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Read the Revolution

A curated collection of thought-provoking books about the American Revolution.

Featured Books

Brothers in Liberty

Read an excerpt from Phillip Thomas Tucker's book, Brothers in Liberty: The Forgotten Story of the Free Black Haitians Who Fought for American Independence.

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Female Genius

Read an excerpt from Mary Sarah Bilder's book, Female Genius: Eliza Harriot and George Washington at the Dawn of the Constitution.

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King Hancock

Read an excerpt from Brooke Barbier's book, King Hancock: The Radical Influence of a Moderate Founding Father.

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The Odyssey of Phillis Wheatley

Read an excerpt from David Waldstreicher's book, The Odyssey of Phillis Wheatley: A Poet’s Journeys Through American Slavery and Independence.

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Death or Liberty

Read an excerpt from Douglas Egerton's book, Death or Liberty: African Americans in the Revolutionary War.

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    Book cover for Brothers in Liberty features the book title in yellow on a red background in the middle of the cover with the subtitle right below in white.
    Book cover for Female Genius written in a wavy font across the bottom third features Columbia holding the American flag.
    Book cover for King Hancock book featuring a large portrait of John Hancock's face with the title King Hancock in gold and Hancock written in his famous signature.
    Cover for David Waldstreicher's book The Odyssey of Phillis Wheatley with the book title and author name in bold black font against an orange background with a colorized version of Phillis Wheatley's portrait in the center.
    The book cover of Death or Liberty by Douglas Egerton featuring John Singleton Copley's painting depicting Black Loyalist Boston King.

    About

    Curated by Museum staff since 2013, Read the Revolution features excerpts from thought-provoking books about the American Revolution. Read the Revolution was created with thanks to a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities: Democracy demands wisdom. Subscribe to get the biweekly Read the Revolution featured excerpts emailed right to your inbox for free.

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    Speaker Series

    Inspired by the Read the Revolution featured excerpts, the Read the Revolution Speaker Series brings celebrated authors and historians to the Museum for lively, facilitated discussions of their work. Each Read the Revolution Speaker Series program, hosted by Museum President & CEO Dr. R. Scott Stephenson, includes a special talk and audience Q&A.

    About the Series

    All Books

    Showing 41–50 of 199 items
    This image depicts the Standing in Their Own Light book cover by Judith Van Buskirk. The image is a painting of a person of African Descent in military clothing. He his wearing a blue jacket and carrying a rifle pointed upward in his right hand. His right leg is bent, giving the illusion that he is walking on a field.
    History

    Standing in Their Own Light

    Posted: June 23, 2021
    Read an excerpt from Judith L. Van Buskirk's book, Standing in Their Own Light: African American Patriots in the American Revolution.
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    The image depicts Colonists Citizens Constitutions book cover by James Hrdlicka. It is a blue cover with a photo of the first few lines of the constitution. “We, the people of the United States,” is a visible.
    History

    Colonists, Citizens, Constitutions

    Posted: June 09, 2021
    Read an excerpt from James Hrdlicka's exhibition book Colonists, Citizens, Constitutions: Creating the American Republic.
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    This image depicts the Winning Independence: The Decisive Years of the Revolutionary War, 1778-1781 book cover by John Ferling. Hi name is written on the bottom of the cover. The title of the book is written in black with an off yellow background. And the top of the cover shows a portrait of George Washington on horseback with soldiers surrounding him and smoke filling the air behind them. There are three red coated solders standing to the right of Washington.
    History

    Winning Independence

    Posted: May 26, 2021
    Read an excerpt of John Ferling's new book, Winning Independence: The Decisive Years of the Revolutionary War, 1778-1781.
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    This image depicts the book cover of The Gun, The Ship, and The Pen by Linda Colley. The text of the title is written in large blue letters. There is an illustration, pictures vertically on the left side of the book cover. It shows a sailor, with his back to the viewer, looking out at a ship on fire in the sea.
    History

    The Gun, the Ship, and the Pen

    Posted: May 12, 2021
    Read an excerpt from historian Linda Colley's new book, The Gun, the Ship, and the Pen: Warfare, Constitutions, and the Making of the Modern World.
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    This image depicts the book cover of Household Gods: The Religious Lives of the Adams Family by Sara Georgini. The cover is a colored photograph inside a church facing the front with wooden pews to the left and right. At the top of the cover are six individual black and white portraits of the Adams family, starting with President John Adams on the left-hand side.
    History

    Household Gods

    Posted: March 24, 2021
    Read an excerpt from Sara Georgini's book, Household Gods: The Religious Lives of the Adams Family.
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    This image shows the book cover of Founding Friendships: Friendships between Men and Women in the Early American Republic by Cassandra Good. Cassandra’s name is written on the bottom in front of a gold background. The title of the book is written in white text against a blue background. And the top of the cover shows two golden framed portraits: on the left is a man and the right is a woman. The frame for the man’s portrait is square while the woman’s frame is circular.
    History

    Founding Friendships

    Posted: March 05, 2021
    Read an excerpt from Cassandra Good's Founding Friendships to explore how, by forming friendships, women and men challenged social expectations but embraced founding ideals of freedom, choice, and equality in the early United States.
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    If These Stones Could Talk by Elaine Buck and Beverly Mills
    History

    If These Stones Could Talk

    Posted: February 24, 2021
    Read an excerpt from Elaine Buck and Beverly Mills's recent book, If These Stones Could Talk: African American Presence in the Hopewell Valley, Sourland Mountain and Surrounding Regions of New Jersey.
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    The Dawn of Detroit by Tiya Miles
    History

    The Dawn of Detroit

    Posted: February 10, 2021
    Read an excerpt from Tiya Miles' recent book, The Dawn of Detroit: A Chronicle of Slavery and Freedom in the City of the Straits.
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    Finding Charity's Folk by Jessica Millward
    History

    Finding Charity's Folk

    Posted: January 27, 2021
    Read two excerpts from Jessica Millward's book, Finding Charity's Folk: Enslaved and Free Black Women in Maryland.
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    Image 010721 Rtr186 1774 Long Year Revolution Norton Cover
    History

    1774: The Long Year of Revolution

    Posted: January 13, 2021
    Read an excerpt from Mary Beth Norton's book, 1774: The Long Year of Revolution.
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