Edward J. Larson

Bylines

Give Me Independence: On 1776, the Pivotal Year For What Would Become America

Why 1776 became the year Americans declared themselves an independent nation.

by Edward J. Larson via Literary Hub on December 5, 2025
What Actually Changed in 1776

The most consequential shift that year was not one of battle lines but of ideology.

by Edward J. Larson via The Atlantic
This publication restricts nonsubscriber access to some or all of its articles.
on November 10, 2025
Banneker’s Answer to Jefferson: “I Am an American”

The black naturalist, astronomer, surveyor, and almanac-writer Benjamin Banneker took issue with Thomas Jefferson’s attitude toward “those of my complexion.”

by Edward J. Larson via American Heritage on November 21, 2023

Book

Declaring Independence: Why 1776 Matters

Edward J. Larson

2025

Book

American Inheritance: Liberty and Slavery in the Birth of a Nation, 1765-1795

Edward J. Larson

2023

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Podcast

More Perfect

The Democracy Amendments

A look at three amendments on the more obscure end of the spectrum: the 12th, 17th, and 20th Amendments made fine-tune adjustments to the way we pick our leaders. More Perfect is here to prove these three are more interesting than you think they are.

November 30, 2018

An abolitionist lithograph depicting enslaved people celebrating the Fourth of July while a white judge sits on bales of cotton with his feet on the Constitution, 1840

Edward J. Larson

Bylines

Give Me Independence: On 1776, the Pivotal Year For What Would Become America

What Actually Changed in 1776

Banneker’s Answer to Jefferson: “I Am an American”

Related Excerpts

The Democracy Amendments

The Contradictory Revolution

Teaching the Story of “Universal Liberty” in Revolutionary Rhode Island

Mud-Slinging and Deadly Duels: How Negative Campaigning Evolved