This book brought to life the struggles of the first Americans, especially the signers of the Declaration of Independence and those who fought in the Revolutionary War. The Founding Fathers were not ordinary people. They were philosophers and truly understood the basic nature of human beings. All of their insights and knowledge contributed to the founding documents of the USA. We owe them a tremendous debt.
The concept that the rights of man come from God and not goverment was completely novel at the time and is fundamental to the Declaration of Independence. All this became very "self-evident" from reading Killing England. Unfortunately, this is not understood by many Americans today, who trust in the goverment believing that goverment provides and protects these rights. The Founders witnessed King George III's punitive actions on the colonies first hand. These are explained clearly in Killing England and the reader can see the basis of the Bill of Rights, the first ten amendments to the US Constitution.
I also came to understand the events the Revolutionary War and appreciate the incredible sacrifices made by the soldiers. I thought I knew a lot about the Founders but did not know that Benjamin Franklin broke ties to his loyalist son William or fully appreciated Thomas Jefferson's personal problems with a very sick wife. I learned a great deal about the contributions of people like Francis Marion, the Swamp Fox, John Paul Jones, LaFayette, and Baron von Steuben. Benedict Arnold's treason is described in detail sufficient to understand that it was horrific.
So basically, Killing England gave me a greater appreciation of the events of the founding of the United States of America and the men who gave their lives and fortunes so that we can live in this most wonderful country. Killing England is an easy read and I particularly liked the maps that show the movements of the armies and navies during major battles. The events come to life.
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