The American Revolution was not inevitable, nor was it a unanimous cause. It pitted neighbors against one another, as loyalists and colonial rebels faced off for their lives and futures. Through the remarkable lives of the first Americans, this book reveals the contentious arguments that turned friends into foes and the land into a war zone. From the riots over a child's murder that led to the Boston Massacre, to the Continental Army's first victory under George Washington's leadership, to the little-known Southern guerrilla campaign of "Swamp Fox" Francis Marion, to Benedict Arnold's audacious betrayal, David Fisher explores the amazing combination of resourcefulness, perseverance, strategy, and luck that resulted in the creation of a country that would go on to become the most powerful in the world. Despite the casualty-riddled victory of the Revolution, the ruthless fight for democracy wasn't over. Moving from the combat zone to Congress, it was a political battle as much as a physical one. With the patriots grappling to create a government, one for and by the people, the origin story of the United States of America was only starting to be written.