The The Long Revolution

In The Long Revolution, Volume 1, historian Nathan Perl-Rosenthal presents a provocative reexamination of the American founding. Rather than viewing the Revolution as a finished event in 1776, this United States history argues that a continuous political struggle shaped the nation for decades. By analyzing thousands of Independence Day orations, Perl-Rosenthal reveals how the Revolution served as a source of conflicting ideas rather than a unifying myth. This work explores the intense anxieties and radical visions held by diverse groups of Americans throughout the nineteenth century.

This scholarly history of the Americas examines how local notables and national celebrities used the Fourth of July to debate the country's direction. The Long Revolution, Volume 1, provides a deep look into the contrasting political identities of men and women, both white and Black. It offers a necessary perspective on the American founding, framing the era as a period of ongoing transformation and intense debate.