Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2071128 in Books
• Published on: 2002-03-21
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 624 pages

Synopsis
Michael A. Bellesiles's Arming America is a stunning and seminal book that challenges everything Americans have previously been taught about their history with guns. Painstaking in his examination of the historical record, Bellesiles shatters the myth of America's gun-toting forefathers. Most early settlers were indifferent or hostile towards guns, which until the middle of the nineteenth century were scarce and unreliable. Even members of the militia were drastically short of firearms. Not until the Civil War did a gun culture take hold on America, and it did so for reasons which were far from patriotic or noble. Timely, provocative and overwhelmingly thorough, this book is a singular historical work destined to have profound ramifications in the current debate over guns.

Customer Reviews

Controversial background
I'm attempting to highlight information regarding this book rather than review it. After receiveing many positive reviews and the Bancroft prize, this book was the centre of a debate regarding the professional conduct and ethics of historians.
No doubt fuelled by contemporary debate on U.S. gun laws, there are solid foundations on which to question elements of the study. Rather than praise or snub the book, i'd suggest that anybody interested in the subject also look into the debates surround the book's release. Especially if you plan to use it in a dissertation as another reviewer on this site saw fit.