This is John Bachelor, conversation with the historian Joseph Ellis about his book, The

Cause, the American Revolution and its discontents, 73 to 83. The countryside we learned from the professor and those who wanted to remain

neutral in the fight. Radicals to revolt, radicals to punish the revolters and then everybody else in the middle but we learned

it wasn't possible to stay neutral you were threatened Here's the professor to explain the cause, the American

Revolution and its discontent. Much more of this tonight.

I don't think they were fully grasped the depth of the commitment at the ground level and from the beginning of the even before the

the declaration these committees were functioning at the town level

committees of safety and inspection enforcing a commitment to the cause and

essentially it politicized the entire backcountry and countryside.

And what it did was meant you could not remain neutral.

I would think that 40% were for the cause, about 20%

were against it, and 40% in the middle wanted it to just go away and that 40% in the middle couldn't remain in that position and because of the control in the countryside by local militia and by towns people.

So you had a house and your neighbor would come up and if you don't sign,

you're going to be marked as a traitor and eventually we're going to burn your house down.

We're not going to kill you, but we're going to drive you out.

And that's the control of the countryside is the crucial thing that means that the British are never going to be able to win the war.