Joseph Ellis

A few thoughts about July 4, 1776

July 4, 2020

The Declaration of Independence has always had a special importance in our family because one of our ancestors was among the 56 who signed it. In anticipation of this year’s Fourth, I recently re-read Nathaniel Philbrick’s Bunker Hill: A City,…

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Who’s John Jay? Scholars urge new look at forgotten founder

July 10, 2015

Though John Jay was one of three contributors to the Federalist Papers, president of the wartime Continental Congress and the nation’s first chief justice, some say he’s the forgotten founder. That is one of the key points in an article…

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Whirlwind: A book review by Bob Morris

June 6, 2015

Whirlwind: The American Revolution and the War That Won It John Ferling Bloomsbury Press (2015) How and why the American Revolution “was caused and driven by economic factors and colonists’ desire to control their destiny” I was and remain intrigued…

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Fighting over the Founders: A book review by Bob Morris

March 2, 2015

Fighting over the Founders: How We Remember the American Revolution Andrew M. Schocket New York University Press (2015) Why “the American Revolution will take place in different ways depending on the medium in which it is depicted.” Andrew Schocket Officially,…

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Bunker Hill: A book review by Bob Morris

July 8, 2013

Bunker Hill: A City, a Siege, a Revolution Nathaniel Philbrick Viking/Penguin, an imprint of Penguin Random House (2013) “In the end, the city of Boston is the true hero of this story.” The historical details are by now well-known but many…

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Bunker Hill: A book review by Bob Morris

July 4, 2013

Bunker Hill: A City, a Siege, a Revolution Nathaniel Philbrick Viking/The Penguin Group (2013) “In the end, the city of Boston is the true hero of this story.” The historical details are by now well-known but many people do not…

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Thoughts about July 4, 1776

July 2, 2013

Thoughts about July 4, 1776 The Declaration of Independence has always had a special importance in our family because one of our ancestors was among the 56 who signed it. In anticipation of this year’s Fourth, I recently re-read Nathaniel…

Read More