As we never tire of saying, this Library was founded in 1754, making us a British institution that got adopted into the United States at independence (in a literal sense: George Washington was inaugurated down the hall from us). Since its launch in January 2016, our digital resource City Readers has shared the reading habits of early-national-era New Yorkers, and members of the federal government, with researchers and history buffs.

We've been particularly pleased lately to receive mention of City Readers in the online New Yorker and Smithsonian magazines, with emphasis on Aaron Burr (a huge reader!) and Alexander Hamilton.

You can look up your favorite New Yorker signer of the Declaration of Independence or the Constitution here. For a jump-start, take a look at

• John Adams (checked out Lord Kames' Elements of Criticism)
• George Clinton (read a lot of Laurence Sterne)
• John Jay (dozens of checkouts including Fielding, Smollett, and Captain Cook)
• Rufus King (Montesquieu's Spirit of Laws, and theater volumes) - by the way, if you haven't seen the letter from Rufus King about Hamilton and Burr in our current exhibition, it runs through August 31!
• Francis Lewis (scads of checkouts suggesting interests in science and travel)
• Robert R. Livingston (science, travel, and the odd novel)

To get your own fresh overview of America's founding and its legacies, you might want to check out

• 1776 by David McCullough (2005, 973.3 M)
• Declaration: The Nine Tumultuous Weeks When America Became Independent, May 1-June 4, 1776 by William Hogeland (2010, 973.31 H)
• Our Lives, Our Fortunes and Our Sacred Honor: The Forging of American Independence, 1774-1776 by Richard R. Beeman (2013, 973.3 B)
• Revolutionary Summer: The Birth of American Independence by Joseph J. Ellis (2013, 973.3 E)

For recent and different perspectives, you might look to

• The Black History of the White House by Clarence Lusane (2011, 325.26 L)
• Our Declaration: A Reading of the Declaration of Independence in Defense of Equality by Danielle S. Allen (2014)
• The Declaration of Independence: A Global History by David Armitage (2007, 973.3 A)

For younger Americans, our Children's Library recommends

• Aaron and Alexander: The Most Famous Duel in American History by Don Brown (2015, Juv 973.4 B)
• Everybody's Revolution: A New Look at the People Who Won America's Freedom by (Library member!) Thomas J. Fleming (2006, Juv 973.3 F)
• Founding Mothers: Remembering the Ladies by Cokie Roberts and Diane Goode (2014, Juv 973.3 R)
• John, Paul, George & Ben by Lane Smith (2006, Juv E-F)
• Let It Begin Here!: April 19, 1775: The Day the American Revolution Began by Don Brown (2008, Juv 973.33 B)
• The Real Revolution: The Global Story of American Independence by Marc Aronson (2005, Juv 973.3 A)
• Revolutionary War Days: Discover the Past with Exciting Projects, Games, Activities, and Recipes by David C. King and Cheryl Kirk Noll (2001, Juv 973.3 K)
• We the People: The Constitution of the United States of America by Peter Spier (1987, Juv 342.73 S)

Or maybe you've had all the history you can take, and this book covers all your Independence Day needs!

Regardless, we wish you a pleasant and festive one.