In honor of America’s Semiquincentennial, I’ve rounded up seven previous blog posts that focus on various aspects of the American Revolution. Some are from the very early stages of Traveling through Reading, while others are much more recent.
You’ll travel throughout the colonies, meeting the individuals who loom large in our nation’s founding and discovering places often overlooked. No matter the level of fame today, each person, place, and occurrence all had a part to play in creating the United States of America out of thirteen loosely tied colonies.In 
Signing Their Lives Away: The Fame and Misfortune of the Men Who Signed The Declaration of Independence, authors Denise Kiernan and Joseph D’Agnese provide a brief biography of all fifty-six signers.
Signing Their Lives Away: The Fame and Misfortune of the Men Who Signed The Declaration of Independence, authors Denise Kiernan and Joseph D’Agnese provide a brief biography of all fifty-six signers.Today, visitors can walk the same cobblestone streets that the signers walked in Philadelphia. Inside Independence Hall, you can step into the room where the Declaration of Independence was signed and imagine the arguments for and against a split from Great Britain. Just across the street is the Liberty Bell. Originally it hung in Independence Hall, but has been moved to a spot where all visitors can see it up close.
The
Drillmaster of Valley Forge by Paul Lockhart is an insightful look
into Baron von Steuben, the man credited with training the Continental Army at
Valley Forge in 1778. For many Americans, this is where Steuben’s story ends.
Lockart’s biography details the rest of Steuben’s major contributions that had
a lasting impact on the American military.
Valley Forge is located about 30 miles northwest of Philadelphia. The Visitor Center provides an overview of Valley Forge and numerous artifacts from the winter encampment. Throughout the park, you can visit replica cabins that soldiers would have stayed in, the home Washington used as his headquarters, and the plain where Steuben trained and drilled the army.
“The ‘Cockpit’ of the American Revolution”
The
American Revolution in New Jersey: Where the Battlefront Meets the Home Front, edited by James J. Gigantion II, explores the impact of the
Revolutionary War on New Jersey. Readers gain insight into the personal,
economic, and military impact on the residents—for both patriots and loyalists.
Red Bank Battlefield Park is one of the many locations in New Jersey that commemorates where the America forces fought for Independence from Great Britain. Located on the Delaware River, the patriot forces fought Hessian soldiers. The original owners' home is open seasonally and provides a glimpse into Colonial life.
In 1776, author David McCullough unpacks all that happened during one pivotal year. He splits the book into three parts that move the reader from London to Colonial America. For me, the most impactful part of 1776 was McCullough's description of the Continental Army: a collection of rag-tag volunteers who morphed into a disciplined fighting force. Nestled amongst numerous other Philadelphia
sites important to the story of 1776, the Museum of the
American Revolution is a fully immersive museum that takes full advantage of
technological advancements. It covers the entirety of the American Revolution,
transporting visitors across geography and leaving them with a greater
appreciation for the everyday patriots committed to independence.
Chaining the Hudson
by Lincoln Diamant highlights an important part of Revolutionary
War history: defending the Hudson River, north of New York City. Failure to
defend it would split the northern colonies in two and cut off supplies.
Fort Montgomery is on the northern edge of Bear Mountain State Park, in New York. The area includes a small indoor museum, detailing the significance of the Fort to the defense of the Hudson, original stone foundations and earthworks, and recreated structures.
And, just as a reminder, the last two published blog posts were the first in this mini-series:
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