Declaring Our Independence

The choice of the Continental Congress to declare independence in 1776 was not a easy or obvious one. The range of people living within the bounds of the 13 original colonies was vast — Native American tribes, European settlers from many countries, African-Americans (both enslaved and free), indentured servants, and sundry others who overlapped or lived on the edges of these descriptions. All of these diverse and fractious people approached the complex conditions of colonial life with different and conflicting motivations and anxieties. In the face of these challenges, how did the future nation’s founders make the decision to declare independence? How did they persuade their neighbors to join their rebellious cause? Check out these titles to learn more.

If you were under the impression that history books are dry and uninvolving, think again. These yarns run the emotional gamut — political machinations, deadly fighting, the urgent daily struggles of everyday citizens in the mid-1770s. And once the Continental Congress signed the Declaration of Independence, it was only the start of the fight for freedom from the British empire and the birth of a new nation. As we celebrate the 250th Anniversary of the founding of the United States, check out your Toledo Library for programs (including a reading of the Declaration of Independence at Main Library, scheduled to correspond with a simultaneous nationwide reading on Wednesday, July 8th), book lists, film screenings, and more!