11 Revolutionary War Stories to Celebrate Independence Day

In his book 1776, David McCullough illustrates the “OG” (aka “original gangster”) of American uprisings, led by General George Washington himself—the stirring story of our nation’s birth. This is an intensely human tale of the Americans in the ranks and the momentous 12 months of revolution in which they fought for independence.

More from David McCullough.

This historical novel follows the love triangle that nearly destroyed America’s fight for freedom. It focuses on Peggy Shippen Arnold, the cunning wife of Benedict Arnold and the mastermind behind America’s most infamous—and misunderstood—act of treason.

In this landmark work of history, National Book Award-winner Joseph J. Ellis explores how a group of greatly gifted but deeply flawed individuals—Hamilton, Burr, Jefferson, Franklin, Washington, Adams, and Madison—confronted the overwhelming challenges before them to set the course for our nation.

In the first full-length biography of Alexander Hamilton in decades, Pulitzer Prize-winner Ron Chernow tells the fascinating story of a man who overcame all odds to shape, inspire, and scandalize the newborn America. Hamilton’s story will remind readers of our institutions and our heritage as Americans.

In this authoritative and engrossing full-scale biography, Walter Isaacson, bestselling author of Steve Jobs and The Innovators, provides the full sweep of Franklin’s amazing life, showing how he helped to forge the American national identity and why he has a particular resonance in the twenty-first century.

This intimate and illuminating look at the fervently patriotic and passionate women whose tireless pursuits on behalf of their families—and their country—proves that they were just as crucial to the forging of a new nation as the rebellion that established it.

This oft-overlooked perspective examines how those who fought against independence were treated in early America. Spoiler alert: it wasn’t easy being a Tory.

Jeff Shaara brilliantly brings to life the American Revolution, creating a superb saga of the men who helped to forge the destiny of a nation—revealing how philosophers became fighters, ideas their ammunition, and how a scattered group of colonies became the United States of America.

This fascinating novel follows a fierce-tempered young woman so determined to take up arms against the British that she enlists as a man. This is the story of remarkable courage, hope, and fear that shaped her odyssey.

Colonial Manhattan is full of drama, intrigue, and excitement in this beloved series of novels. Following the tale of an immigrant family that settles in Nieuw Amsterdam, these novels follow generations of doctors and traders, families and enemies, all of whom will have a place in the war that consumes their young country.

On April 18, 1775, musket shots ring out over Lexington, Massachusetts. As the sun rises over the battlefield, fifteen-year-old Adam Cooper stands among the outmatched patriots, facing a line of British troops. Sweeping in scope and masterful in execution, this novel is a classic of American literature.