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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 241–250 of 272 items
The Secret Six book cover

The Secret Six

Posted: December 31, 2014
This excerpt from authors Kilmeade and Yaeger shows George Washington's use of intelligence and counterintelligence, including Culper Spy Ring
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Image Rtr The Shoemaker And The Teaparty

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.
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The Swamp Fox Book Cover

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
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The Unruly City Book Cover

The Unruly City

Posted: May 22, 2019
This excerpt from Mike Rapport shows London’s response to the American Revolution - Londoners sought political reforms but not a British revolution.
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The Valley Forge Winter Book Cover

The Valley Forge Winter

Posted: December 21, 2016
This excerpt from Wayne Bodle presents the story of the winter of 1777-1778 during the American Revolution with details that may be new to most readers.
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 Rtr West Point History Of The American Revolution

The West Point History of the American Revolution

Posted: December 12, 2018
This excerpt from a team of historians details 1778 when the British went to the South to rally Loyalists and disrupt the economy of the Revolutionaries.
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The Widow Washington: The Life of Martha Washington by Martha Saxton Book Cover

The Widow Washington

Posted: March 23, 2022
Read an excerpt from Martha Saxton's book, The Widow Washington: The Life of Mary Washington.
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 Rtr The Will Of The People

The Will of the People

Posted: November 13, 2019
Read an excerpt from T.H. Breen's book, The Will of the People: The Revolutionary Birth of America.
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Book cover for Akhil Reed Amar's The Words That Made Us with black font on parchment colored background.

The Words That Made Us

Posted: September 13, 2023
Read an excerpt from Akhil Reed Amar's book, The Words That Made Us: America's Constitutional Conversation, 1760-1840.
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These Truths by Jill Lepore book cover

These Truths

Posted: June 28, 2023
Read an excerpt from Jill Lepore's book, These Truths: A History of the United States.
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