Read the Revolution

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

Featured Books

Captives of Liberty

Read an excerpt from T. Cole Jones's book, Captives of Liberty: Prisoners of War and the Politics of Vengeance in the American Revolution.

Black Founders

Read an excerpt from the Museum of the American Revolution's exhibit book, Black Founders: The Forten Family of Philadelphia.

The Cutting-Off Way

Read an excerpt from Wayne E. Lee's new book, The Cutting-Off Way: Indigenous Warfare in Eastern North America, 1500–1800.

The Words That Made Us

Read an excerpt from Akhil Reed Amar's book, The Words That Made Us: America's Constitutional Conversation, 1760-1840.

Until Justice Be Done

Read an excerpt from Kate Masur's book, Until Justice Be Done: America's First Civil Rights Movement, from the Revolution to Reconstruction.

Book cover for Captives of Liberty features a painting that depicts a Hessian soldier and a British redcoat leading a Continental soldier away as a prisoner.

Black Founders Exhibit Catalog Cover featuring a portrait of James Forten.

Book cover for Wayne Lee's The Cutting-Off Way.

Book cover for Akhil Reed Amar's The Words That Made Us with black font on parchment colored background.

Until Justice Be Done by Kate Masur teal book cover with white text.

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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History

The Expanding Blaze

Posted: March 14, 2018

This excerpt from Jonathan Israel investigates radical ideas of self-government, liberty, and republicanism that challenged the Old World institutions.

Fiction

Revolutionary

Posted: February 28, 2018

Read an excerpt from Alex Myers's historical fiction novel on Deborah Sampson, a woman who joined the Continental Army at the age of 21 disguised as a man.

History

Passion is the Gale

Posted: February 14, 2018

This excerpt from Nicole Eustace examines the language of emotions in social and political relationships through letters, diaries, books, and pamphlets

History

Most Blessed of the Patriarchs

Posted: January 24, 2018

This excerpt from authors Annette Gordon-Reed and Peter Onuf dissects the life of Thomas Jefferson and explores his attachment to home and to family.

Children & Young Adults

I Survived the American Revolution

Posted: January 10, 2018

Read an excerpt from Lauren Tarshis's children's book of a young boy's courage as he and the Continental Army prepare for the Battle of Brooklyn.

History

The Common Cause

Posted: December 27, 2017

This excerpt from Robert Parkinson explores the creation of a common cause to rally colonists from South Carolina to Massachusetts against a common enemy.

History

Don Troiani’s Soldiers of the American Revolution

Posted: December 13, 2017

These works by Don Troiani show his original paintings of soldiers alongside the actual objects he studied in his artistic recreations.

This image depicts the book cover of American Cake by Anne Byrn. The book cover shows a white frosted cake with pink rose petals on top. The cake sits on a white cake stand with more petals surrounding the right side of the stand. Below this image is the title of the book. Below the title of the book are three smaller photographs of cakes dated 1770, 1903, and 1963.

History

Double Feature: Gingerbread

Posted: November 22, 2017

Read these excerpts featuring Colonial recipes along with tempting and intriguing stories about our early American culinary history.

History

Revolution Against Empire

Posted: November 08, 2017

Read this excerpt from Justin du Rivage that introduces the competing ideological groups who shaped and reshaped the debates during the American Revolution

History

The Burning of His Majesty’s Schooner Gaspee

Posted: October 25, 2017

This excerpt from Steven Park tells how a group of colonial protestors captured and burned a British naval schooner a year before the Boston Tea Party.

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