America at 250: Books for Adults

Reflect on American history and the founding of the United States with these books for the semiquincentennial.

Updated June 30, 2026
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Washington County Library (MN) WashCoLib
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America at 250: Books for Adults

Reflect on American history and the founding of the United States with these books for the semiquincentennial.

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Founding gardeners : the revolutionary generation, nature, and the shaping of the American nation
Wulf, Andrea.
Audiobook
A groundbreaking look at the Founding Fathers and their obsession with gardening, agriculture, and botany by the author of Magnificent Rebels and New York Times bestseller The Invention of Nature. * "Illuminating and engrossing." --The New York Times Book Review<...
Liberty is sweet : the hidden history of the American Revolution
Holton, Woody
Paper Book
A "deeply researched and bracing retelling" (Annette Gordon-Reed, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian) of the American Revolution, showing how the Founders were influenced by overlooked Americans--women, Native Americans, African Americans, and religious dissenters. Using more than...
The last king of America : the misunderstood reign of George III
Roberts, Andrew
Paper Book
From the New York Times bestselling author of Churchill and Napoleon The last king of America, George III, has been ridiculed as a complete disaster who frittered away the colonies and went mad in his old age. The truth is much more nuanced and fascinating--and...
The American Revolution : an intimate history
Ward, Geoffrey C.
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * From the award-winning historian and filmmakers of The Civil War, Baseball, Jazz, The Roosevelts, and others: a richly illustrated, human-centered history of America's founding struggle--expanding on the landmark, six-part PBS series ...
Tom Paine's War: The Words That Rallied a Nation and the Founder for Our Time
Kelly, Jack
Paper Book
Ten Books We are Looking Forward to in Early 2026 --NPR In 1776, one man's words--and the determination of American patriots--allowed our nation to survive its first crisis. "Exemplary... Kelly explains why Paine and his writing mattered 250 years ago and why...
The Swamp Fox : how Francis Marion saved the American Revolution
Oller, John
Paper Book
This comprehensive biography of Francis Marion, the Swamp Fox, covers his famous wartime stories as well as a private side of him that has rarely been explored In the darkest days of the American Revolution, Francis Marion and his band of militia freedom...
The indispensables : the diverse soldier-mariners who shaped the country, formed the Navy, and rowed Washington across the Delaware
O'Donnell, Patrick K.
Paper Book
From the bestselling author of Washington's Immortals and The Unknowns, an important new chronicle of the American Revolution heralding the heroism of the men from Marblehead, Massachusetts On the stormy night of August 29, 1776, the Continental Army faced capture or annihilation after...
Never caught : the Washingtons' relentless pursuit of their runaway slave, Ona Judge
Dunbar, Erica Armstrong
Paper Book
Finalist for the National Book Award for Nonfiction "A fascinating and moving account of a courageous and resourceful woman. Beautifully written and utilizing previously untapped sources it sheds new light both on the father of our country and on the intersections of slavery and...
The Indian world of George Washington : the first President, the first Americans, and the birth of the nation
Calloway, Colin G.
Paper Book
George Washington's place in the foundations of the Republic remains unrivalled. His life story--from his beginnings as a surveyor and farmer, to colonial soldier in the Virginia Regiment, leader of the Patriot cause, commander of the Continental Army, and finally first president of the United...
Not Your Founding Father: How a Nonbinary Minister Became America's Most Radical Revolutionary
Sankovitch, Nina
Paper Book
A thrilling celebration of a forgotten early American renegade, Not Your Founding Father reconsiders just how radical the American experiment could have been. Early in the morning of October 10, 1776--in the small farming community of Cumberland, Rhode Island, in a house...
Hero of two worlds : the Marquis de Lafayette in the Age of Revolution
Duncan, Mike
Paper Book
A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER The riveting story of the Marquis de Lafayette's lifelong quest to defend the principles of liberty and equality, from the bestselling author of The Storm Before the Storm and the host of the Revolutions...
A republic of scoundrels : the schemers, intriguers & adventurers who created a new American nation
Head, David (Historian)
Paper Book
The Founding Fathers are often revered as American saints; here are the stories of those Founders who were schemers and scoundrels, vying for their own interests ahead of the nation's. We now have a clear-eyed understanding of Founding Fathers such as George Washington, Benjamin...
The American Revolution and the fate of the world
Bell, Richard
Paper Book
In this revelatory and enthralling book, award-winning historian Richard Bell reveals the full breadth and depth of America's founding event. The American Revolution was not only the colonies' triumphant liberation from the rule of an overbearing England; it was also a cataclysm that pulled in...
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