The Fourth of July or Independence
Day celebrations include parades, fireworks, picnics and festivals, but July is
also a perfect time to retrace the history of the United States. David McCullough’s book 1776 chronicles the intensely human story of those who marched with
General George Washington in the year of the Declaration of Independence. Based on extensive research in American and
British archives, this dramatic story captures the story of Washington and the many
men and women caught in the path of war.
Declaration by William Hogeland tells
the story of nine tumultuous weeks when America became independent. May 1 to July 4, 1776 were fast paced weeks
essential to the American founding, but little known today. The activities of Samuel and John Adams,
Benjamin Franklin, John Dickinson and other patriots during that turbulent time
is presented in a gripping and vivid portrait of passionate men and thrilling
events that gave birth to the USA.
Political
commentator Cokie Roberts has written two books that pay homage to the heroic
women whose patriotism and sacrifice helped to create a new nation. Founding
Mothers and Ladies of Liberty
are both colorful blends of biographical portraits and behind-the-scenes
vignettes that chronical the women’s public roles and private
responsibilities. Roberts uses personal
correspondence, private journals and other primary sources to flesh out the
stories of the often overlooked women of the early history of our country.
A Leap in the Dark by John Ferling is
the story of the struggle to create the American Republic. Ferling traces the history of the
Revolutionary era from the first rumblings of colonial protest to the volcanic
outburst that was 1776. He details the
seismic struggles of the new nation through the bitterly contested election of
1800. Each side is represented in this
readable history of the early days of the new country.
A People’s History of the American
Revolution skillfully weaves diaries, personal letters, memoirs, and other
primary sources into a first-person account of the Revolutionary War from the
viewpoint of everyday participants. The
voices of the rank-and-file rebels, the women, Native Americans, African
Americans, loyalists and pacifists are heard in this important look at how the
masses survived the Revolution. The role
of these lesser-knowns illuminates the story of what life was like during this
volatile period.
Thomas Fleming
is a distinguished historian and the author of many novels and non-fiction
titles that capture history and make it more understandable. His novels Time and Tide, Liberty
Tavern and Dreams of Glory are
fictional accounts of the early days of the United States and Revolutionary War
period. Liberty! The American Revolution is the companion volume to the
six-part award winning PBS miniseries by the same name.
Fleming has recently written Duel-Alexander Hamilton, Aaron Burr and the
Future of America. Most everyone is
familiar with the fatal duel that Hamilton and Burr fought in 1804 in Weehawken,
New Jersey. The success of the French
Revolution and the proclamation of Napoleon as First Consul for Life had
enormous impact on men like Hamilton and Burr.
Their own political fantasies and hunger for fame were enhanced by a
perceived weakness in the Federal government and turbulent times. From that poisonous brew came the tangle of
regret, anger and ambition that drove the two men to their murderous
confrontation.
Fleming also captures the conflicts
of those early years in The Great Divide. History has a tendency to cast a glow of
camaraderie across the infant years of the United States, but there were many
conflicts between the Founding Fathers.
The most important being the disagreements between George Washington and
Thomas Jefferson. Their disagreements
centered on the highest and most original public office created by the
Constitutional Convention: the presidency, but also involved the nation’s
foreign policy, the role of merchants and farmers in the republic and the
durability of the union itself.
Spies have always played an
important role in conflict, but the identity of spies and their exploits are
not often publicized. Brian Kilmeade and
Don Yaeger spent years researching the role of the Culper Spy Ring. These six individuals saved the American
Revolution. Their identities were so
well hid; one of them, a woman called Agent 355, is still nameless today. George
Washington’s Secret Six is the story of these five brave men and one woman
who infiltrated British operations with such effectiveness and, in their own
way, played a pivotal role in the fledgling country’s success.
Joseph J. Ellis is a Pulitzer Prize
winning author who has focused on the Revolutionary period in much of his
work. American Creation recounts the triumphs and tragedies of the
founding of the Republic. From the first
shots fired at Lexington, the signing of the Declaration of Independence and
the negotiations for the Louisiana Purchase, Ellis details the decisive issues
in the founding of the United States.
The fact that the Revolution was brought about by a group of individuals
made it so extraordinary and different from other revolutions in other
countries. He contends that this
evolution is one of the reasons the country has been so durable and such a
success.
Ellis’ Revolutionary Summer recounts the moment in American history that
brought about the most consequential events in the story of the country’s
founding. He weaves together the
military and political experiences of both sides of the single story showing
how events on one front influenced outcomes on the other.
Much has been written about the
Revolutionary heroes, but those on the other side of political fence are often
overlooked. Maya Jasanoff explores the
story of the American Loyalists in the Revolutionary War in Liberty’s Exiles. On November 25, 1783, when the British troops
pulled out of New York City, Patriots celebrated their departure. For tens of thousands of American loyalists,
the British evacuation spelled worry not jubilation. 60,000 loyalists-one for every 40 U.S.
residents left their homes to become refugees elsewhere in the British
Empire. The story of this remarkable
global diaspora and those who fled is eloquently told in this narrative
history.
Edward J. Larson has compiled a
groundbreaking look at the forgotten years of George Washington in The Return of George Washington. After commanding the Continental Army to
victory, Washington shocked the nation as he retired and returned to his
beloved Mount Vernon. Four years later, he rode from Mount Vernon to lead the
Constitutional Convention; he was the one American who could unite the rapidly
disintegrating country. This book tells
the little known story of Washington’s personal sacrifice to save the nation he
loved.
--Pam Christensen, Library Director
