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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 11–20 of 183 items
Image Rtr Almost A Miracle

Almost A Miracle

Posted: September 09, 2014
This excerpt from John Ferling recounts how British troops led by General Howe defeated Washington's American army in the gruesome Battle of Brandywine
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American Cookie: The Snaps, Drops, Jumbles, Tea Cakes, Bars & Brownies That We Have Loved For Generations book cover

American Cookie

Posted: November 28, 2018
Read an excerpt from Anne Byrn's recipe book that journeys through America's most beloved sweet treats and historical confections.
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American Crisis Book Cover

American Crisis

Posted: May 10, 2017
Read an excerpt from William Fowler Jr.'s book, American Crisis: George Washington and the Dangerous Two Years after Yorktown, 1781-1783.
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American Insurgents, American Patriots Book Cover

American Insurgents, American Patriots

Posted: April 13, 2016
Read an excerpt from TH Breen that traces the rise of everyday patriots who used pressure at the local level to create a shared American sense of purpose.
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American Revolutions Book Cover

American Revolutions

Posted: June 14, 2017
This excerpt from Alan Taylor strips away the rosy veneer associated with the American Revolution to reveal a violent civil war and a fragile new nation.
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Image 10152020 Readtherevolutionbookcover American Scripture

American Scripture

Posted: August 27, 2013
Read an excerpt of Pauline Maier where she provides a glimpse into the creation of a radical rethinking that led to America's experiment in democracy.
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Book Cover of American Spring: Lexington, Concord, and the Road to Revolution

American Spring

Posted: September 29, 2015
This excerpt from Walter R. Borneman looks at the first six months of 1775, as tensions between the colonial resistance and the British Government grew.
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Image 090220 Among His Troops Cover

Among His Troops

Posted: November 27, 2019
Read an excerpt from the Museum of the American Revolution's Among His Troops Coffee Table Catalog.
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An Empire on the Edge: How Britain Came to Fight America book cover

An Empire on the Edge

Posted: July 28, 2015
Read an excerpt from Nick Bunker as he describes the Rhode Island colonist attack on a British ship which widened divisions between colonists and the Crown.
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Archaeology at the Site of the Museum of the American Revolution Book Cover

Archaeology at the Site of the Museum of the American Revolution

Posted: April 24, 2019
Read this timeline by historical archaeologist Rebecca Yamin about the artifacts discovered during the excavation of Philadelphia's newest Museum.
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