The Idea of America: Reflections on the Birth of the United States

“Exceptional... a remarkable study of the key chapter of American history and its ongoing influence on American character.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

The Pulitzer Prize-winning historian of the Founding Era reflects on the birth of American nationhood and explains why the American Revolution remains so essential to our identity and culture.

For Gordon S. Wood, the American Revolution is the most important event in our history, bar none. Since American identity is so fluid and complex...