American History & Leaders

In 1778, two years after the British forced the Continental Army out of New York City, George Washington and his subordinates organized a secret spy network to gather intelligence in Manhattan and Long Island. Known today as the "Culper Spy Ring,'? Patriots like Abraham Woodhull and Robert Townsend risked their lives to report on British military operations in the region. Vital reports clandestinely traveled from New York City across the East River to Setauket and were rowed on whaleboats across the Long Island Sound to the Connecticut shore. Using ciphers, codes and invisible ink, the spy ring exposed British plans to attack French forces at Newport and a plot to counterfeit American currency. Author Bill Bleyer corrects the record, examines the impact of George Washington's Long Island spy ring and identifies Revolutionary War sites that remain today.

Proudly printed in America, this beautiful gift edition contains the Declaration of Independence along with illustrations and biographies of the signers. It is a treasure for Americans of any age.

Drafted by Thomas Jefferson between June 11 and June 28, 1776, the Declaration of Independence summarizes America's founding political philosophy. At once a cherished symbol of liberty and an expression of Jefferson's monumental talents as a writer, the document captures in unforgettable phrases the ideals of individual liberty and formed the backbone of American's Revolutionary movement. In setting forth these self-evident truths alongside a list of grievances against King George's Brittain, the Declaration of Independence justified the breaking of ties with Mother England and the formation of a new country.

In 1781, Virginia was invaded by formidable British forces that sought to subdue the Old Dominion. Lieutenant General Charles, Lord Cornwallis, led thousands of enemy troops from Norfolk to Charlottesville, burning and pillaging. Many of Virginia's famed Patriots--including George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Patrick Henry and Nathanael Greene'struggled to defend the commonwealth. Only by concentrating a small band of troops under energetic French general the Marquis de Lafayette were American forces able to resist British operations. With strained support from Governor Jefferson's administration, Lafayette fought a campaign against the veteran soldiers of Lord Cornwallis that eventually led to the famed showdown at Yorktown. Historian John R. Maass traces this often overlooked Revolutionary struggle for Virginia and details each step on the road to Yorktown.

Jefferson’s Legacy of Freedom for the Old Dominion Prior to his death Thomas Jefferson left behind specific instructions for the obelisk monument that was to mark his grave. He requested the following epitaph: Here was buried Thomas Jefferson, Author of the Declaration of American Independence, of the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom and Father of the University of Virginia. These contributions were in his words the “testimonials that I have lived, I wish most to be remembered.” It is curious that with all his contributions he chose to note his authorship of a minor state law. Jefferson crafted this statute, not in Philadelphia or one of the other busy cities of the day, but while staying in a small Virginia town on the Rappahannock River named Fredericksburg. /Local historian Michael Aubrecht tells the tale of the creation of this remarkable document and the impact it continues to have.