Further Reading
Declaring Independence: Why 1776 Matters
Pulitzer Prize winner, Edward Larson provides a compact, insightful history of the year that gave birth to the United States, tracing the narrative from the publication of Thomas Paine’s Common Sense to the dramatic military clashes between the fledgling Continental Army and the might of the British military forces, approval of the Declaration of Independence, and more. His survey of the ideas and sacrifices of 1776 reminds us of why it still matters.
A Gentleman of Color: The Life of James Forten
Born into a free black family in 1766, Forten volunteered to serve in the Continental Army in the Revolutionary War as a teenager, survived the notorious British prison ship HMS Jersey, became the leading sailmaker in Philadelphia and emerged as a prominent advocate for the anti-slavery movement. Among his many contributions was a financial one – a loan to William Lloyd Garrison to start up the anti-slavery Liberator. Read and be inspired.
Thanks a Thousand: A Gratitude Journey
A New York Times best-selling author shares his gratitude journey – setting out to thank every single person involved in producing his morning cup of coffee. He discovers that his coffee would not be possible without hundreds of people he takes for granted – farmers, chemists, artists, truckers, mechanics, biologists, miners and more. Gratitude, he concludes, can make our lives happier, kinder and more meaningful.
Common Sense
Thomas Paine begins by distinguishing society—a positive force born of cooperation—from government, which he calls a “necessary evil” created to restrain human vices. He condemns monarchy as corrupt and hereditary succession as absurd, arguing that kingship violates natural equality. Paine insists Britain exploits the colonies economically and politically, stripping them of their natural rights. He emphasizes that reconciliation with Britain is impossible, as the Crown has repeatedly oppressed and attacked the colonies. Instead, Paine advocates for independence, self-governance, and the creation of a democratic republic where laws derive from the people. Common Sense became America’s first bestseller, selling over 100,000 copies in months, and played a crucial role in igniting the Revolutionary War
Radicalism of the American Revolution
Among America’s top scholars of the American Revolution, Gordon Wood is an expansive and thrilling study of the social, political and economic consequences of the decision made in 1776 to become an independent nation. It was more than a break from Great Britain. It embraced a new way of life and rejection of aristocratic, paternalistic and feudalistic dependencies. A must read to understand the transition from colony to independence.
American Scripture: Making the Declaration of Independence
Pauline Maier, one of the foremost authorities on the founding of the United States, brought to life the struggle of British colonies along the eastern shores of the North American continent to separate from Great Britain and become an independent nation. She explored the unique events, arguments, and consequential men and women leading to the Declaration of the Independence and what happened in the months and years following its approval and how it has persisted as a force in American society. Must reading for anyone who want to truly understand our nation’s founding and the principles underlying it.
1776
This intensely human story of the War for Independence by Pulitzer-prize
recipient David McCullough is the perfect way to begin understanding the origins
of the United States. Beginning on October 26, 1775, when King George III declared to the British Parliament that the American colonies were in rebellion, the book takes us through the early and darkest days of the War for Independence and George Washington’s “brilliant stroke” that changed history. The experiences of patriots and loyalists, mercenaries, political leaders, traitors, preachers, spies, women and men are embedded in in the story of the birth of the United States.
Miracle at Philadelphia: The Story of the Constitutional Convention, May to
September 1787
A classic in the literature relating the drafting and ratification of the United States Constitution, the book is considered to be one of the most readable and vividly told accounts of the convention that took place in the summer of 1787 as delegates from twelve of the newly independent states took a bold step from confederation to a new federal form of government. Bowen explains the important differences among the states and how they finally came together to forge a “more perfect union” and successfully managed to secure its ratification through a bitterly contentious series of state conventions.
Signing Their Lives Away: The Fame and Misfortune of the Men Who Signed the
Declaration of Independence
At the signing of the Declaration of Independence, Benjamin Franklin quipped, “We must all hang together, gentlemen, or else we shall most assuredly hang separately.” Who were these men who “pledged their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor” when they signed a document placing them in jeopardy of being punished for treason for the actions they were taking. “Signing Their Lives Away” provides short biographies of each of these men, as well as a timeline of the birth of the United States and other choice details about this most fascinating period of our nation’s history. You will learn some surprising facts about our Founders.
Signing Their Rights Away: The Fame and Misfortune of the Men Who Signed the United States Constitution
A companion to their book about the signers of the Declaration of Independence, Kiernan and D’Agnese don’t focus solely on our well-known
Founders but relate fascinating information and contributions about those whose names have been clouded in the mists of history. The brief biographies of the thirty-nine men who signed the Constitution on September 17, 1787, reveal duels, problems with alcohol, disputes over slavery, personal triumphs and failures, and much more. We are reminded that even great men, pursuing great ends, can be as “quirky” and flawed as those we elect today.
Pursuit of Happiness: How Classical Writers on Virtue Inspired the Lives of the Founders and Defined America.
A Jeffrey Rosen, President and CEO of the National Constitution Center, explores in depth what the Founders of the United States really meant when they defined “the pursuit of happiness” as an unalienable right. They understood it as a quest for being good, not feeling good. It meant the pursuit of lifelong virtue, not short-term pleasures. They believed that political self-government required personal self-government. Rosen provides a revealing and lively look at the Founders themselves and how the pursuit of happiness shaped their lives. In some instances, their pursuit of happiness was admittedly incompatible with slavery and a betrayal of their own principles.
The Indian World of George Washington: The First President, the First Americans and the
Birth of the Nation
Galloway’s deep research invites us to look at America’s origins by focusing on its most revered founder; the times in which our country was formed; and the Native leaders Washington dealt with intimately across the decades. Exploring the central role of Native Americans in our founding narrative, Galloway helps us to understand more fully what has often been neglected in the teaching
of American history – that is, the role, impact and destiny of its Native peoples.
The Journal of Major George Washington
A reprint of Major General George Washington’s report to Lt. Gov. Robert Dinwiddie about his mission to gather intelligence about French incursions into the Ohio Country in 1754, it was widely read in the colonies and Great Britain and brought Washington early fame. Eight copies of the original still exist in Williamsburg, then the capital of Virginia.
The War That Made America: A Short History of the French and Indian War
The French and Indian War continues to be one of the most important, yet
misunderstood, episodes in American history. Part of a larger world war known as the Seven Years War in Europe, its ultimate impact was to remove nearly all French influence in north American, solidify British control, sow the seeds leading to the American Revolution.
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