“These Truths: A History of the United States,” by acclaimed historian and New Yorker writer Jill Lepore, is a one-volume history of America that is devoted to facts, proof, and evidence. The American experiment rests on three ideas―"these truths," Jefferson called them―political equality, natural rights, and the sovereignty of the people. Has America lived up to them?

“American Revolutions: A Continental History, 1750-1804" by Alan Taylor provides a comprehensive overview of the era. The Constitution, which provided the nation its democratic framework, is the book’s focus. Alan Taylor is a two-time Pulitzer Prize winner.

"1776" by David McCullough offers a compelling narrative of the Revolutionary War's early years. The book tells how the average American and Brit felt about the war. Center stage was George Washington, whose actions made a critical difference in America’s claim to independence.

“Washington's Crossing" by Pulitzer Prize-winning David Hackett Fischer, focuses on the pivotal battles of Trenton and Princeton. American guerrillas, defying military convention, fought in plain clothes, believing they had a natural right to take up arms in defense of their laws and liberties. It was their uprising that created an opportunity for George Washington to succeed.

“In Harm's Way” is an action-packed historical story set during America’s War of Independence, which is based on actual naval battles. The author explores how the settlers could not pay ship captains to work for their cause, so early American sea warriors lived as pirates and lived off their plunder of English ships. In the end, they struck fear into the hearts of British shippers around the globe.