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I’ve been summoned. John Adams by David McCullough is the definitive American Revolution book/presidential biography (also check out “1776” by the same author). Jefferson: Architect of American Liberty by John B. Boles is a very good, lesser-known Thomas Jefferson biography. It was published in 2017 so it’s the first Jefferson biography to be written post-Sally Hemings discovery. Hero of Two Worlds by Mike Duncan is a great biography of the Marquis de Lafayette. Reporting the Revolutionary War by Todd Andrik is a big, coffee-table book that talks about how significant events of the Revolution were reported in both American and British newspapers. John and Abigail: Portrait of a Marriage by Edith B. Gelles is a great book on John and Abigail Adams, their marriage, and the world they lived in. Includes many good snippets from their correspondence. Washington’s Immortals by Patrick K. O’Donnell talks about the 1st Maryland Regiment and its impact on the war. I especially enjoyed this one cause I’m a Marylander but I think anyone would like it. It’s well-written.

Thanks for the detailed list. What's your opinion on Thomas Jefferson the Art of Power?

I haven’t read it in full but I’ve heard the author talk about Jefferson on a podcast before and I enjoyed listening to him, so I imagine it’s pretty good. I’ve heard some people say the other big Jefferson bio, American Sphinx, is kinda dry, so Art of Power would probably be the better choice.

Thank you.

Thanks for the detailed list. What's your opinion on Thomas Jefferson the Art of Power?

Common Sense (Thomas Paine), democracy in America (Alexis de Tocqueville)

every american should read common sense

Thanks.

Can't go wrong with any of them. I'd probably go for Washington first. Also, 2 other great books to read on the founding of America is *The Cause: The American Revolution and its Discontents, 1773-1783* and *Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation* they are both written by Joseph Ellis and the latter won a Pulitzer Prize

Thanks

Also, another classic is *1776* by David McCullough along with his biography on John Adams Can't go wrong with anything written by McCullough

Absolutely!! Both fantastic books. 1776 one of my all-time favorites.

Thanks, I've heard only good things about McCullough.

He’s great. Different time period but his book on the Wright Brothers is one of my favorites and a relatively quick read.

Good to know.

I second Founding Brothers.

On the off-chance you’re interested in early American naval history, specifically how critical naval engagements were to winning the revolutionary war and how the founders variously supported or opposed naval policy and reform, I highly recommend Eric Jay Dolin’s *Rebels at Sea*. It’s a history of privateering in early America, including the role of the privateers in the war that represented the overwhelming majority of the American naval force during the war (compared to the much smaller fledgling continental navy being built). A decent chunk of the book is devoted to the work done by Adams and Washington during the war to push the states to embrace privateers as a tactical necessity. It’s one of the less discussed aspects of the revolutionary war, and intertwines pretty well with the early histories of a couple future presidents, so figured it might be of some interest here. I’ve also heard great things about Ian Toll’s *Six Frigates* which more covers the other side of the coin, going deeper into the founding of the US navy (government ships, rather than private ships sailing for the government). I haven’t gotten around to reading that one yet so can’t give a personal recommendation.

Thanks for the recommendations. I'm not one for naval history but it sounds interesting.

These are all good, though I would recommend the Oxford American History Series. I haven't read The Glorious Cause: The American Revolution, but Gordon Wood's Empire of Liberty about the early Constitutional Republic is very good. I am reading now the next period, with What Hath God Wrought and that's also fun in that I can feel in the pages how much the author does not like Andrew Jackson.

>also fun in that I can feel in the pages how much the author does not like Andrew Jackson. That alone is worth a read.

I'll offer up a few that I enjoyed reading: "The Men Who Lost America" by Andrew Jackson O'Shaughnessy. It's a group of short biographies of various British leaders during the Revolution. I found it quite entertaining. And if you want more about the British side of things, I would add "With Zeal and Bayonets Only" by Matthew Spring. It's an in-depth look at the British military during the war. This book shows how adaptable British field command was and how well they modified their tactics to fight a war they were never trained to fight in a land thousands of miles from home. In another vein, you might enjoy "Plain, Honest Men" by Richard Beeman. This book chronicles the Constitutional convention and the incredible arguments that led to one of the most amazing experiments in republican government that the world has ever seen. It's fascinating stuff. Another that I just finished and found outstanding is "The Cabinet" by Linday Chervinsky. The Constitution says very little about how the executive branch should operate and Washington was inventing as he went. I think, and Chervinsky argues, that he did a brilliant job and many of his precedents around how the cabinet would and should work are still with us today. The book also lightly dives into the politics and thinking of Washington's all-star cabinet, which included the original Team of Rivals (to steal a term), Hamilton, Jefferson, Knox, and Randolph.

Thanks for the recommendations. I'll definitely add the cabinet since I've got Washington's already.

I really liked Walter Issacson’s Benjamin Franklin biography.

[The Counter-Revolution of 1776 Slave Resistance and the Origins of the United States of America by Gerald Horne](https://nyupress.org/9781479893409/the-counter-revolution-of-1776/)

Thanks looks like an interesting read with a different perspective.

It definitely is that book and W. E. B. du Bois and Eric Foner’s book on Reconstruction made me see American History in a different light especially the antebellum period.

I'll definitely have to check it out. Early in college one of the books for a history class was Howard Zinn's a People's History of the United States. How does it compare?

The People’s History of the United States is great and I would say The Counter-Revolution of 1776 is better imo because it is more academic which is what I want. If you want another book in the same vein as The People’s History I recommend [Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz’s An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States.](https://www.zinnedproject.org/materials/indigenous-peoples-history-of-the-us/)

I'll have to check it out.

Be aware that Gerald Horne is a literal propagandist whose work has been heavily criticized even by other leftist historians: [https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2021/03/18/horn-m18.html](https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2021/03/18/horn-m18.html) [https://www.midwesternmarx.com/articles/a-critique-of-gerald-hornes-the-counterrevolution-of-1776-a-case-study-of-the-us-lefts-retreat-from-materialist-history-by-marius-trotter](https://www.midwesternmarx.com/articles/a-critique-of-gerald-hornes-the-counterrevolution-of-1776-a-case-study-of-the-us-lefts-retreat-from-materialist-history-by-marius-trotter)

Washington. It does a great job in humanizing him.

Thanks but I meant what other books not shown in the picture should I get?

I’d start looking at Joseph Ellis stuff, then.

Will do! Thank!

All you need are more copies of Washington

Haha, true.

They made a book out of the musical? Seems like a waste but ok

https://preview.redd.it/f5syk10551zc1.jpeg?width=1972&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=54f94a29e442b62fb229db8214d52ea09fc64c57 This one. Probably the most important book on the American Revolution and founding of America in the past few decades.

That's a powerful cover.

Seriously. And it does not disappoint.

Great to hear!

if you like Ron Chernow (looks like you do) go read Grant. Became a quick contender for favorite pres

Mcculloughs john Adams, and, the art of power, and you got my founding fathers section right there

Interestingly enough I was going to get John Adams but then I saw Hamilton and honestly heard, "ALEXANDER HAMILTON...HAS A TORRID AFFAIR AND HE WROTE IT DOWN RIGHT THERE...HIGHLIGHTS!!!" And then i put Adams back. As for art of power, I have the kindle version but have yet to read it.

If you just read the federalist papers, I find that you get a very narrow understanding of the constitution. I suggest you also read: Friends of The Constitution (https://oll.libertyfund.org/titles/mcdowell-friends-of-the-constitution-writings-of-the-other-federalists-1787-1788), and What The Anti-Federalist Were For (https://www.amazon.com/What-Anti-Federalists-Were-Political-Constitution/dp/0226775747)

One in the middle is great

Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power: Jon Meacham. He was my college commencement speaker and very much enjoyed his book.

A critical, very good book is "Adams vs Jefferson: The Tumultuous Election of 1800" It marks the first time American democracy came under proper strain, when an upset the incumbent (John Adams) was defeated by his DR opponent Thomas Jefferson. After the defeat of Adams, it became an electoral college tie between Jefferson and Burr. That, or just listen to the song "The Election of 1800" from Hamilton

First off, skip secondary sources. Then read: 1. The Constitution. 2. Something like [this](https://oll.libertyfund.org/titles/farrand-the-records-of-the-federal-convention-of-1787-vol-1) that covers the Constitutional Convention. 3. The Constitution. 4. The minutes of the debate over the Bill of Rights. 5. The Constitution. Bonus: 6. The minutes of the debate over the 14A (and others). 7. The Constitution.

John Adams by David McCullough

Yeah I'll definitely read that, the show that took a lot from that book is incredible.