This unit is part of the History School Book Club. The founding era refers to the period in American history from approximately 1774 to 1797, encompassing the Revolutionary War, the establishment of the United States, and the creation of its foundational government. Scholarship on the founding era continues to evolve, with ongoing debates about the meaning and legacy of the American Revolution, the Declaration of Independence, and the US Constitution.
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Mary Beth Norton, Cornell University
1774: The Long Year of Revolution
This groundbreaking book traces the critical “long year” of 1774 and the revolutionary change that took place between the Boston Tea Party and the Battles of Lexington and Concord.
Rick Atkinson
The British Are Coming: The War for America, Lexington to Princeton, 1775–1777
Follow the fledgling Continental Army from the battles at Lexington and Concord in spring 1775 to Trenton and Princeton in winter 1776–1777.
Ana Lucia Araujo, Howard University
Humans in Shackles: An Atlantic History of Slavery
A sweeping narrative history of the Atlantic slave trade and slavery in the Americas
T. H. Breen, Northwestern University
The Will of the People: The Revolutionary Birth of America
An examination of how ordinary men and women turned a faltering rebellion into an unexpectedly potent and enduring revolution
Stacy Schiff
The Revolutionary: Samuel Adams
This dynamic biography reaffirms the crucial role Samuel Adams played in the American Revolution.
Brooke Barbier
King Hancock: The Radical Influence of a Moderate Founding Father
A lively portrait of the complex patriot, whose measured pragmatism helped make American independence a reality
James Basker, Barnard College
Black Writers of the Founding Era
This anthology offers an expanded vision of the turbulent decades surrounding the birth of the nation.
Akhil Reed Amar, Yale University
The Words That Made Us: America’s Constitutional Conversation, 1760–1840
This book unites history and law in a vivid narrative of the biggest constitutional questions early Americans confronted.
Lindsay M. Chervinsky, George Washington Presidential Library at Mt. Vernon
Making the Presidency: John Adams and the Precedents That Forged the Republic
A vivid account of how John Adams’s leadership defined the office for those who followed and ensured the survival of the American republic
Glory Liu, Georgetown University
Adam Smith’s America: How a Scottish Philosopher Became an Icon of American Capitalism
Explore how Adam Smith, the Scottish philosopher and economist, became a central figure in American economic and political thought.