Remembering the Revolution

Right Aligned — Detail from The Seat of War, in New England by an American Volunteer, 1775

Because patriot printer Isaiah Thomas was actively involved with the events of the American Revolution, the American Antiquarian Society holds especially rich and varied materials from the years surrounding independence, particularly from 1774 to 1783. Thomas was not only a participant in the Patriot cause during these turbulent years, but also a careful observer. Long before founding AAS in 1812, he deliberately collected printed materials from every era, driven by a conviction that such works must be preserved for generations to come. He explained this purpose when he wrote, “We cannot obtain a knowledge of those who are to come after us, nor are we certain what will be the events of future times; as it is in our power, so it should be our duty to bestow on posterity that which they cannot give to us, but which they may enlarge and improve and transmit to those who shall succeed them. It is but paying a debt we owe to our fore-fathers.”

To commemorate the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States, AAS curators selected the materials in this gallery from the Society’s vast collections. Although these items represent only a small portion of the library’s holdings, they illuminate the many voices, experiences, and ideas preserved on the shelves of the Society—stories that continue to deepen our understanding of the nation’s founding and its legacy.

Resources

Joseph M. Adelman. Revolutionary Networks. The Business and Politics of Printing the News, 1763-1789. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2019.
Bernard Bailyn and John B. Hench, eds. The Press & The American Revolution. Boston: Northeastern University Press, 1981.
Finding Materials for American Revolution History, AAS website.
Rodger D. Parker, Wellsprings of a Nation. Worcester: American Antiquarian Society, 1977.