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As we move into summer, and the Fourth of July approaches, here are some suggestions for great summer reads on the American Founding. There are the usual suspects, like David McCullough’s John Adams or Ron Chernow’s Alexander Hamilton. And you can see some of my own books on the topic in my author profile on this post. But I thought I offer up a few you may or may not know. They are excellent reads and will introduce you to some lesser-known, fascinating characters of the Revolutionary period.

1. David Hackett Fischer, Paul Revere’s Ride (1994). Fischer’s evocative story places Revere in his proper colonial context. After reading this, you’ll understand why it was impossible that Revere would have ever said, “The British are coming!”

2. Robert Gross, The Minutemen and Their World (rev. ed. 2001). Gross introduces us to the lost world of Concord, Massachusetts, and how it came to produce the celebrated minutemen. Gross also gives excellent coverage of the effects of the Great Awakening in Concord, 30 years before the Revolution.

3. Rhys Isaac, The Transformation of Virginia, 1740-1790 (rev. ed. 1999). This Pulitzer Prize-winning book, originally published in 1982, gives a riveting account of the Great Awakening in Virginia, the Baptist “revolt,” and the way that religion and revolution transformed Virginia’s hierarchical society.

4. Laurel Thatcher Ulrich, A Midwife’s Tale: The Life of Martha Ballard, Based on Her Diary, 1785-1812 (1990). Ulrich also won the Pulitzer Prize for her remarkable recreation of Ballard’s compelling life. This is perhaps the best American social history biography ever written.

5. Bernard Bailyn, The Ideological Origins of the American Revolution (rev. ed. 1992). Yet another Pulitzer winner, this is probably the least likely “beach read” book on the list. But it is utterly compelling, almost 50 years after its original publication. If I had to pick one book on the American Revolution that made the biggest impression on me, it would be this one.

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