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What They Didn't Teach You About the American Revolution
The author of the acclaimed What They Didn't Teach You Series looks at the American Revolution, providing an in-depth analysis of the such personalities as Nathan Hale and Benedict Arnold, as well as little-known facts about this defining moment in history.
368 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1999
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
October 27, 2025
This was a fast read as I did know a lot of the stuff about the American Revolution that was in this book. I was annoyed to find some mistakes and was ready to give this one 3 stars. But I did learn some new facts and, overall, I did enjoy the book.
Much of the book consists of mini-bios of figures of the Revolution, both well-known and not so well-known. There's George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and Benjamin Franklin ( naturally!). But there's also Thomas Paine ( who should be better known than he is), Charles Lee, Benedict Arnold, Count Pulaski, John Paul Jones, and super-soldier Peter Francisco ( you've never heard of him?).
The author writes about "the Founding Father most neglected by history"--James Otis of Massachusetts. I have to admit I knew only the name. One of the leaders of the independence movement in Boston ( along with Sam Adams). Otis was a great orator ( while Sam Adams worked more behind the scenes). He is credited with the line, "No taxation without representation." The author states that Otis could have become the leader of the American Revolution and the first president of the United States. Why didn't he? He suffered from mental illness; possibly he was manic-depressive. In 1775, as the Revolutionary War was getting underway, Otis was confined to his home. In 1783, while standing outside and watching a summer storm, he was killed by a lightning strike.
There is a chapter on "Founding Mothers." Sad to say, Betsy Ross most likely did not make the first Stars and Stripes flag. We'll never know who did. I have always liked the story of "Molly Pitcher," whose real name was Mary Hays. She took over manning a cannon when her husband was shot dead in the Battle of Monmouth, NJ. She was one of the "camp followers," women who traveled with the army to take care of husbands and other loved ones. Some, of course, were prostitutes.
I'll add here that there is some mention of African Americans in the Revolution but next to nothing about Native Americans, such as the Iroquois. We get very little biographical info on British and Hessian figures. I would have liked to know more about Lord Cornwallis, perhaps the most capable of the British military leaders. I think the author wanted to keep the focus on the Americans.
Finally, there is NO mention at all of my favorite Revolutionary War figure, Ethan Allen, leader of "the Green Mountain Boys." And no mention of another one of my favorites of history, Caesar Rodney, Continental Congressman from Delaware and signer of the Declaration of Independence. You might know of him from the musical, "1776."
I had wanted to read something about the Revolutionary War for the Fourth of July so this certainly fit the bill. Despite the mistakes and omissions, 3.5 stars bumped up to 4.
Much of the book consists of mini-bios of figures of the Revolution, both well-known and not so well-known. There's George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and Benjamin Franklin ( naturally!). But there's also Thomas Paine ( who should be better known than he is), Charles Lee, Benedict Arnold, Count Pulaski, John Paul Jones, and super-soldier Peter Francisco ( you've never heard of him?).
The author writes about "the Founding Father most neglected by history"--James Otis of Massachusetts. I have to admit I knew only the name. One of the leaders of the independence movement in Boston ( along with Sam Adams). Otis was a great orator ( while Sam Adams worked more behind the scenes). He is credited with the line, "No taxation without representation." The author states that Otis could have become the leader of the American Revolution and the first president of the United States. Why didn't he? He suffered from mental illness; possibly he was manic-depressive. In 1775, as the Revolutionary War was getting underway, Otis was confined to his home. In 1783, while standing outside and watching a summer storm, he was killed by a lightning strike.
There is a chapter on "Founding Mothers." Sad to say, Betsy Ross most likely did not make the first Stars and Stripes flag. We'll never know who did. I have always liked the story of "Molly Pitcher," whose real name was Mary Hays. She took over manning a cannon when her husband was shot dead in the Battle of Monmouth, NJ. She was one of the "camp followers," women who traveled with the army to take care of husbands and other loved ones. Some, of course, were prostitutes.
I'll add here that there is some mention of African Americans in the Revolution but next to nothing about Native Americans, such as the Iroquois. We get very little biographical info on British and Hessian figures. I would have liked to know more about Lord Cornwallis, perhaps the most capable of the British military leaders. I think the author wanted to keep the focus on the Americans.
Finally, there is NO mention at all of my favorite Revolutionary War figure, Ethan Allen, leader of "the Green Mountain Boys." And no mention of another one of my favorites of history, Caesar Rodney, Continental Congressman from Delaware and signer of the Declaration of Independence. You might know of him from the musical, "1776."
I had wanted to read something about the Revolutionary War for the Fourth of July so this certainly fit the bill. Despite the mistakes and omissions, 3.5 stars bumped up to 4.
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February 5, 2021The first sentence of Chapter One is, "George Washington grew marijuana on his farm at Mount Vernon." The author hopes to grab your attention right away with the promise of dirt and secrets about the founding fathers. But this is really just another standard history of the Revolution. Although he tried to tell interesting stories in an interesting way, and I definitely enjoyed it, I had read most of these things before.
The parts that most interested me were descriptions of everyday life in Colonial America, and how that influenced the Revolution. It was interesting reading about the different kinds of guns: muskets, rifles, and bayonets, how each of them was used, and how that affected the plan of battle. It was interesting reading about military uniforms, especially about the heavily-laden British. It was interesting reading about prisoners of war. The Americans put some of theirs in abandoned mines, and dropped food down to them. The British put theirs on prison ships, and threw the dead bodies overboard.
It was interesting reading about the development of the first experimental submarine, The Turtle. It was interesting reading that Paul Revere, a dentist as well as silversmith, identified the body of Joseph Warren, killed at Bunker Hill, by identifying his dental work. It was interesting reading that Thomas Paine, whose Common Sense had inspired Americans to rebel, was almost killed in France during the French Revolution, when he was mistaken for an aristocrat, and couldn't speak French to explain himself. Also that when Paine died, he was such an enemy of established religion that even the Quakers wouldn't bury him. And there are many other interesting things. And that marijuana, by the way, was used as hemp, for the making of rope. Sure, Washington might have smoked some, but probably not.
The parts that most interested me were descriptions of everyday life in Colonial America, and how that influenced the Revolution. It was interesting reading about the different kinds of guns: muskets, rifles, and bayonets, how each of them was used, and how that affected the plan of battle. It was interesting reading about military uniforms, especially about the heavily-laden British. It was interesting reading about prisoners of war. The Americans put some of theirs in abandoned mines, and dropped food down to them. The British put theirs on prison ships, and threw the dead bodies overboard.
It was interesting reading about the development of the first experimental submarine, The Turtle. It was interesting reading that Paul Revere, a dentist as well as silversmith, identified the body of Joseph Warren, killed at Bunker Hill, by identifying his dental work. It was interesting reading that Thomas Paine, whose Common Sense had inspired Americans to rebel, was almost killed in France during the French Revolution, when he was mistaken for an aristocrat, and couldn't speak French to explain himself. Also that when Paine died, he was such an enemy of established religion that even the Quakers wouldn't bury him. And there are many other interesting things. And that marijuana, by the way, was used as hemp, for the making of rope. Sure, Washington might have smoked some, but probably not.
March 3, 2019
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. This may be due to the fact that I like history enough to want to teach it to (mostly ungrateful) secondary students, or because I also just like the topic of the American Revolution since I watched Liberty's Kids as a middle schooler. Ever since seeing that series, I have been interested in the American Revolution and American history in general. Although intended for a younger audience, reading this book has made me want to re-watch the series again to re-live the days when I grew to love American history. What I am afraid of, though, is that I may end up fact-checking Liberty's Kids and then finding out that the series presents a watered-down, sometimes inaccurate version of that period in history, as what Wright wrote about is not intended for the audience targeted by Liberty's Kids.
Anyway, back to the book, I found Wright's writing style very approachable, and often humorous and sarcastic. I definitely learned things I had not known about the American Revolution while in school, possibly because it was not age-appropriate for me at the time, and also because you can only fit so much into a school year curriculum. He clearly consulted a large number of resources in his research. The one critique I have is that I wish it had been presented more chronologically. Don't get me wrong, for the most part it is chronological, but with certain topics the reader needs to rewind time in order to situate the start of a new given topic in relation to other events from another topic previously presented. The sad thing with history, though, is that so much is going on all at once that in some cases it needs to be taught topically because we cannot jump back and forth between events to preserve the timeline at the sake of continuity of following a topic through to the end. Thus, while I say this is my critique of the book, I am not really sure if Wright could have avoided it, but I did find the Boston Tea Party in Chapter 8 out of 14 a bit late and out of place. It is still a fantastic and entertaining read I hope even non-history buffs would like to pick up and peruse. I look forward to reading Wright's other What They Didn't Teach You About books.
Anyway, back to the book, I found Wright's writing style very approachable, and often humorous and sarcastic. I definitely learned things I had not known about the American Revolution while in school, possibly because it was not age-appropriate for me at the time, and also because you can only fit so much into a school year curriculum. He clearly consulted a large number of resources in his research. The one critique I have is that I wish it had been presented more chronologically. Don't get me wrong, for the most part it is chronological, but with certain topics the reader needs to rewind time in order to situate the start of a new given topic in relation to other events from another topic previously presented. The sad thing with history, though, is that so much is going on all at once that in some cases it needs to be taught topically because we cannot jump back and forth between events to preserve the timeline at the sake of continuity of following a topic through to the end. Thus, while I say this is my critique of the book, I am not really sure if Wright could have avoided it, but I did find the Boston Tea Party in Chapter 8 out of 14 a bit late and out of place. It is still a fantastic and entertaining read I hope even non-history buffs would like to pick up and peruse. I look forward to reading Wright's other What They Didn't Teach You About books.
April 19, 2024
OK book about the American Revolution. Most of the stuff I knew. The brief bio's of some of the more unknown Declaration signers and lesser known Generals.
February 19, 2011
I am now the "Cliff Claven" on tidbits concerning the American Revolution after reading this book.
When I was visiting in Boston what better book to pick up than this one. Loved the insights of those that went out on a limb for this great Country. So many characters and for some reason I thought they all got along and were on the same page (I know I'm such a PollyAnna) till I read this book and learned how hard core George Washington was and how quite a few members of the Congress totally disagreed with the Declaration and even later the Constitution. Amazing.
I felt like I was back in time. Mr. Wright did a great job in researching so many of the incidents prior to and after the Revolution. It wasn't only the Big wigs we hear so much about but he gives credit to certain farmers and even women who played a huge role in the American Revolution.
I only gave it 3 stars because for me there was just too much war jibberish, (I know it is a book about war) but it was boring war stuff.
On a personal note I did enjoy reading about Count Casimir Pulaski since that is a State Holiday in the Chicago area and I never heard of him till I moved here and pretty much every one here doesn't know about him either. sad, even though we get the day off.
If you want to learn about what made those revolutionists tick,and you enjoy learning about history this is a great book and I would recommend it.
When I was visiting in Boston what better book to pick up than this one. Loved the insights of those that went out on a limb for this great Country. So many characters and for some reason I thought they all got along and were on the same page (I know I'm such a PollyAnna) till I read this book and learned how hard core George Washington was and how quite a few members of the Congress totally disagreed with the Declaration and even later the Constitution. Amazing.
I felt like I was back in time. Mr. Wright did a great job in researching so many of the incidents prior to and after the Revolution. It wasn't only the Big wigs we hear so much about but he gives credit to certain farmers and even women who played a huge role in the American Revolution.
I only gave it 3 stars because for me there was just too much war jibberish, (I know it is a book about war) but it was boring war stuff.
On a personal note I did enjoy reading about Count Casimir Pulaski since that is a State Holiday in the Chicago area and I never heard of him till I moved here and pretty much every one here doesn't know about him either. sad, even though we get the day off.
If you want to learn about what made those revolutionists tick,and you enjoy learning about history this is a great book and I would recommend it.
May 29, 2009
Tidbits of things that give one a more rounded view of history, and better develop the characters beyond their patriotic selves. Benjamin Franklin was registered to sell stamped paper, until the stamp act proved to be publicly unpopular. Samuel Adams most likely was a tea smuggler, so there was more than an unfair tax at stake when his followers dumped a shipload of East India Company tea into Boston Harbor. Paul Revere never made it to Concord. (That I was taught in History class.)
Another thing about America's most famous silversmith was that he made dental fillings, and when a famous patient died at Bunker Hill (which was won by the British, meaning the body was buried in an unmarked grave), Revere was able to identify the remains (when they were brought to him a year later after the patriots had regained control of the area and exhumed what they thought was the correct body) by his dental work - the first such identification in history. And on it goes . . . I won't tell you about Aaron Burr's wife - you can read that for yourself. The book ultimately stresses the great importance of the American revolution in its role in the development of a government by the people.
Another thing about America's most famous silversmith was that he made dental fillings, and when a famous patient died at Bunker Hill (which was won by the British, meaning the body was buried in an unmarked grave), Revere was able to identify the remains (when they were brought to him a year later after the patriots had regained control of the area and exhumed what they thought was the correct body) by his dental work - the first such identification in history. And on it goes . . . I won't tell you about Aaron Burr's wife - you can read that for yourself. The book ultimately stresses the great importance of the American revolution in its role in the development of a government by the people.
August 12, 2013
Title suggests you will get behind the scenes tidbits about the American Revolution. As another wrote, this is actually an easy to read synopsis of major characters and events during that time. Not a bad book at all, but don't think you will get anything you may not have already heard.
If you just wanted to read something rather light, to get a "refresher on your early American history, this would do well.
If you just wanted to read something rather light, to get a "refresher on your early American history, this would do well.
December 4, 2014
Wonderful book. Very well written. It wasn't a book trying to debunk the myths or untwist the stories that were twisted, rather it gave more information on the lives and times of the people. Not just of the giants but also of the lesser known people. It gives you a better appreciation of the Revolution and how it was fought by people just like us, who make mistakes and are simply human and nothing more.
September 15, 2008
I read the entire 323 page book in a weekend. It reads like a novel, but is packed with a great amount of information. Overall, I enjoyed it and highly recommend it to anyone interested in the learning about this amazing time period in our nation's history from a perspective other than high school history class.
May 22, 2014
Someone in another review said that after reading this book you become the Cliff Claven of American Revolution trivia...great description. The book wasn't like a dry history text, rather is rolled along dolling out interesting tidbits here and there. Worth the read if you are into American History.
May 4, 2008
Some of the info in here is really quirky and interesting. But the style is pedantic, and it sometimes bogs down.
Currently reading
February 14, 2016A fun read. Also picked up THE FIRST SALUTE on the Revolution by Barbara Tuchman (1999) that I did not know existed. Recall her GUNS of AUGUST (1962) that I liked so much.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews