The preeminent historians of the founding era speak their mind on the anniversary of the United States’ birth

In 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 today: 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