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Featured Essays
As we celebrate the 250th anniversary of American independence, our founding charter remains central to our national life, unifying us and paving the way for what we have long called “the American Dream.”
America’s extraordinary success is directly related to its unique form of government embodied in the Constitution.
America 250!
“Shall We Have a King?” | Fall 2025, Vol 70, No 4
By William E. LeuchtenburgSome delegates at the Constitutional Convention wanted a strong executive, while others feared the American president might become a king.
Knox Brings Cannon and Victory to General Washington | Fall 2025, Vol 70, No 4
By Edwin S. GrosvenorSetting out 250 years ago this month, Henry Knox’s “Noble Train” carried 60 tons of desperately needed artillery to help patriots oust British forces from Boston.
The Plight of Massachusetts Loyalists | Spring 2024, Vol 69, No 2
By Larry C. KerpelmanIn “the cradle of the American Revolution,” loyalists to the Crown faced a harsh choice: live with terrible abuse where they were, or flee to friendlier, but alien regions.
"The Sparck of Rebellion" | Winter 2010, Summer 2025, Vol 59, No 4
By Douglas BrinkleyBadly disguised as Indians, a rowdy group of patriotic vandals kicked a revolution into motion.
Samuel Adams Starts a Revolution | May 2023, Vol 68, No 3
By Stacy SchiffEnlisting an army of alter egos, Adams used the Boston press to make the case for American independence and to orchestrate a burgeoning rebellion.
Classic Essays from the Archives
The Hawthornes In Paradise | December 1958, Summer 2025, Vol 10, No 1
By Malcolm CowleyNathaniel was poor and sunk in his solitude; Sophia seemed a hopeless invalid, but a late-flower love gave them at last “a perfect Eden.”
Lincoln As Commander in Chief | Winter 2009, Summer 2025, Vol 58, No 6
By James M. McPhersonEven though he had no military training, Lincoln quickly rose to become one of America’s most talented commanders.
A Yankee Among The War Lords | October 1970, Vol 21, No 6
By Barbara W. TuchmanFirst of the Three Parts from STILWELL THE AMERICAN EXPERIENCE IN CHINA 1911-1945
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