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Read the Revolution

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

Featured Books

Captives of Liberty

Read an excerpt from T. Cole Jones's book, Captives of Liberty: Prisoners of War and the Politics of Vengeance in the American Revolution.

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Black Founders

Read an excerpt from the Museum of the American Revolution's exhibit book, Black Founders: The Forten Family of Philadelphia.

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The Words That Made Us

Read an excerpt from Akhil Reed Amar's book, The Words That Made Us: America's Constitutional Conversation, 1760-1840.

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Until Justice Be Done

Read an excerpt from Kate Masur's book, Until Justice Be Done: America's First Civil Rights Movement, from the Revolution to Reconstruction.

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The Road to Yorktown

Read an excerpt from Norman Desmarais's edited edition of The Road to Yorktown: The French Campaigns in the American Revolution, 1780-1783.

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    Book cover for Captives of Liberty features a painting that depicts a Hessian soldier and a British redcoat leading a Continental soldier away as a prisoner.
    Black Founders Exhibit Catalog Cover featuring a portrait of James Forten.
    Book cover for Akhil Reed Amar's The Words That Made Us with black font on parchment colored background.
    Until Justice Be Done by Kate Masur teal book cover with white text.
    The Road To Yorktown edited by Norman Desmarais 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

    Showing 51–60 of 247 items
    This image depicts A Crisis of Peace by David Head book cover. It is a colored portrait of General Washington.
    History

    A Crisis of Peace

    Posted: July 14, 2021
    Read an excerpt from David Head's book, A Crisis of Peace: George Washington, the Newburgh Conspiracy, and the Fate of the American Revolution.
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    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 James Monroe: A Life by Tim McGrath. James Monroe is written in red, while A Life and Tim’s name is written in white. The cover is a portrait of James Monroe in a black jacket. His body is turned off to his left looking in the same direction.
    Biography & Memoir

    James Monroe

    Posted: April 28, 2021
    Read an excerpt from Tim McGrath's book, James Monroe: A Life.
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    This image depicts the book cover of Masquerade: The Life and Times of Deborah Sampson, Continental Soldier by Alfred F. Young. The background is a pale yellow. There are images of eight continental soldiers. The middle soldier is the largest and is colored pink. The other soldiers surround this one in varies positions and are colored blue.
    Biography & Memoir

    Masquerade

    Posted: April 06, 2021
    Read an excerpt from late historian Alfred F. Young's book, Masquerade: The Life and Times of Deborah Sampson, Continental Soldier.
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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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