A richly woven biography of the beloved patriot Betsy Ross, her fabled creation of "the first flag," and an enthralling portrait of everyday life in Revolutionary War-era Philadelphia.

Despite being a founder of both the United States and the French Republic, the creator of the phrase "United States of America," and the author of three of the biggest bestsellers of the eighteenth century, Thomas Paine is perhaps the least well known--and the most controversial--of the American founding fathers. Author Nelson's portrait brings him to life against the backdrop of the Revolutionary era and the intellectual exhilaration of the Age of...

A portrait of the influential intellectual behind such books as "The Age of Reason" discusses his limited formal education, fervent support of American independence, and life-risking advocacy of history-shaping ideas.

"Though remembered chiefly as author of the Declaration of Independence and the president under whom the Louisiana Purchase was effected, Thomas Jefferson was a true revolutionary in the way he thought about the size and reach of government, which Americans who were full citizens and the role of education in the new country. In his new book, Kevin Gutzman gives readers a new view of Jefferson--a revolutionary who effected radical change in a growing...

The story of the self-educated craftsman who earned a place in history as the voice of the American Revolution.

Thomas Paine's words were like no others in history: they leaped off the page, inspiring readers to change their lives, their governments, their kings, and even their gods. In an age when spoken and written words were the only forms of communication, Paine's aroused men to action like no one else. The most widely read political writer of his generation, he proved to be more than a century ahead of his time, conceiving and demanding unheard-of social...