From British Peasants to Colonial Farmers (review)
- From British Peasants to Colonial Farmers
Kulikoff hopes that his new book will take its place in the libraries of early Americanists alongside the several master narratives published in [End Page 486] the field during the 1980s.1 What distinguishes his work is a focus on the history of small farmers beginning with their migration from England to North America. In Kulikoff 's view, small farmers are the backbone of early American history. Kulikoff is also much more multicultural than his predecessors and much more interested in gender relations.
Despite these progressive concerns, Kulikoff 's geography is traditional. He defines early America as the thirteen continental colonies at a time when the field's traditional boundaries are expanding to include the West Indies, New France, and what is now the southwestern United States. Kulikoff 's method is to survey the existing literature, and since the literature on small farmers in early America is abundant and Kulikoff 's reading careful and comprehensive, the result is a dense book, rich in detail. Kulikoff provides an excellent summary of what we know about small farmers and a comprehensive guide to the literature. Occasionally, however, when his narrative strays into regions not handled by other scholars, Kulikoff is willing to walk out on a limb employing a style more associated with cultural history, which permits generalization on the basis of a single quotation, without much worry over a quotation's provenance.
Despite this tendency to run ahead of his evidence sometimes, and his occasional reliance on a theoretical perspective that produces some interpretations that are opaque and difficult to decipher, this is a valuable book. Kulikof has produced an important new master narrative of colonial America. His approach also leads to a fresh look at the American Revolution as a farmer's war. Though not an interpretation that will satisfy all colonialists, Kulikoff 's new book certainly deserves to find its place in their libraries, alongside the master narratives of the 1980s. [End Page 487]
