Showing results for "Stories" in Revolution & Founding

In August 1776, a little over a month after the Continental Congress had formally declared independence from Britain, the revolution was on the verge of a sudden and disastrous end. General George Washington found his troops outmanned and outmaneuvered at the Battle of Brooklyn, and it looked like there was no escape. But thanks to a series of desperate rear-guard attacks by a single heroic regiment, famously known as the Immortal 400, Washington was able to evacuate his men, and the nascent Continental Army lived to fight another day.

The #1 New York Times bestseller by Pulitzer Prize–winning historian David McCullough rediscovers an important chapter in the American story that’s “as resonant today as ever” (The Wall Street Journal)—the settling of the Northwest Territory by courageous pioneers who overcame...

From the author of the acclaimed history The Island at the Center of the World, an intimate new epic of the American Revolution that reinforces its meaning for today. With America's founding principles being debated today as never before, Russell Shorto looks back to the era in which those principles were forged. Drawing on new sources, he weaves the lives of six people into a seamless narrative that casts fresh light on the range of experience in colonial America on the cusp of revolution.

Join award-winning storyteller Darley Newman on a journey through American Revolution sites in national parks, great cities like Charleston and Princeton, and obscure haunts like a colonial tavern in Gettysburg. From lighthearted adventures like tasting Martha Washington's recipe for Cherry Bounce to an emotional trek with a military historian at Camden Battlefield, Revolutionary Road Trip catalogs oral histories, tales, and truths passed down by generations of guides, community members, and experts whose boots are on the ground at historic locations across the thirteen original colonies.

America Bewitched is the first major history of witchcraft in America - from the Salem witch trials of 1692 to the present day. The infamous Salem trials are etched into the consciousness of modern America, the human toll a reminder of the dangers of intolerance and persecution. The refrain 'Remember Salem!' was invoked frequently over the ensuing centuries. As time passed, the trials became a milepost measuring the distance America had progressed from its colonial past, its victims now the righteous and their persecutors the shamed.

Bloomsbury presents Declaration: The Story of American Independence by Robert P. Watson, read by Jason Keller Declaration uncovers the lesser-known stories, surprising twists, and forgotten voices behind the most iconic document in U.S. history. Robert P. Watson delves into the complex and often...

During the brutal winter of 1775-1776, an untested Boston bookseller named Henry Knox commandeered an oxen train hauling 60 tons of cannons and other artillery from Fort Ticonderoga near the Canadian border. He and his men journeyed some 300 miles south and east over frozen, often treacherous terrain to supply George Washington for his attack of British troops occupying Boston. The result was the British surrender of Boston and the first major victory for the Colonial Army.

New York Times Editors’ Choice Winner of the Bancroft Prize Winner of the New York Society Library's New York City Book Award A riveting Revolutionary Era drama of the first published rape trial in American history and its long, shattering aftermath, revealing how much has changed over two...

In The Story of America, Harvard historian and New Yorker staff writer Jill Lepore investigates American origin stories - from John Smith's account of the founding of Jamestown in 1607 to Barack Obama's 2009 inaugural address - to show how American democracy is bound up with the history of print. Over the centuries, Americans have read and written their way into a political culture of ink and type. Part civics primer, part cultural history, The Story of America excavates the origins of everything from the paper ballot and the Constitution to the I.O.U. and the dictionary.

America was born with a promise it had not yet learned how to keep. On July 4, 1776, the Declaration of Independence announced that all people were created equal.

The most horrific struggle of the American Revolution occurred just 100 yards off New York, where more men died aboard a rotting prison ship than were lost to combat during the entirety of the war. Moored off the coast of Brooklyn until the end of the war, the derelict ship, the HMS Jersey, was...

On January 25, 1787, in Springfield, Massachusetts, militia Major General William Shepard ordered his cannon to fire grapeshot at a peaceful demonstration of 1,200 farmers approaching the federal arsenal. The shots killed four and wounded 20, marking the climax of five months of civil disobedience in Massachusetts, where farmers challenged the state’s authority to seize their farms for flagrantly unjust taxes. But this widely accepted narrative is just a legend: the “rebellion” was almost entirely nonviolent, and retired war hero Daniel Shays was only one of many leaders.

Explore the life and legacy of James Madison, America’s fourth president and a central architect of the U.S. Constitution. This concise biography follows his early life, political career, presidency, leadership during the War of 1812, and lasting influence on the United States...

On October 3, 1807, Thomas Jefferson was contacted by an unknown traveler urgently pleading for a private "interview" with the president, promising to disclose "a matter of momentous importance". By the next day, Jefferson held in his hands two astonishing manuscripts whose history has been lost for over two centuries. Authored by Muslims fleeing captivity in rural Kentucky, these documents delivered to the president in 1807 were penned by literate African slaves, and written entirely in Arabic.

WINNER OF THE AMERICAN BATTLEFIELD TRUST PRIZE FOR HISTORY A groundbreaking, important recovery of history; the overlooked story—fully explored—of the critical aspect of America’s Revolutionary War that was fought in the South, showing that the British surrender at Yorktown was the...

Alexander Hamilton: Founding Father chronicles the remarkable life of one of America's most controversial and significant founding fathers. From his humble beginnings in the British West Indies to his eventual rise to power in the United States government, Hamilton's story is one of perseverance and ambition. Through his contributions to the establishment of the country's banking and currency systems and his role in the ratification of the United States Constitution, Hamilton left an indelible mark on American history.

This honest and riveting Revolutionary War memoir is now republished during the American semiquincentennial year with an introduction by #1 New York Times bestselling author Eric Metaxas. This is the definitive edition of the very entertaining and truly extraordinary memoir by Revolutionary War soldier Joseph Plumb Martin.

Explore a tense American Revolution biography and uncover the tragic fall of a celebrated hero turned infamous traitor. Perfect for an immersive daily commute, this gripping historical narrative transforms a notorious villain into a deeply flawed military genius. Watch a loyal commander unravel...

As the United States reaches its 250th anniversary, the country is preparing to spend another year retelling the official story: the Founding Fathers, the Civil War, the Greatest Generation, and the moon landing. But behind every famous moment stood millions of forgotten heroes—soldiers, spies, inventors, builders, mothers, immigrants, scientists, and ordinary citizens whose hidden stories shaped the nation alongside the names you already know. This is the celebration America has owed them for 250 years. Discover American history through the people who actually built it.

America's Constitutional Republic is like no other. Most Americans recognize the names George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison, but few can tell you their stories—much less that of James Monroe, John Quincy Adams, or Andrew Jackson. These seven men from the Founding Ear were America's first presidents. They established our republic on the foundation of the Constitution and its liberties.