The Unfinished Business of 1776 - by Thomas Richards (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

A clarion call for taking back the American Revolution from the far right, published for the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence

Who gets to claim the legacy of the American Revolution and the mantle of patriotism that goes along with it? In a sharp, irreverent, deeply informed account of the nation's founding moment and its enduring legacies, historian Thomas Richards Jr. invites us to see the Revolution not just as a one-time fight for political freedom from Britain but as an ongoing struggle for equality, justice, and social and political independence for all Americans.

A riveting work of narrative history, The Unfinished Business of 1776 shows that the Revolutionary struggle did not end in 1788 when the Constitution was ratified. Across nine dramatic chapters, Richards introduces readers to the vividly drawn characters who kept the Revolution alive for the next century and beyond, including the women's rights advocate Judith Sargent Murray, the enslaved rebel Gabriel, the economic reformer Solomon Sharp, and the religious visionary Joseph Smith--each pushing for freedoms that extended well beyond the traditional narrative of the Revolution, and each revealing how the unfinished work of 1776 fueled demands for economic, social, and legal equality that lasted well beyond the Revolution itself.

A myth-busting book about the history we think we know, The Unfinished Business of 1776 is the perfect antidote to jingoistic celebrations of America--offering an inclusive vision of our common past.

Review Quotes

Praise for The Unfinished Business of 1776:
"Incisive and lively. . . . This book doesn't just reproduce facts; it sparks reflection on what liberty and justice mean, then and now. Richards's scholarship and vibrant prose create a meaningful guide for those seeking to understand the United States' ongoing debates with its founding ideals."--Library Journal

"Thomas Richards's brilliant book reminds us how Americans fought and died over the legacies of the American Revolution and why liberals need to continue the fight for our revolutionary legacy today."--Erik Loomis, author of A History of America in Ten Strikes and Organizing America

"Authoritative yet entertaining--and historically spot-on. A sweeping account of how everyday Americans made the promise of the Revolution work for them."--Ray Raphael, author of A People's History of the American Revolution and Constitutional Myths

"We tend to think of the aftermath of the Revolutionary War as a tranquil time of settlement--a permanent defeat of the English crown, the road to a solid Constitution, a peaceful citizenry pleased with the outcome. In this illuminating book, Thomas Richards Jr. shows us how pressing questions about the meaning and survival of the new republic plagued the founders and never went away. The politics of today, uncomfortably enough, bear a distinct echo of 1776."--Tom Zoellner, National Book Critics Circle Award-winning author of Island on Fire and The Road Was Full of Thorns

"Thomas Richards understands that Americans have never stopped battling over the meaning and substance of the American Revolution. Telling the story through a diverse cast of individuals who encompass an expansive geography and who illustrate lasting revolutionary ideas and issues is a terrific idea and it hasn't been done in anything like this way."--David Waldstreicher, author of Slavery's Constitution and The Odyssey of Phillis Wheatley

About the Author

Thomas Richards Jr. teaches history at Springside Chestnut Hill Academy in Philadelphia and holds a PhD in history from Temple University. The author of Breakaway Americas: The Unmanifest Future of the Jacksonian United States and The Unfinished Business of 1776 (The New Press), he lives in Gulph Mills, Pennsylvania, where George Washington once camped.