The American Revolution at 250: Twenty-Four Historians Reflect on the Founding

The Revolutionary Age

by Francis D. Cogliano (Editor), Brendan McConville (Contributor), Annette Gordon-Reed (Contributor)

The preeminent historians of the founding era speak their mind on the anniversary of the United States’ birthIn these powerful and personal essays, some of the most celebrated historians of the American Revolutionary era reflect on the meaning of 1776 to the nation in 2026, offering fresh insights and food for thought on every page. They tackle the most pressing topics that Americans debated in 1776 and continue to debate the meaning of democracy; the nature of information wars; immigration and the rights and obligations of citizenship; race and slavery; public health; the various and conflicting legacies of the founders; and the shifting nature of commemoration itself. Like the Revolutionary generation they know so well, on some issues these scholarly authorities find themselves largely in accord; on others they vehemently disagree. This is historical debate at its most urgent.Contributors: Allison Bigelow * T. H. Breen * Katherine Carté * Lindsay M. Chervinsky * Marlene L. Daut * Andrew M. Davenport * Christa Dierksheide * Lauren Duval * Joanne B. Freeman * Annette Gordon-Reed * Eliga H. Gould * Patrick Griffin * Nicholas Guyatt * Ricardo A. Herrera * Woody Holton * Brendan McConville * Michael A. McDonnell * Peter S. Onuf * Robert G. Parkinson * Teresa R. Pollak * John A. Ragosta * Bertrand Van Ruymbeke * Rosemarie Zagarri
 

Genres: History, Nonfiction, American Revolution

296 pages, Hardcover

Published April 3, 2026

About the author

Francis D. Cogliano is Reader in American History at the University of Edinburgh. A Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, he has held research fellowships at the Virginia Historical Society and the International Center for Jefferson Studies at Monticello.

Reviews

[Danielle Ferraro · Rating 5 out of 5]

The ONLY book related to the 250 anniversary anyone should be reading. Both a scholarly secondary source and a primary source for future historians

[Kevin Dolan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The popular trope these days is that we shouldn’t mythologize the founders and the founding. We should write the whole history of our nation’s birth warts and all. The contributors to this collection of essays took this to heart. Boy did they. In fact, several of them disposed of the “and all” part and focused just on warts. Reading it was still a useful exercise, but just be aware that you’re getting a good dose of biased “history”. Still, the writing is good and I do expect to dip into select essays again. I probably would have given the book 3.5 stars if it had been an option.

One of the contributors had the audacity to title her essay “What is the Declaration of Independence at 250 to Me?” Appropriating and approximating the title of Frederick Douglass’s famous speech even though she was raised in relative privilege, attended elite universities and holds a prestigious position on the Yale faculty. The author suffered none of the oppression, not even close, that Mr. Douglass did. Peak gall.

[Teresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great lecture and resulting book.

[CR Montoya · Rating 1 out of 5]

I expected more historical information and context. The subject is important, but not rich with information.

[Catherine Hutinett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely liked some essays more than others, but a great overview of where the memory of the Revolution stands at the semiquincentennial. 3.5