We’re on the path to the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, and Arkansas PBS is bringing you so many ways to learn about our shared history with multiple events, programs and resources. One great way is through reading!
Curated by PBS Books, the filmmakers and partner organizations, this booklist is designed to complement “The American Revolution” and to spark meaningful exploration of the series, the historical events surrounding the founding of the United States and the enduring ideas of liberty, freedom, democracy and independence.
Themes include union, empire, civic conflict, possibility and more – providing multiple entry points for discussion, research and engagement.
NEW SERIES! American Stories: A Reading Road Trip – Exploring the nation’s literary heritage, perfect for America250
New episodes stream on select Wednesdays at 8pm EST on PBS Books Facebook, YouTube channel, pbsbooks.org, and the PBS App.
In partnership with the Library of Congress and the affiliated Centers for the Book, this dynamic virtual series travels the nation to celebrate the books, authors, and landmarks that shape American culture.
For additional resources on these topics and more, visit “The American Revolution” Engagement Resource Center at pbs.org/americanrevolution/resources. To explore the series itself, a film by Ken Burns, Sarah Botstein and David Schimdt, visit PBS.org/americanrevolution.
A Curated Booklist to Deepen Your Understanding of America’s Founding:
● “The American Revolution: An Intimate History” by Geoffrey C. Ward and Ken Burns
● “1774: The Long Year of Revolution” by Mary Beth Norton
● “American Colonies” by Alan Taylor
● “American Revolutions” by Alan Taylor
● “The American Revolution in Indian Country” by Colin G. Calloway
● “American Scripture: Making the Declaration of Independence” by Pauline Maier
● “An Infinity of Nations: How the Native New World Shaped Early North America” by Michael Witgen
● “The Battle for New York” by Barnet Schecter
● “Belonging to the Army” by Holly A. Mayer
● “The Boston Massacre: A Family History” by Serena Zabin
● “The British Are Coming” by Rick Atkinson
● “British Soldiers, American War” by Don N. Hagist
● “Bunker Hill” by Nathaniel Philbrick
● “The Cause” by Joseph J. Ellis
● “Creation and Confederation: The Living History of the Iroquois” by Darren Bonaparte
● “The Fate of the Day” by Rick Atkinson
● “Founding Brothers” by Joe Ellis
● “Founding Faith: Providence, Politics, and the Birth of Religious Freedom in America” by Steven Waldman
● “General George Washington: A Military Life” by Edward G. Lengel
● “The Glorious Cause” by Robert Middlekauff
● “God of Liberty: A Religious History of the American Revolution” by Thomas S. Kidd
● “A Great Improvisation” by Stacy Schiff
● “The Hemingses of Monticello: An American Family” by Annette Gordon-Reed
● “Hessians: German Soldiers in the American Revolutionary War” by Friederike Baer
● “Hero of Two Worlds: The Marquis de Lafayette in the Age of Revolution” by Mike Duncan
● “The Ideological Origins of the American Revolution” by Bernard Bailyn
● “Independence Lost” by Kathleen DuVal
● “The Indian World of George Washington” by Colin G. Calloway
● “In the Hurricane’s Eye” by Nathaniel Philbrick
● “Lafayette in the Somewhat United States” by Sarah Vowell
● “Liberty’s Daughters” by Mary Beth Norton
● “Liberty’s Exiles” by Maya Jasanoff
● “The Men Who Lost America” by Andrew Jackson O’Shaughnessy
● “Moral Capital: Foundations of British Abolitionism” by Christopher L. Brown
● “Native Nations” by Kathleen DuVal
● “Never Caught” by Erica Armstrong Dunbar
● “Our Declaration” by Danielle Allen
● “Playing Indian” by Philip Deloria
● “The Pursuit of Happiness: How Classical Writers on Virtue Inspired the Lives of the Founders and Defined”
● “America” by Jeffrey Rosen
● “The Radicalism of the American Revolution” by Gordon S. Wood
● “A Revolution in Color: The World of John Singleton Copley” by Jane Kamensky
● “A Short History of the American Revolutionary War” by Stephen Conway
● “Spain and the Independence of the United States: An Intrinsic Gift” by Thomas E. Chavez
● “Tacky’s Revolt” by Vincent Brown
● “Valiant Ambition” by Nathaniel Philbrick
● “Voyagers to the West” by Bernard Bailyn
● “Washington: A Life” by Ron Chernow
● “West of the Revolution: An Uncommon History of 1776” by Claudio Saunt
● “The Whiskey Rebellion” by William Hogeland
“The American Revolution,” a six-part, 12-hour documentary, will air on Arkansas PBS Sunday, Nov. 16, through Friday, Nov. 21, at 7 p.m. each night.
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Be a part of the conversation using #ARVoicesAt250.
Watch live “The American Revolution” Sunday, Nov. 16, at 7 p.m. or anytime with the PBS app.
Learn more at myarpbs.org/america250.