audiobook Unbecoming British: How Revolutionary America Became a Postcolonial Nation by Kariann Akemi Yokota in History

Review

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. ... of the cultural (and particularly material cultural) relationship between great Britain in America in the early post-ColoniaBy AnonymousAn astute examination of the cultural (and particularly material cultural) relationship between great Britain in America in the early post-Colonial era. While Yokato's findings are illuminating;they are also are rather predictable. the topic might have been better served had it been broadened in chronological and contextual scope; to explore the ways in which American culture developed in relation to British culture through American nationalism and in cultural contexts beyond the materializes of tea and china. I very much enjoyed that aspect but a broader exploration of art; literature; fashion; etc could have richly strengthened the narrative argument that Yokota makes.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. The Awkwardness of IndependenceBy Frank BellizziThe title of this book exploits the different possible meanings of "unbecoming." The word can be a gerund; suggesting a process by which; in this case; a group becomes something other than what it was or might have been. In this sense; during the years following the Revolutionary War; Americans were unbecoming British. But the word can also be an adjective suggesting impropriety. Although Americans were able to politically separate themselves from Great Britain; they were awkward and uneasy. They were; to use the word as an adjective; unbecoming British when it came to their quest for cultural respectability and economic standing. In Chapter One; Yokota points out that during the period in question; map-making and the publication of geography textbooks for Americans highlighted the tensions between dependence on; versus independence from; Europe and especially Great Britain. Americans might have been standing tall. But they were doing so along the undeveloped margin of civilization. Chapter Two reveals how it was more feasible for Americans to exploit the value of the impressive natural resources they controlled than it was for them to build factories that could produce fine manufactures. Consequently; in exchange for the bounties of their new homeland; Americans imported consumer items from Great Britain. Although the colonists had won the war; residents of the vanquished empire got a revenge of sorts when they produced and sold to Americans coveted consumer goods. In Chapter Three; Yokota tells the sometimes-funny story of trade with China initiated by America in 1784. She explains that in those early years Great Britain far outpaced and overshadowed America. Not until after the War of 1812 did the U.S. gain real momentum in international trade. In Chapter Four; the author expands on her main idea by pointing out the differences between European and American scientists and missionaries. Regarding the latter; Yokota anticipates her next chapter by showing how American missionaries to native peoples failed in their outreach partly because they wanted to maintain a cultural distance that would ensure their shaky identity. Chapter Five explains how; in relation to Indians and people of African descent; Americans of European descent claimed whiteness as the one object of refinement they did not have to purchase from abroad. In a conclusion; titled "The Long Goodbye;" Yokota brings together the main ideas of her book and ends with a flourish. The outstanding feature of the entire book is that Yokota intelligently reads not only texts; but also objects like portraits; cartoons; buildings; and items made of porcelain. This is a brilliant piece of work.4 of 5 people found the following review helpful. A master-piece about how we shaped our cultureBy Anders GronstedtThis is a fascinating and entertaining must-read for anyone interested in American revolutionary history. Yokota revises the official version of the clean break with Great Britain. For all the independence fervor; Yokota argues that America remained culturally and commercially in the British backwater for decades. American imported products and art from Great Britain and any serious craftsman or doctor went to Europe for training and study. This dependence on the old mother country sparked an Anglophobic anxiety that can been evidenced to this day.The chapter about Chinese trade is not just insightful; but at times laugh-out-funny. One of the first thing American's did after winning independence was to send trade ships to China; because the British didn't allow them to trade with China during the colonial years. Yokota tells the fascinating tales of how American traders at Canton were mistaken for British; they all spoke English; had the same names; and they even smell the same! (As a Swedish immigrant to the U.S. I found myself nodding in agreement; the notion of being lumped together with Norwegians as a "Scandinavian" or; worse; with Italians and Germans as a "European" was a shocking experience; we don't realize how much we are the same until we view ourselves from an outside perspective.) This surely put a dent on the view of the American exceptionalism. Yokota even traces the white supremacism in America to the prevailing British attitudes.The entire book draws on fascinating non-textual sources; including porcelain; architecture; maps; consumer goods; cartoons and paintings to show the link between American and British culture and mindset. I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in how we shaped our American culture.