were massive changes also in the housing and clothing style. In chapter five, Butler discusses the religious life of colonists’. Butler believes that during the prerevolutionary period Colonial America became significantly diverse by the form of religion. According to Butler, Christianity was the prime religion in the colonies prior to 1680. The religious patterns in the 17th century were changed into new patterns which were Presbyterians, Baptists, Quakers, Lutheran, and Judaism. Butler says that this huge transformation of religious pattern also made a dynamic role in the American

Revelation.
Jon Butler supports his arguments brilliantly by using his notes. He collected the note by researching some well-known historian’s book including Peter A Coclanis, Jon F Sensbach and so on. He also researched on New York Historical Society, Crevecoeur (Letters from an American Farmer) and so on. I found his sources are valid and strong
I agree with the Butler’s argument. The summary of the colonial lifestyle is the most informative to me. Butler explains and concludes that the America was modern or started being modern before prerevolutionary period by clearly defining the five characteristics in this book. He wonderfully uses the statistics from the prerevolutionary period. He also challenges the existing history by saying that the American Revolution started from the colonial’s period not only from the victory and defeats of the revolutionary war.