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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 131–140 of 252 items
Past And Prologue by Michael Hattem

Past and Prologue

Posted: November 24, 2021
Read an excerpt from Michael Hattem's book, Past and Prologue: Politics and Memory in the American Revolution.
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Patriot Pirates Book Cover

Patriot Pirates

Posted: May 25, 2016
This excerpt from Robert Patton presents the story of America's seaborne insurgency against British merchant ships and Navy.
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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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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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This image depicts the cover of Plain Honest Men: The Making of the American Constitution by Richard Beeman. The title of the book is written in the middle with a red background. The top of the book covers shows a black illustrated eagle with a white background. The bottom image is of the Founding Fathers and is in color.

Plain, Honest Men

Posted: July 28, 2021
Read an excerpt from Richard Beeman's book, Plain, Honest Men: The Making of the American Constitution.
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This image depicts the cover of Power and Liberty: Constitutionalism in the American Revolution by Gordon S. Wood. The top of the cover is an image of the Founding Fathers, most of them standing and pointing at one another, in the midst of conversation. The bottom half of the cover is the title of the book, which is written in blue and red colors.

Power and Liberty

Posted: October 20, 2021
Read an excerpt from Gordon S. Wood's new book, Power and Liberty: Constitutionalism in the American Revolution.
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Cover for Norman Donoghue's book Prisoner's of Congress which features a blue illustration of the top of Independence Hall atop the book title in blue over a beige background.

Prisoners of Congress

Posted: October 25, 2023
Read an excerpt from Norman E. Donoghue II's book, Prisoners of Congress: Philadelphia’s Quakers in Exile, 1777-1778.
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Conference On Collecting The Revolutionary War

Reading List: Authors Featured at 2022 Conference on Collecting the Revolutionary War

Posted: April 06, 2022
Read a selection of excerpts from books written by 2022 Conference on Collecting the American Revolution presenters.
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200th Edition Museum Staff Picks Reading List includes Washington: A Life by Ron Chernow; Never Caught by Erica Armstrong Dunbar; American Revolutions: A Continental History 1750-1804 by Alan Taylor; and The Shoemaker and the Tea Party by Alfred F. Young; and Spies in the Continental Capital by John A. Nagy. The book covers are shown two on top and two on the bottom of the image.

Reading List: Read the Revolution 200th Edition Staff Picks

Posted: August 11, 2021
To celebrate the our 200th edition of Read the Revolution, Museum staff picked their favorite books about the American Revolution.
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Reading List Cities Book Cover

Reading List: The Role of Cities in the American Revolution

Posted: June 17, 2020
Check out nine suggested readings from our collection of Read the Revolution book excerpts addressing the role of cities in the American Revolution.
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