The Museum turns seven this April! Help us ensure the promise of the American Revolution endures. Support Our Mission

Dismiss notification
Open Today 10 am – 5 pm Directions & Parking
Buy Tickets
Search
Suggestions:

Read the Revolution

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

Featured Books

Female Genius

Read an excerpt from Mary Sarah Bilder's book, Female Genius: Eliza Harriot and George Washington at the Dawn of the Constitution.

Read More

King Hancock

Read an excerpt from Brooke Barbier's book, King Hancock: The Radical Influence of a Moderate Founding Father.

Read More

Witness to Revolution Exhibit Reading List

See five books recommended by the Museum that explore key people connected to George Washington’s tent and were critical to researching and constructing the exhibition.

Read More

The Odyssey of Phillis Wheatley

Read an excerpt from David Waldstreicher's book, The Odyssey of Phillis Wheatley: A Poet’s Journeys Through American Slavery and Independence.

Read More

Brothers in Liberty

Read an excerpt from Phillip Thomas Tucker's book, Brothers in Liberty: The Forgotten Story of the Free Black Haitians Who Fought for American Independence.

Read More
    Book cover for Female Genius written in a wavy font across the bottom third features Columbia holding the American flag.
    Book cover for King Hancock book featuring a large portrait of John Hancock's face with the title King Hancock in gold and Hancock written in his famous signature.
    Introductory wall panel in the Witness to Revolution special exhibit with white text on a red background.
    Cover for David Waldstreicher's book The Odyssey of Phillis Wheatley with the book title and author name in bold black font against an orange background with a colorized version of Phillis Wheatley's portrait in the center.
    Book cover for Brothers in Liberty features the book title in yellow on a red background in the middle of the cover with the subtitle right below in white.

    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.

    Subscribe Now

    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 31–40 of 45 items
    Image 111320 Rtr First American Brands Cover
    Biography & Memoir

    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.
    Read More
    The Grimkes by Kerri Greenidge Book book cover.
    Biography & Memoir

    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.
    Read More
    Cover of The Journal of Charlotte L. Forten featuring a photograph of an older Charlotte.
    Children & Young Adults

    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.
    Read More
    The Last King Of America by Andrew Roberts
    Biography & Memoir

    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.
    Read More
    Cover for David Waldstreicher's book The Odyssey of Phillis Wheatley with the book title and author name in bold black font against an orange background with a colorized version of Phillis Wheatley's portrait in the center.
    Biography & Memoir

    The Odyssey of Phillis Wheatley

    Posted: March 13, 2024
    Read an excerpt from David Waldstreicher's book, The Odyssey of Phillis Wheatley: A Poet’s Journeys Through American Slavery and Independence.
    Read More
    The Revolution's Last Men Book Cover
    Biography & Memoir

    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.
    Read More
    Cover of The Revolutionary: Samuel Adams by Stacy Schiff featuring a zoomed in image of Samuel Adams's face.
    Biography & Memoir

    The Revolutionary: Samuel Adams

    Posted: January 24, 2024
    Read an excerpt from Pulitzer Prize-winning author Stacy Schiff's book, The Revolutionary: Samuel Adams.
    Read More
    The Road To Yorktown edited by Norman Desmarais book cover
    History

    The Road to Yorktown

    Posted: July 12, 2023
    Read an excerpt from Norman Desmarais's edited edition of The Road to Yorktown: The French Campaigns in the American Revolution, 1780-1783.
    Read More
    Image Rtr The Shoemaker And The Teaparty
    Biography & Memoir

    The Shoemaker and the Tea Party

    Posted: December 09, 2014
    Read an excerpt from Alfred Young's essays about the contributions of ordinary people, specifically a shoemaker, to the American Revolution.
    Read More
    The Swamp Fox Book Cover
    Biography & Memoir

    The Swamp Fox

    Posted: February 08, 2017
    Read an excerpt from John Oller's biography on Francis Marion, that seeks to unpack and debunk some of the myths on the "Swamp Fox" of the Revolutionary War
    Read More
    4 of 5 pages
    Previous page Next page