x | Contents
15. Was “Taxation without Representation” the Primary Cause of
the American Revolution? 192
Background Essay 193
Perspective Essay 1. Power, Rights, and Revolution 196
Perspective Essay 2. Colonial Desire for Free Market Economy 199
Perspective Essay 3. The Crown’s Arrogance 203
16. Could the Patriot Side Have Prevailed in the American
Revolutionary War without French Assistance? 207
Background Essay 208
Perspective Essay 1. The Myth of French Assistance 211
Perspective Essay 2. Many Factors Lay behind the American Victory 215
17. Was the French Revolution a Direct Result of the Enlightenment? 219
Background Essay 220
Perspective Essay 1. A Complex and Controversial Relationship 224
Perspective Essay 2. The Enlightenment and the Origins of the
French Revolution 227
Perspective Essay 3. The Financial Crisis Caused the French Revolution 229
18. Does Napoleon Bonaparte Deserve His Reputation as a Major
Military Innovator and Brilliant Field Commander? 234
Background Essay 235
Perspective Essay 1. One of the Three Greatest Military Commanders 238
Perspective Essay 2. A Well-Deserved and Enduring Reputation 241
Perspective Essay 3. A Gift for Military Command 243
Perspective Essay 4. Great Captain but Not a Military Innovator 246
19. Which Side Won the War of 1812? 250
Background Essay 251
Perspective Essay 1. A British Military Victory 253
Perspective Essay 2. Fought to a Draw 256
20. What Role Did the Enlightenment Play in Sparking the
Latin American Revolutions? 261
Background Essay 262
Perspective Essay 1. Conflicting Interpretations of the
Enlightenment’s Role 265
Perspective Essay 2. Simón Bolívar: Product and Instrument of
the Enlightenment 268
Perspective Essay 3. Spanish America’s Unenlightened Revolutions 272
