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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 21–30 of 39 items
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.

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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Memoir Of A Revolutionary Soldier book cover

Memoir of a Revolutionary Soldier

Posted: July 16, 2013
Read an excerpt from Joseph Plumb Martins memoir describing leaving the safety of home for his first deployment for the American Revolution in 1776.
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Rush book cover

Rush

Posted: July 10, 2019
Read an excerpt from Stephen Fried's biography of Dr. Benjamin Rush, signer of the Declaration of Independence and surgeon-general in the Continental Army.
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Image 10012020 Sally Wisters Journal

Sally Wister's Journal

Posted: September 12, 2018
This excerpt from Sally Wister's journal begins as the British marched towards Philadelphia and she fretted over the uncertainty of her place in the war
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Sentiments Of A British American Woman by Owen Ireland book cover featuring a portrait of Esther de Bert Reed.

Sentiments of a British-American Woman

Posted: April 27, 2022
Read an excerpt from Owen S. Ireland's book, Sentiments of a British-American Woman: Esther DeBerdt Reed and the American Revolution.
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Book cover for The Blind African Slave, Jeffrey Brace's Memoir, originally published in 1810 and Edited By Kari Winter

The Blind African Slave (originally 1810)

Posted: February 09, 2022
Read an excerpt from Kari Winter's 2004 edited edition of The Blind African Slave: Memoirs of Boyrereau Brinch, Nicknamed Jeffrey Brace by Jeffrey Brace as told to Benjamin F. Prentiss, Esq. (1810).
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Image 111320 Rtr First American Brands Cover

The First American

Posted: September 23, 2014
Read an excerpt from H. W. Brands about about Ben Franklin presenting the first draft for the Articles of Confederation to the Continental Congress.
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The Grimkes by Kerri Greenidge Book book cover.

The Grimkes

Posted: March 22, 2023
Read an excerpt from Kerri K. Greenidge's book, The Grimkes: The Legacy of Slavery in an American Family.
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Cover of The Journal of Charlotte L. Forten featuring a photograph of an older Charlotte.

The Journal of Charlotte L. Forten

Posted: March 08, 2023
Read an excerpt from The Journal of Charlotte L. Forten, edited by Ray Allen Billington.
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The Last King Of America by Andrew Roberts

The Last King of America

Posted: May 25, 2022
Read an excerpt from Andrew Roberts' book, The Last King of America: The Misunderstood Reign of King George III.
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