Revolution & Founding

Two and a half centuries. Thirteen colonies to fifty states. From Lexington to the smartphone, from the Declaration to the Dust Bowl, from Appomattox to 9/11—the full story, told in one audiobook. In July 2026, the United States marks two hundred and fifty years since the Declaration of Independence. A quarter of a millennium of revolution, war, expansion, struggle, invention, immigration, and reinvention. A story that began with thirteen colonies on the edge of an empire—and produced the most powerful country in human history.

Bestsellerautor Walter Isaacson unternimmt eine faszinierende Tiefenbohrung in die Entstehung eines der revolutionärsten Sätze der amerikanischen Geschichte: »Wir halten diese Wahrheiten für selbstverständlich, dass alle Menschen gleich erschaffen wurden, dass sie von ihrem Schöpfer mit gewissen unveräußerlichen Rechten ausgestattet wurden, wozu Leben, Freiheit und das Streben nach Glück gehören.« Im Sommer 1776 von Thomas Jefferson formuliert und dann von Benjamin Franklin und John Adams überarbeitet, bildet dieser Kernsatz der Amerikanischen Unabhängigkeitserklärung das Fundament der jungen amerkanischen Republik.

There has never been a nation like the United States of America. Its impact on the world is unprecedented in all of human history. After two and a half centuries of existence, it is difficult to imagine what the world would be like without it. But how did it come into existence? Who has really done justice to this astonishing story? Innumerable books have been written about the American Revolution, but the definitive treatment of the full story simply does not exist—certainly not in our generation.

The year 1776 is undoubtedly iconic for Americans. After all, it is the year of the Declaration of Independence—the paradigm-shifting document that birthed a new vision of government and brought the United States into being. But the groundbreaking events of 1776 went far beyond the American Revolution. The Years That Changed History: 1776 invites you to take a uniquely different look at the events of this famous year, in a brilliant and surprising excavation of world history.

"With impressive scholarly sleuthing and a storyteller's eloquence, Danielle Allen has written a landmark book about the people and the ideas that changed the world. By bringing the glamorous Duke of Richmond back to life, Allen paints a panoramic portrait of how principles of human equality and...

The United States was creeping ever closer to independence. The shot heard round the world still echoed in the ears of Parliament as impassioned revolutionaries took up arms for and against King and country. In this captivating blend of careful research and rich narrative, Derek W. Beck...

New York Times journalist Jesse Wegman tells the story of James Wilson, a Founding Father whose bold vision shaped American democracy but whose legacy was lost to scandal. This program is read by the author. As a young lawyer, James Wilson made a celebrated case for American independence in an...

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Last Castle and The Girls of Atomic City comes a sweeping chronicle challenging the traditional mythology of the nation's beginnings and championing the unsung women behind the American Revolution. History has always celebrated the Founding...

A revelatory account of how words and actions combined to destroy Britain's colonial rule and secure Washington's American victory The American Revolution was not only fought on bloody battlefields, it was waged with the ink of pen and print. George Goodwin shows how the leaders of the American...

What did it really take to build a nation? "The land of the free and the home of the brave" didn't just happen. It was forged through rebellion, sacrifice, and the leadership of extraordinary men and women willing to challenge an empire. In Leaders of the American Revolution, discover the people who helped shape the United States—from renowned founders such as George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Benjamin Franklin to the overlooked patriots and heroines whose contributions changed history.