Read the Revolution

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

Featured Books

A Bard of Wolfe's Army

Read an excerpt from the book, A Bard of Wolfe’s Army: James Thompson, Gentleman Volunteer, 1733-1830, edited by Earl John Chapman and Ian Macpherson McCulloch.

Feeding Washington's Army

Read an excerpt from Ricardo A. Herrera's book, Feeding Washington's Army: Surviving the Valley Forge Winter of 1778.

Flora MacDonald: "Pretty Young Rebel"

Read an excerpt from Flora Fraser's new book, Flora MacDonald: “Pretty Young Rebel”: Her Life and Story.

Thomas Paine and the Dangerous Word

Read an excerpt from Thomas Paine and the Dangerous Word, written by Sarah Jane Marsh and illustrated by Edwin Fotheringham.

Indigenous Continent

Read an excerpt from Pekka Hämäläinen's book, Indigenous Continent: The Epic Contest for North America.

Book cover for Feeding Washington's Army by Ricardo A. Herrera featuring an image of Harrington Fitzgerald's painting Valley Forge Winter.

Flora Macdonald Pretty Young Rebel book cover by Flora Fraser

Cover for Thomas Paine and the Dangerous Word by Sarah Jane Marsh.

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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Biography & Memoir

James Monroe

Posted: April 28, 2021

Read an excerpt from Tim McGrath's book, James Monroe: A Life.

Biography & Memoir

John Adams

Posted: November 04, 2014

Read an excerpt from David McCullough about the Founding Fathers negotiating with the British as they begin talks to officially end the war.

Biography & Memoir

John Barry

Posted: May 20, 2014

Read an excerpt from Tim McGrath about Continental Navy Officer John Barry's actions that turned a seeming disaster into a stunning victory.

History

Journal of the American Revolution

Posted: December 17, 2013

Read an excerpt from the Journal of the American Revolution.

History

Kidnapping the Enemy

Posted: July 14, 2015

This excerpt from Christian McBurney shows Lieutenant Colonel Barton preparing for the successful July 10, 1777 raid on General Prescott's sleeping quarters.

History

Learning to Stand and Speak

Posted: May 13, 2020

Read an excerpt of historian Mary Kelley's book Learning to Stand and Speak: Women, Education, and Public Life in America's Republic.

History

Lexington and Concord

Posted: April 10, 2019

This excerpt from Arthur Tourtellot takes us on a journey into the events of Lexington and Concord starting with an overview of the British Army in Boston

History

Liberty

Posted: October 13, 2021

Read an excerpt from Don Troiani and the Museum's book Liberty: Don Troiani's Paintings of the Revolutionary War, which accompanies the exhibit of the same name.

History

Liberty is Sweet

Posted: July 27, 2022

Read an excerpt from Woody Holton's book, Liberty is Sweet: The Hidden History of the American Revolution.

History

Liberty's Daughters

Posted: August 13, 2013

This excerpt from Mary Beth Norton tells the stories and struggles of the women who assumed enormous burdens as men left to fight the Revolutionary War

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