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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 221–230 of 272 items
Monmouth Court House book cover

Monmouth Court House

Posted: June 23, 2015
This excerpt from authors Joseph Bilby and Katherine Bilby Jenkins shows George Washington receiving recommendations from his generals regarding the readiness of American troops
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Founding Friendships book cover

Founding Friendships

Posted: June 09, 2015
This excerpt from Cassandra Good shows how women gained political access, influence, and information through their male friends in political office.
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Desperate Sons book cover

Desperate Sons

Posted: May 26, 2015
This excerpt from Les Standiford describes America's growing number of grievances with its mother country and Britain's indifference to colonists' complaints
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Philadelphia: A 300-Year History book cover

Philadelphia

Posted: May 12, 2015
This excerpt from a multitude of authors shows how the events of 1776 led an uneasy population to shore up their defenses and eventually flee.
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The Revolution's Last Men Book Cover

The Revolution's Last Men

Posted: April 21, 2015
Read an excerpt from Don Hagist in which he updated biographies on the last living American Revolution veterans for a more accurate take.
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Paul Revere's Ride book cover

Paul Revere's Ride

Posted: April 07, 2015
This excerpt from David Hackett Fischer delves into Paul Revere's history as well as the tumultuous world he lived in, and highlights that fateful day.
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This image shows the book cover of Treacherous Beauty: Peggy Shippen, The Woman Behind Benedict Arnold’s Plot to Betray America by Mark Jacob and Stephen Case. The top of the cover shows a Revolutionary War battle. Treacherous is written in blue font and Beauty is written in red. There is a black and white circular portrait of Peggy in the middle of the image.

Treacherous Beauty

Posted: March 24, 2015
Read an excerpt from a biography by Mark Jacob and Stephen H. Case highlighting the life of Peggy Shippen, the wife of the treasonous Benedict Arnold.
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The American Plate Book Cover

The American Plate

Posted: March 10, 2015
Read this excerpt from Libby O'Connell's The American Plate about the role patriotism played in leading us towards our now ubiquitous coffee culture.
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Rebels Rising Book Cover

Rebels Rising

Posted: February 24, 2015
This excerpt from Benjamin Carp explains the role of colonial meeting spaces as opinions of everyday people gained increasing political influence.
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This image shows the book cover of The Age of Homespun: Objects and Stories in the Creation of An American Myth by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich. The cover shows a stitching of a man and woman fishing on the banks of a river. In the background, there is a large house on hills.

Age of Homespun

Posted: February 10, 2015
Read an excerpt from Laurel Thatcher Ulrich’s telling of the importance of women's patriotism during the boycotting of British goods.
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