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

By Gordon S. Wood

Categories: History

The Idea of America: Reflections on the Birth of the United States (2011) is a collection of essays by historian Gordon S. Wood, who won the Pulitzer Prize for The Radicalism of the American Revolution. Wood writes about the American Revolution, the founders and the ideas that shaped the new nation. The essays examine republicanism, democracy and how the revolutionary generation understood liberty, equality and the meaning of their break with Britain.

Recommended by 1 person

• Fareed Zakaria: “This week's "Book of the Week" is related to July 4th. Around this time of the year, I often pick up something about American history, and I would recommend to you Gordon Woods' "The Idea of America." Wood is quite simply the greatest living historian of the American Revolution, and this is a collection of his essays about the founding, about American exceptionalism, about religion and much more. It is a treasure chest and you will dip into it repeatedly.”