Overview

Few women of the American Revolution have come through 250 years of US history with such clarity and color as Angelica Schuyler Church. She was Alexander Hamilton’s “saucy” sister-in-law, and the heart of Thomas Jefferson’s “charming coterie” of artists and salonnières in Paris. Her transatlantic network of important friends spanned the political spectrum of her time and place, and her astute eye and brilliant letters kept them well informed. A woman of great influence in a time of influential women (Catherine the Great and Marie-Antoinette were contemporaries), Angelica was at the red-hot center of American history at its birth: in Boston, when General Burgoyne surrendered to the revolutionaries; in Newport, receiving French troops under the command of her soon-to-be dear friend Marquis de Lafayette; in Yorktown, just after the decisive battle; in Paris and London, helping to determine the standing of the new nation on the world stage. She was born as Engeltje, a Dutch-speaking, slave-owning colonial girl who witnessed the Stamp Act riots in the Royal British Province of New York. She came of age under English rule as Angelica, the eldest daughter of the most important family on the northern part of Hudson’s River, raised to be a domestic diplomat responsible for hosting indigenous chiefs and enemy British generals at dinner. She was Madame Church, wife of a privateer turned merchant banker, whose London house was a refuge for veterans of the American war fleeing the guillotine in France. Across nationalities, languages, and cultures, across the divides of war, grievance, and geography, Angelica wove a web of soft-power connections that spanned the War for Independence, the post-war years of tenuous peace, and the turbulent politics and rival ideologies that threatened to tear apart the nascent United States In this enthralling and revealing woman’s-eye view of a revolutionary era, Molly Beer breathes vibrant new life into a period usually dominated by masculine themes and often dulled by familiarity. In telling Angelica’s story, she illuminates how American women have always plied influence and networks for political ends, including the making of a new nation.

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9781324130529

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Reviews

""For far too long the grand tapestry of America’s journey to independence has foregrounded fathers and sons while keeping the women in the shadows. Molly Beer’s book is a vital corrective."" -- Amanda Foreman, author of The Duchess ""In Angelica, Molly Beer traces the life and times of the eldest Schuyler daughter.… In measured passages, Ms. Beer presents a confident, urbane and intelligent woman.… She approaches her subject with even-tempered humanity."" -- Meghan Cox Gurdon - Wall Street Journal ""Loved Hamilton? Read about its most vivid character, ‘Angelica’ Schuyler.… This biography may tell us as much as we’ll ever know about this notable woman."" -- Laura McCallum - Minnesota Star Tribune ""Richly detailed, sharply observed, and surprising, Angelica offers a fresh vision of characters and events often obscured by our preconceptions."" -- Andrea Barrett, author of Ship Fever and Servants of the Map ""A fresh, arresting history of the American Revolution as people lived it: facing forward. Molly Beer recovers the suspense, perils, and dazzling possibilities of the era, and her lapidary prose and keen sense of character bring Angelica Schuyler Church, her family, and her world to vivid, unforgettable life, making a great global event into a family drama, and vice versa."" -- Jane Kamensky, president of Monticello/The Thomas Jefferson Foundation and author of A Revolution in Color ""Beer skillfully reconstructs Church’s voice and agency, situating her story within the complex intersections of gender, class, race, and power. This engaging biography offers both historical depth and narrative clarity.… A compelling, richly contextualized portrait of a woman whose life reframes and challenges familiar Revolutionary War narratives. A valuable addition to biography and history collections."" -- Library Journal ""A must-read, especially for lovers of Hamilton."" -- Booklist, starred review ""Engaging.… Beer draws on abundant archival sources to portray a shrewd, observant woman whose perspective affords a fresh look at her times. A brisk and vivid history."" -- Kirkus Reviews ""Beer illuminates the fascinating life of Angelica Schuyler Church, who grew up in the heart of the American Revolution, then lived in Paris and London, impressing the likes of Thomas Jefferson and her brother-in-law, Alexander Hamilton."" -- Booklist

A compelling, richly contextualized portrait of a woman whose life reframes and challenges familiar Revolutionary War narratives. A valuable addition to biography and history collections. narratives. A valuable addition to biography and history collections.--Nerissa Nelson ""The Library Journal Review"" A fresh, arresting history of the American Revolution as people lived it: facing forward. Molly Beer recovers the suspense, perils, and dazzling possibilities of the era, and her lapidary prose and keen sense of character bring Angelica Schuyler Church, her family, and her world to vivid, unforgettable life, making a great global event into a family drama, and vice versa.--Jane Kamensky, president of Monticello/The Thomas Jefferson Foundation and author of A Revolution in Color A must-read, especially for lovers of Hamilton--Laurie Unger Skinner ""Booklist (starred)"" Beer illuminates the fascinating life of Angelica Schuyler Church, who grew up in the heart of the American Revolution, then lived in Paris and London, impressing the likes of Thomas Jefferson and her brother-in-law, Alexander Hamilton.-- ""Booklist, ""Top 10 Biographies"""" Engaging... Beer draws on abundant archival sources to portray a shrewd, observant woman whose perspective affords a fresh look at her times. A brisk and vivid history.-- ""Kirkus"" For far too long the grand tapestry of America's journey to independence has foregrounded fathers and sons while keeping the women in the shadows. Molly Beer's book is a vital corrective.--Amanda Foreman, author of The Duchess In this rich and generous biography, Molly Beer uses an extra-large canvas to paint a portrait of one of the most notable women of the Revolutionary era. In following the course of her remarkable life, Beer fills in the backgrounds of the places she called home, from the very Dutch Albany of the 1750s to New York, London, and Paris. Along the way, we see a nation come into being as one of its founding women adroitly negotiates the social and political landscape.--Russell Shorto, author of Taking Manhattan and Revolution Song Loved 'Hamilton?' Read about its most vivid character, 'Angelica' Schuyler....this biography may tell us as much as we'll ever know about this notable woman.--Laura McCallum ""Minnesota Star Tribune"" In Angelica, Molly Beer traces the life and times of the eldest Schuyler daughter....In measured passages, Ms. Beer presents a confident, urbane and intelligent woman....She approaches her subject with even-tempered humanity.--Meghan Cox Gurdon ""The Wall Street Journal"" Richly detailed, sharply observed, and surprising, Angelica offers a fresh vision of characters and events often obscured by our preconceptions.--Andrea Barrett, author of Ship Fever and Servants of the Map

Author Information

Raised on a farm in the town of Angelica, New York, Molly Beer is an award-winning non-fiction writer interested in history, women, politics, and place. She teaches at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.

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