The American Revolution: A Research Guide
November 01, 2002
by Thaddeus Krupo,
Senior Librarian,
History Collection, Mid-Manhattan Library
"These are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny like Hell is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph". -Thomas Paine; The American Crisis
Introduction | Atlases | Encyclopedias | Primary Sources | Electronic Resources | Web Sites | A Few Noteworthy Titles
Introduction
The History and Social Sciences Department has many sources on the subject of the American Revolution. These include atlases, biographies, dictionaries, encyclopedias, and primary sources concerning the people, places, and events of this era.
Most books can be found in the 973.3 call number area. To locate materials about this subject in the Library Catalog, highlight SUBJECT ALPHABETICAL in the index to search menu. Use the search terms UNITED STATES- HISTORY- REVOLUTION- 1775-1783. Close to 300 sources will appear and HSS has more than half of the books in its collection. To search for only PRIMARY SOURCES, highlight SUBJECT ALPHABETICAL in the index to search menu and use the search terms UNITED STATES - HISTORY - REVOLUTION - 1775-1783-SOURCES.
Atlases
Rand McNally and Co. / Atlas of the American Revolution. Map selection and commentary by Kenneth Nebenzahl. Chicago, Rand McNally and Co. 1974. [REF. 911. 73 M /Atlas Case C-3.]
Chronological listing of the major events of the Revolution with reproductions of over 50 maps with narratives written by historian Don Higgenbotham listing the map's creator, the year it was created, and the significance of each map.
United States Government Printing Office / The American Revolution, 1775-1783: An Atlas of 18th Century Maps, Charts, Theaters of Operations. United States Naval Historical Division, 1972. [REF. 912. 1973 U / Atlas Case E-5]
A selection of 18 oversized maps arranged chronologically.
Cappon, Lester J. editor-in-chief / Atlas of Early American History: the Revolutionary Era 1760-1790. Princeton, N. J., Princeton University Press, 1976. [REF. 911.73 A / Atlas Case C-1]
This comprehensive atlas includes maps and graphs of the people and events of the Revolutionary era.
Symonds, Craig L. / A Battlefield Atlas of the American Revolution. Annapolis, MD., Nautical and Aviation Press, 1986. [REF. 911.73 S]
This source is designed to give the reader a visual overview of the battles of the American Revolution.
Encyclopedias
Blanco, Richard C. (ed.) / The American Revolution 1775-1783, An Encyclopedia. New York, Garland Pub., 1993. [REF. 973. 303 B]
This 2-volume set provides over 800 entries written by academic historians, historians from National Park Service, military and naval officers, graduate students, and professional writers. The encyclopedia pays particular attention to military and naval developments of the years 1775-1783, providing information on almost every ambush, skirmish, and engagement during this time.
Greene, Jack, P. and Pole, J.R. (Eds.) / The Blackwell Encyclopedia of the American Revolution. Cambridge, Mass., Blackwell Reference, 1991. [REF. 973. 303 B]
75 articles written by recognized specialists in the field covering the major events of the Revolutionary era. They discuss the causes, effects, and concepts associated with each event. There are also brief biographies of the major actors and an extended chronological table at the end of this source.
Boatner, Mark, Mayo (ed.) / Encyclopedia of the American Revolution. New York, David McKay Co. INC., 1966. [REF. 973. 303 B]
This source covers the years 1763-1783 and although primarily focusing on American history, it also covers British, French, and German participation in the revolution.
Primary Sources
These sources range from the complete set of papers of famous people to small memoirs of lesser-known people who took part or were eyewitness to the events that took place. To search for only PRIMARY SOURCES in LEO CATALOG highlight SUBJECT ALPHABETICAL in the index to search menu. Use the search phrase UNITED STATES - HISTORY - REVOLUTION - 1775-1783 - SOURCES. Listed below are a sample of the primary sources that HSS has in its collection:
Jefferson, Thomas / Papers of Thomas Jefferson. Julian P. Boyd editor-in-chief, Princeton, N. J., Princeton University Press, 1950, [973. 46 J]
This 28-volume collection covers the years 1760-1797. Volumes 1-6 are sources for Jefferson's correspondence throughout the revolutionary period to when he was ambassador to France. The complete set is in HSS' reference section. There are many volumes also available for circulation.
Paine, Thomas / The Writings of Thomas Paine. Moncure Daniel Conway editor, AMS Press, 1967. [REF. 320. 08 P]
A 4-volume set of his writings. Volume 1 (1774-1779) has Common Sense and The American Crisis.
Commager, Henry Steele (ed.) / The Spirit of Seventy-Six; The Story of the American Revolution as Told by the Participants. Indianapolis, IN., Bobbs-Merrill. 1958, [973. 3 C]
This 2-volume set has broadsides, letters, and speeches of both the famous and obscure telling the story of the American Revolution from the Boston tea party in 1773 to George Washington's resignation from the army in 1783. There is a large bibliography and an extensive index in the back of volume 2.
Washington, George / The Papers of George Washington. Abbot, W.W. ed., Charlottesville, Va., University of Virginia Press, 1983. [B Washington]
This 9-volume set is broken into 3- parts, Colonial, Revolutionary, and Presidency. Each part is further broken down chronologically. The papers cover his correspondence as soldier, general, and President.
Various authors / Eyewitness Accounts of the American Revolution. New York, New York, New York Times and Arno Press, 1968. [973. 3]
This is a series of diaries, memoirs, and letters from the famous and not so famous people who took part in the revolution. The History and Social Sciences Department has over 60 different accounts in all. To create a list of the eyewitness accounts series in the LEO CATALOG and highlight TITLE ALPHABETICAL on the search menu. Then type Eyewitness Accounts of the American Revolution and the entire list will appear.
United States. / Secret Journals of the Acts and Proceedings of Congress. New York, Johnson Reprint Corp., 1967. [REF. 973. 3 U]
This 4-volume set covers both the domestic and foreign affairs decisions that were not made public until 1818. The 1st volume deals with domestic affairs and the other 3 volumes cover foreign affairs.
New York (State) / Minutes of the Commissioners for Detecting and Defeating Conspiracies in the State of New York. Palstits, Victor H. ed., DA Capo Press, 1972. [REF. 973. 3 R]
This 3-volume set contains the Commissioners minutes from its origins in 1778 through the end of the Revolutionary War in 1781. The editor included an introduction and an extensive analytical index to help the user find a specific person who may have been involved with the commission.
Electronic Resources
Besides the print material, there are also databases available through The Library's electronic resources page that are only available at the Mid-Manhattan Library and the Humanities and Social Sciences Division of the Research Library.
America: History and Life.
This database catalogs thousands of journal articles written about American and Canadian History from 1450 through the present. Abstracts only.
Historical Abstracts.
This database catalogs journal articles of world history, excluding the United States and Canada, from 1450 to the present. Abstracts only.
JSTOR.
This is a database that has 32 core academic journals in history that date back to the 19th century. It is a full text database.
Web Sites
There are a vast number of web sites that are available through the World Wide Web about the American Revolution. Below is a selected list of sites.
Documents from the Continental Congress
The Library of Congress has placed a large collection of documents from the Continental Congress as well as the Constitutional Convention Broadsides on the Internet. This web site is key word searchable and has useful links to chronology, bibliographies, and important links to documents such as the Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution.
Journal of the Continental Congress
Also on the Library of Congress's web page, is a link to the Journal of the Continental Congress. All 34 volumes are searchable by keyword or date. There is also a bibliographic record and a citation guide at the bottom of the page.
U.S. History.org
This page has many links to various organizations dedicated to preserving United States history including the National Park Service, the Sons and Daughters of the American Revolution, and many more.
Flags of the World
This site has current and historic flags for almost every country in the World. The website listed above is a specific page in Flags of the World that has flags from the Colonial and Revolution Eras.
A Few Noteworthy Titles
The books listed below present unique approaches to the subject or are noteworthy for their outstanding scholarship.
Abbott, Wilbur Cortez / New York in the American Revolution. New York, Scribners Sons, 1929. [REF. 974.702 A]
Bailyn, Bernard / The Ideological Origins of the American Revolution. Cambridge, Mass. Belknap Press of Harvard University, 1967. [320.0973 B]
Bailyn, Bernard / The Press and the American Revolution. Worchester, Mass. American Antiquarian Society, 1980. [071. 3 P]
Fenn, Elizabeth, A / Pox Americana: The Great Smallpox Epidemic of 1775-1782. New York, Hill and Wang, 2001. [614. 521 F]
Foner, Phillip Sheldon / Labor and the American Revolution. Westport, Conn. Greenwood Press, 1976. [973. 315 F]
Freidel, Frank Burt / Harvard Guide to American History. Cambridge, Belkap Press of Harvard University, 1974. [REF. 016. 973 F]
Volume 2, part 5, pages 666 through 771, "America to 1789", is an excellent bibliography of the American Revolution.
Kaplan, Sidney / The Black Presence in the Era of the American Revolution 1770-1800. Greenwich, Conn. New York Graphic Society, 1973. [REF. 973. 3092 K]
Mackesy, Piers / The War for America 1775-1783. Cambridge, Harvard University Press, 1964. [973. 3 M]
Mason, Bernard / The Road to Independence; The Revolutionary Movement in New York, 1773-1777. Lexington, KY., University of Kentucky Press, 1967. [974. 702 M]
Mollo, John / Uniforms of the American Revolution in Color MacMilliam, 1975. [355. 1409 M]
Sheer, George F. / Rebels and Redcoats. Cleveland, World Pub., Company, 1957. [REF. 973. 3 S]
Wood, Gordon S. / The Radicalism of the American Revolution. New York, A.A. Knopf, 1991. [973. 31 W]
Wynn Jones, Michael / The Cartoon History of the American Revolution. Putman, 1975. [REF. 973.302 W; Oversize Shelf]
