How I Wrote American Rebels

First, the why?

Why did I write a book about the Hancock, Adams, and Quincy families, and their roles in fomenting revolution in the American colonies? While researching and writing my previous book, The Lowells of Massachusetts: An American Family, I had become fascinated by the choice faced by colonists in the decades leading up to the American Revolution, of whether to stay loyal to England or to rebel. In thinking about that choice, a plethora of questions rose up in my mind:

- What was it that led certain members of colonial families to remain loyal while others chose to fight for independence?

- How did the colonists have the courage to break with England, a country known for its awesome naval powers and military commanders?

- How did the choice cut across class lines?

- How did the choice cut across gender lines?

- What role did women play in making the community-wide debates over colonial rights?

- What role did individual voices — male or female — play in driving the call for rebellion and cementing collaborative effort towards achieving it?

I decided that I needed to find a community to study, preferably one with a wide range of social classes, a large dollop of human interest, and a vibrant rebel contingent, that would allow me to answer the questions rocketing inside my brain. It was only by chance that one afternoon while browsing through the collections of the…