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Read the Revolution

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

Featured Books

The Marquis: Lafayette Reconsidered

Read an excerpt from Laura Auricchio's book The Marquis: Lafayette Reconsidered.

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One Minute A Free Woman

Read an excerpt from Emilie Piper and David Levinson's book, One Minute A Free Woman: Elizabeth Freeman and the Struggle for Freedom.

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Memory Wars

Read an excerpt from A. Lynn Smith's book, Memory Wars: Settlers and Natives Remember Washington’s Sullivan Expedition of 1779.

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The Bill of Obligations

Read an excerpt from Richard Haass's book, The Bill of Obligations: The Ten Habits of Good Citizens.

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The Contagion of Liberty

Read an excerpt from Andrew M. Wehrman's book, The Contagion of Liberty: The Politics of Smallpox in the American Revolution.

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    This image shows the book cover for The Marquis: Lafayette Reconsidered with a large side profile portrait of Lafayette looking to the left with a blue to red gradient tint.
    This image shows the book cover for One Minute A Free Woman with the title in large navy blue serif font over script writing on beige paper.
    This image shows the book cover for the book Memory Wars with a red background textured with Native American symbols and the book title and author name in white font to the left side.
    This image shows the book cover for The Bill of Obligations with black text on a cream background and an American flag sown back together with a needle and thread in the center.
    This image shows the book cover for The Contagion of Liberty featuring the book title large in blue and white font over a brown beige background on the top half with an engraving of a crowd of people getting vaccinated against smallpox.

    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 211–220 of 272 items
    The First Congress Book Cover
    History

    The First Congress

    Posted: July 06, 2016
    Read this excerpt from Fergus Bordewich that covers the debates over Alexander Hamilton’s financial plan to the simple question of how we address the president.
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    The Ghost Ship of Brooklyn Book Cover
    History

    The Ghost Ship of Brooklyn

    Posted: September 13, 2017
    This excerpt from Robert Watson weaves together details of the horrifying conditions experienced aboard the HMS Jersey during the American Revolutionary.
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    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.
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    This image depicts the book cover of The Gun, The Ship, and The Pen by Linda Colley. The text of the title is written in large blue letters. There is an illustration, pictures vertically on the left side of the book cover. It shows a sailor, with his back to the viewer, looking out at a ship on fire in the sea.
    History

    The Gun, the Ship, and the Pen

    Posted: May 12, 2021
    Read an excerpt from historian Linda Colley's new book, The Gun, the Ship, and the Pen: Warfare, Constitutions, and the Making of the Modern World.
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    Image 091820 Rtr179 Hemingses Monticello Annette Gordon Reed Screen Shot 2020 09 18 At 1131 56 Am
    History

    The Hemingses of Monticello

    Posted: September 23, 2020
    Read an excerpt from Annette Gordon-Reed's Pulitzer Prize-winning The Hemingses of Monticello: An American Family.
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    Book cover for The Howe Dynasty by Julie Flavell
    History

    The Howe Dynasty

    Posted: January 12, 2022
    Read an excerpt from Julie Flavell's book, The Howe Dynasty: The Untold Story of a Military Family and the Women Behind Britain’s Wars for America.
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    Image 090920 Rtr178 Ideological Origins American Revolution Bailyn
    History

    The Ideological Origins of the American Revolution

    Posted: September 09, 2020
    Read an excerpt from Bernard Bailyn's The Ideological Origins of the American Revolution.
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    Rtr The Indian World Of George Washington
    History

    The Indian World of George Washington

    Posted: October 24, 2018
    This excerpt from Colin Calloway shows George Washington’s initial lack of understanding of Native allies and their impact on the nation’s founding
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    The Internal Enemy Book Cover
    History

    The Internal Enemy

    Posted: September 14, 2016
    This excerpt from Alan Taylor examines the complex subject of slavery in a state dedicated to liberty and freedom, yet enslaved two-fifths of the population
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    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.
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