Read the Revolution

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

Featured Books

Brothers in Liberty

Read an excerpt from Phillip Thomas Tucker's book, Brothers in Liberty: The Forgotten Story of the Free Black Haitians Who Fought for American Independence.

Female Genius

Read an excerpt from Mary Sarah Bilder's book, Female Genius: Eliza Harriot and George Washington at the Dawn of the Constitution.

King Hancock

Read an excerpt from Brooke Barbier's book, King Hancock: The Radical Influence of a Moderate Founding Father.

The Odyssey of Phillis Wheatley

Read an excerpt from David Waldstreicher's book, The Odyssey of Phillis Wheatley: A Poet’s Journeys Through American Slavery and Independence.

Death or Liberty

Read an excerpt from Douglas Egerton's book, Death or Liberty: African Americans in the Revolutionary War.

Book cover for Brothers in Liberty features the book title in yellow on a red background in the middle of the cover with the subtitle right below in white.

Book cover for Female Genius written in a wavy font across the bottom third features Columbia holding the American flag.

Book cover for King Hancock book featuring a large portrait of John Hancock's face with the title King Hancock in gold and Hancock written in his famous signature.

Cover for David Waldstreicher's book The Odyssey of Phillis Wheatley with the book title and author name in bold black font against an orange background with a colorized version of Phillis Wheatley's portrait in the center.

The book cover of Death or Liberty by Douglas Egerton featuring John Singleton Copley's painting depicting Black Loyalist Boston King.

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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Book covers for First Martyr of Liberty and The Remarkable Cause.

Children & Young Adults

Double Feature: First Martyr of Liberty and The Remarkable Cause

Posted: February 22, 2023

Read excerpts from Mitch Kachun's First Martyr of Liberty: Crispus Attucks in American Memory and Jean O'Connor's The Remarkable Cause: A Novel of James Lovell and the Crucible of the Revolution.

Biography & Memoir

Flora MacDonald: "Pretty Young Rebel"

Posted: January 25, 2023

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

Biography & Memoir

A Bard of Wolfe's Army

Posted: November 23, 2022

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.

Biography & Memoir

First Lady of Letters

Posted: August 24, 2022

Read an excerpt from Sheila L. Skemp's book, First Lady of Letters: Judith Sargent Murray and the Struggle for Female Independence.

Biography & Memoir

Hero of Two Worlds

Posted: August 17, 2022

Read an excerpt from Mike Duncan's best-selling book, Hero of Two Worlds: The Marquis de Lafayette in the Age of Revolution.

Biography & Memoir

Charity and Sylvia

Posted: June 08, 2022

Read an excerpt from Rachel Hope Cleves' book, Charity and Sylvia: A Same-Sex Marriage in Early America.

Biography & Memoir

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.

Biography & Memoir

Sentiments of a British-American Woman

Posted: April 27, 2022

Read an excerpt from Owen S. Ireland's book, Sentiments of a British-American Woman: Esther DeBerdt Reed and the American Revolution.

Biography & Memoir

The Widow Washington

Posted: March 23, 2022

Read an excerpt from Martha Saxton's book, The Widow Washington: The Life of Mary Washington.

Book cover for The Blind African Slave, Jeffrey Brace's Memoir, originally published in 1810 and Edited By Kari Winter

Biography & Memoir

The Blind African Slave (originally 1810)

Posted: February 09, 2022

Read an excerpt from Kari Winter's 2004 edited edition of The Blind African Slave: Memoirs of Boyrereau Brinch, Nicknamed Jeffrey Brace by Jeffrey Brace as told to Benjamin F. Prentiss, Esq. (1810).

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