Collection · 16 books · 1622 to 1918 AD
American History
Key texts from American history and founding.
1600s
Mourt’s Relation
William Bradford and Edward Winslow · 1622 AD — the Plymouth settlers' own account of the Mayflower voyage and first winter.
A Model of Christian Charity
John Winthrop · 1630 AD — the shipboard sermon envisioning the Massachusetts Bay colony as a city upon a hill.
Of Plymouth Plantation
William Bradford · 1651 AD — Bradford's own governor's chronicle of the Pilgrims from persecution to New England.
1700s
Magnalia Christi Americana
Cotton Mather · 1702 AD — the history of New England's churches and the people who built them, in seven books.
Common Sense
Thomas Paine · 1776 AD — the pamphlet arguing for American independence from Britain.
Letters from an American Farmer
J. Hector St. John de Crèvecoeur · 1782 AD — a Pennsylvania farmer's letters portraying colonial American life for a European friend.
Federalist Papers
Alexander Hamilton · 1787 AD — eighty-five essays by Hamilton, Madison, and Jay defending the proposed Constitution.
The U.S. Constitution & Bill of Rights
Founding Fathers · 1787 AD — the framework of American government and the rights it guarantees citizens.
The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin · 1789 AD — a printer's rise to Founding Father, including the pursuit of thirteen virtues.
Report on Manufactures
Alexander Hamilton · 1791 AD — the case for American manufacturing and industrial policy submitted to Congress.
Washington’s Farewell Address
George Washington · 1796 AD — Washington's parting counsel against political faction and for national unity.
1800s
A Narrative of the Life of Mrs. Mary Jemison
James E. Seaver · 1824 AD — the true story of a woman captured by Seneca raiders who chose to remain among them.
The Life and Campaigns of Stonewall Jackson
Robert Lewis Dabney · 1866 AD — Jackson's life and Civil War campaigns by his own chief of staff.
The Art of Money Getting
P.T. Barnum · 1880 AD — twenty rules for success drawn from a showman's career in business.
1900s
Stories of Thrift for Young Americans
Myron T. Pritchard and Grace A. Turkington · 1915 AD — twenty-one school stories teaching the care of health, time, money, and home.
Great Inventors and Their Inventions
Frank P. Bachman · 1918 AD — twelve stories of great inventions told through the lives of Watt, Fulton, Whitney, Morse, and Bell.
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