Was the American Revolution a War Over Money?

Andrew David Edwards, in Money and the Making of the American Revolution, offers what his publisher describes as “a new interpretation of the American Revolution as a transformative monetary contest.” While many books and articles have examined the monetary arrangements of the American colonies and the financing of the Revolution, Edwards shows a solid command of much of this scholarship as well as the primary sources. While at times his writing can be eloquent, the book is necessarily ponderous and dense. Unfortunately, Edwards’ understanding of the nature of money and finance can be superficial at best.