: He traces the origins of the American military tradition to the practical need for colonists to defend their own homes rather than relying on a professional standing army. Accolades Winner of the Bancroft Prize (1959).
It is followed by The National Experience (covering the Revolution to the Civil War) and The Democratic Experience (covering the Civil War to the present), which won the Pulitzer Prize. The Americans: The Colonial Experience
: He discusses how the vastness of the continent and the lack of traditional universities led to a more democratic and widely dispersed form of knowledge. : He traces the origins of the American