Read the Revolution

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

Featured Books

Black Jacks

Read an excerpt from W. Jeffrey Bolster's book, Black Jacks: African American Seamen in the Age of Sail.

Liberty's Daughters

Read an excerpt from Mary Beth Norton's groundbreaking book, Liberty's Daughters: The Revolutionary Experience of American Women, 1750-1800.

Summer Reading List: 2023 Young Readers Edition

See our summer reading list of Revolutionary books that will encourage young readers to explore the past and the people who shaped it.

A Gentleman of Color

Read an excerpt from Julie Winch's groundbreaking book, A Gentleman of Color: The Life of James Forten.

The Grimkes

Read an excerpt from Kerri K. Greenidge's book, The Grimkes: The Legacy of Slavery in an American Family.

Cover of W. Jeffrey Bolster's book Black Jacks.

Image 091520 1776x2652 Libertysdaughters

A collection of books featured in the Museum's 2023 summer reading list for young readers.

The Grimkes by Kerri Greenidge Book book cover.

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

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History

Hessians

Posted: May 11, 2022

Read an excerpt of Friederike Baer's new book, Hessians: German Soldiers in the American Revolutionary War.

History

Memory's Daughters

Posted: March 09, 2022

Read an excerpt from Susan Stabile's book, Memory's Daughters: The Material Culture of Remembrance in Eighteenth-Century America.

History

Running from Bondage

Posted: February 23, 2022

Read an excerpt from Karen Cook Bell's book, Running from Bondage: Enslaved Women and Their Remarkable Fight for Freedom in Revolutionary America.

History

Our Declaration

Posted: January 26, 2022

Read an excerpt from Danielle Allen's book, Our Declaration: A Reading of the Declaration of Independence in Defense of Equality.

History

The Howe Dynasty

Posted: January 12, 2022

Read an excerpt from Julie Flavell's book, The Howe Dynasty: The Untold Story of a Military Family and the Women Behind Britain’s Wars for America.

History

The British Are Coming

Posted: December 22, 2021

Read an excerpt from Rick Atkinson's book, The British Are Coming: The War for America, Lexington to Princeton, 1775-1777.

Double Feature Ten Crucial Days Read the Revolution book Covers

History

Double Feature: Countdown to the 10 Crucial Days

Posted: December 15, 2021

Read excerpts from William Kidder's Ten Crucial Days: Washington’s Vision for Victory Unfolds and Lynne Cheney's When Washington Crossed the Delaware: A Wintertime Story for Young Patriots.