Happy 250th Birthday, America!

In honor of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence this July 4, here’s a reading list to remember, celebrate, and commemorate our country’s history.  While it’s always a good time to read “1776” by David McCullough, plenty of new books are flooding the market to reexamine the past 250 years.

Many of these new books seek to analyze the U.S. Constitution in whole or part.  Melissa Murray is a constitutional law scholar and her book, “The U.S. Constitution: A Comprehensive and Annotated Guide for the Modern Reader,” explains our founding documents for a general audience.  Murray annotates each amendment with historical context and also gives examples for its relevancy in present day.

The 2026 Pulitzer Prize Committee awarded this year’s award for History to “We the People: A History of the U.S. Constitution” by Jill Lepore. In it she explores why the Constitution has been so difficult to amend — and how our founders never intended it to be this way.  She argues that the Constitution was meant to be tinkered with and gives us the information to fight for a better future full of constitutional possibility.

In “The Greatest Sentence Ever Written,” Walter Isaacson takes a deep dive into a single, revolutionary sentence, the one that starts the second paragraph of the Declaration of Independence: “We hold these truths to be self-evident…”  Isaacson unpacks this sentence word by word, providing insight into its drafting and how it lays the foundation for the American Dream.

Edward J. Larson’s “Declaring Independence: Why 1776 Matters” is a history of a year: at the beginning of 1776, no one was talking about independence, but by the end of the year, it was on every patriot’s lips.  By looking in particular at the state constitutions and state declarations of rights, readers can better understand our country and glean lessons for today.

In “America, U.S.A.,” Eddie S. Glaude, Jr. uses major celebrations of America’s milestone birthdays across the past 250 years to explore our country’s legacy of race and freedom. Glaude uses this meditation on our past to chart a way forward.  With lessons from W.E.B. DuBois, John Dos Passos, Herman Melville, Martin Luther King, Jr., and others, Glaude takes a fearless look into the dark corners of our past. 

“Obstinate Daughters: The Rebels, Writers, and Renegade Women Who Ignited the American Revolution” by Denise Kiernan wrests history for the Founding Fathers and gives it back to the women who shaped our nation — the women who fought, spied, published preached, farmed, and organized.

Prefer a road trip?  In “This Land is Your Land: A Road Trip Through U.S. History,” Beverly Gage travels the country to see historic sites, monuments, reenactments, and museums where Americans learn about our history.  Gage goes to the places where history happened, focusing on thirteen key locations, including locations in Philadelphia, Virginia, Texas, Chicago, and Disneyland that define our country through successes and challenges that happened there.

The work of the American experiment is never done. By revealing our history, all of these books can show us a path forward.

Hannah Harlow is owner of The Book Shop, an independent bookstore in Beverly Farms.  Harlow writes biweekly recommendations for us.  See more of what she recommends reading at thecricket.com.