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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 201–210 of 240 items
The King's Three Faces Book Cover

The King's Three Faces

Posted: October 26, 2016
This excerpt from Brendan McConville discusses the physical and symbolic destruction of objects associated with the British Monarchy.
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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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This image shows the book cover of The Last Muster: Images of the Revolutionary War Generation by Maureen Taylor. The background is a deep, brown and the title of the book is written in white at the top. On the bottom is Maureen’s name, also written in white. In the center are four framed photographs of older people from the Revolutionary generation.

The Last Muster

Posted: November 11, 2015
Read this excerpt from Maureen Taylor’s book that complied over 50 19th-century photographs and shares biographical information for each person.
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This image shows the book cover of The Last Muster: Images of the Revolutionary War Generation by Maureen Taylor. The background is a deep, brown and the title of the book is written in white at the top. On the bottom is Maureen’s name, also written in white. In the center are four framed photographs of older people from the Revolutionary generation.

The Last Muster

Posted: December 02, 2013
Read this excerpt from Maureen Taylor’s The Last Muster to learn more about three veterans of the American Revolution—Nathaniel Ames, Agrippa Hull, and Ezra Green.
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The Marketplace of Revolution book cover

The Marketplace of Revolution

Posted: March 11, 2014
This excerpt from T.H. Breen looks at how one city’s rebellion, the Boston Tea Party, became an entire people’s war and created a common cause of America.
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The Martyr and the Traitor Book Cover

The Martyr and the Traitor

Posted: May 08, 2019
This excerpt from Virginia DeJohn Anderson adds complexity to our understanding of choosing sides in the Revolutionary era.
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Image 10152020 Readtherevolutionbookcover The Other Side

The Men Who Lost America

Posted: September 24, 2013
Read an excerpt from Andrew O'Shaughnessy about the failings of ten British leaders whose actions shaped the outcome of the American Revolution.
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The Midwife's Revolt book cover

The Midwife's Revolt

Posted: October 22, 2013
Read an excerpt from Jodi Daynard's historical fiction novel about a woman confronting life and widowhood during the American Revolution.
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The Perils of Peace book cover

The Perils of Peace

Posted: August 12, 2014
This excerpt from Thomas Fleming describes the political reaction in Britain immediately after the surrender at Yorktown, Virginia
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Image 102620 Rtr Philadelphia Campaign Volume One Mcguire

The Philadelphia Campaign, Vol. I

Posted: August 23, 2017
Read an excerpt from Thomas J. McGuire's book, The Philadelphia Campaign, Vol. I: Brandywine and the Fall of Philadelphia.
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