Landmarks of the American Revolution

by Gary B. Nash

In 1775, on the green of Lexington, Massachusetts, 2,200 British minutemen fired upon the local militia -- seventy colonial farmers and village artisans in total. The British suffered staggering half of their troops died. And so began the American Revolution. In Landmarks of the
American Revolution , fourteen key sites and numerous secondary locales show with rich detail and fascinating anecdotes where the War of Independence took place. In addition to the Lexington-Concord Battle Site, historian Gary Nash features Independence Hall in Philadelphia where the Declaration of
Independence was signed; John Paul Jones House in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, where the out-of-work, 28-year-old immigrant who went on to become one of the new nation's naval heroes lived; Peyton Randolph House in Williamsburg, Virginia, a place emblematic of African Americans' role in the war; and
many other significant places of the American Revolution. A dynamic journey through history that reveals all sides in the war -- loyalists, patriots, African American, Native American, women, British -- Landmarks of the American Revolution brings to life how a new nation came to be.

160 pages, Hardcover

Published June 12, 2003

About the author

Gary B. Nash was a distinguished American historian known for his scholarship on the American Revolutionary era, slavery, and the experiences of marginalized communities in shaping early U.S. history. A graduate of Princeton University, where he earned both his undergraduate and doctoral degrees, Nash also served in the U.S. Navy before embarking on an academic career. He taught at Princeton and then at UCLA, where he became a full professor and later held key administrative roles focused on educational development.
Nash's work highlighted the roles of working-class individuals, African Americans, Native Americans, and women in the nation's founding, challenging traditional narratives centered solely on elite figures. His inclusive approach often sparked debate, notably with historian Edmund Morgan, who questioned the broader impact of the grassroots movements Nash emphasized.
Beyond academia, Nash was instrumental in shaping history education in the United States. He co-directed the development of the National History Standards and led the National Center for History in the Schools. A past president of the Organization of American Historians, he was also a member of numerous esteemed scholarly societies. Throughout his career, Nash authored or contributed to dozens of influential books, articles, and essays that left a lasting mark on the field.

Reviews

[William Bahr · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have a number of books on American Revolution sites and landmarks, and this one is quite well done. I've found it very useful not only in my travels for scheduling interesting stops but also when researching locations involved in the various books I've been writing -- about Revolutionary War figures, notably George Washington and (upcoming) Francis Hopkinson. As a fellow Rev War author, I highly recommended!

[Richard Subber · Rating 5 out of 5]

You’ll find well-balanced, detailed accounts of the Lexington Green, Valley Forge, Yorktown, and other familiar and lesser known places in Landmarks of the American Revolution. Trust Gary Nash to provide a contextualized summaries of their significance.

This is good reading for the dedicated student of history and for younger readers who have an interest in knowing more about the people and places they’ve whose names they know.

As a bonus, it’s chock full of color illustrations and maps, references for further reading, and an index.

Read more of my book reviews and poems here:
www.richardsubber.com