The United States of America was founded and established by ordinary citizens just like you and me. In their struggle for independence, these heroic men and women willingly shed their blood, sweat, and tears-often sacrificing their own lives and fortunes in order to hand down the precious legacy of freedom we all enjoy today. Now is the time for a new generation of American patriots to rise up and join in the fight. Now is the time for every American...

'Quick in the saddle and fast out of town.' Watch one of America's most remarkable heroes come alive through fast-paced prose and gripping storytelling. He's Famous for his Ride. He's Essential for So Much More. The story of Paul Revere is the story of the American Revolution. Always smack dab in the thick of things, he was an ordinary citizen living in extraordinarily turbulent times. Revere played key roles in colonial tax fights and riots, the...

The United States was creeping ever closer to independence. The shot heard round the world still echoed in the ears of Parliament as impassioned revolutionaries took up arms for and against King and country. In this captivating blend of careful research and rich narrative, Derek W. Beck continues his exploration into the period preceding the Declaration of Independence, just days into the new Revolutionary War. The War Before Independence transports...

In this provocative reinterpretation of one of the best-known events in American history, Woody Holton shows that when Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, and other elite Virginians joined their peers from other colonies in declaring independence from Britain, they acted partly in response to grassroots rebellions against their own rule.The Virginia gentry's efforts to shape London's imperial policy were thwarted by British merchants and by a coalition...

Between the first proposals of a federal Constitution in 1787 and the document's 1789 ratification, an intense debate raged among the nation's founding fathers. The Federalist Papers - authored by James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay - favored the adoption of the Constitution, but other early statesmen opposed its ratification. The latter group, writing under pseudonyms, amassed a substantial number of influential essays, speeches, and...

The first Chief Justice of the United States, John Jay faced many unique challenges. When the stability and success of the new nation were far from certain, a body of federalized American law had to be created from scratch. In The First Chief Justice, New York State Appellate Judge Mark C. Dillon uncovers, for the first time, how Jay's personal, educational, and professional experiences-before, during, and after the Revolutionary War-shaped both the...

First published ten years ago, award-winning historian Ray Raphael's Founding Myths has since established itself as a landmark of historical myth-busting. With Raphael's trademark wit and flair, Founding Myths exposed the errors and inventions in America's most cherished tales, from Paul Revere's famous ride to Patrick Henry's "Liberty or Death" speech. For the thousands who have been captivated by Raphael's eye-opening accounts, history has never...

This edition includes a modern introduction and a list of suggested further reading."These are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands for it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman." - The American Crisis December 23, 1776 The pen of Thomas Paine was one of the most powerful weapons Americans possessed in their struggle...

In the aftermath of the Revolutionary War, after decades of intense upheaval and debate, the role of the citizen was seen as largely political. But as Catherine O'Donnell Kaplan reveals, some Americans saw a need for a realm of public men outside politics. They believed that neither the nation nor they themselves could achieve virtue and happiness through politics alone. Imagining a different kind of citizenship, they founded periodicals, circulated...

Explora la fascinante vida de Alexander HamiltonAlexander Hamilton es una de las figuras más extraordinarias de la historia de Estados Unidos. Extraordinario pensador, líder militar y reformador político, fue la mano derecha de George Washington y quizás la figura más importante en la configuración de la Constitución. Sus políticas y prácticas en el gobierno colocaron a los Estados Unidos en un camino de riqueza comercial y estabilidad económica....