Learn More About the American Revolution

On July 4th, the United States marked its 250th birthday (the semiquincentennial) and Americans celebrated with parades, fireworks, and cookouts. Even though the official holiday is over, this summer remains the perfect time to visit the Knox County Public Library and check out a book on the American Revolution. Everyone should take the time to learn more about our country’s early history.

Last November, producer and director Ken Burns’ 6-part, 12-hour documentary “The American Revolution” aired on PBS. The film, which was released on the 250th anniversary of the start of the war, took nearly a decade to complete. It is only the latest entry in Burns’ canon of documentaries focusing on some aspect of the American story.

As is the case with Burns’ previous documentaries, a companion coffee table book was released to accompany the film. The 608-page “The American Revolution: An Intimate History,” was authored by historian Geoffrey C. Ward, writer of the film’s script and frequent Burns’ collaborator. Ward expanded his script into the book, with the assistance of some twenty scholars, many of whom appear in the documentary.

Obviously, photography and newsreels did not exist in the 18th century. Burns notes that for the first time in 45 years of making documentaries he had to rely solely on illustrations, paintings, prints, drawings, pamphlets, and maps, as well as film of the American landscape and some reenactments. More than 500 of these beautifully reproduced images appear in the book.

Also featured are guest essays by prominent historians Stephen Conway, Vincent Brown, Jane Kamensky, Maya Jasanoff, Alan Taylor, and Philip J. Deloria.

Having a book to hold and peruse has advantages over watching the documentary. First, the reader can go at his own pace or perhaps only read the parts of greatest interest. Some who have more of a casual interest in the subject might choose to just leisurely look at the illustrations and examine the book’s many maps.

Another book recommendation for those choosing to read more about the American Revolution is Pulitzer Prize winning historian David McCullough’s “1776,” published in 2005. McCullough, who died in 2022, was a master of narrative history, crafting popular books that put the reader at the scene of events described.

The book, as the title indicates, is set in the year 1776, the year the Declaration of Independence was signed. The focus of the book is both the ordinary men who served in the American ranks and the British redcoats, along with their military leaders, George Washington, leading the American troops and British commander William Howe.

Two men who are prominently featured are the Quaker Nathanael Greene and Henry Knox (the latter the namesake of Knox County) who served as generals in the Continental Army. Following the war, Knox became the first Secretary of War.

The library has many books by historian Joseph Ellis. Ellis is known for his work on the Revolutionary War period, especially the major figures of the time. Two of his best-known books are the Pulitzer Prize winning “Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation” (2000) and “American Creation: Triumphs and Tragedies at the Founding of the Republic” (2007). “Founding Brothers” looks at the relationships and interactions of the major figures of the Revolutionary era and “American Creation” covers the period between the war and the Louisiana Purchase and examines both the accomplishments and the failures of the Founding Fathers.

All of the books about the American Revolution noted here, and so many more, can be found at the Knox County Public Library, 502 North Seventh Street. Make one of them a part of your summer reading.