What Students Read In 1776 | The Books That Shaped The Revolution episode artwork

EPISODE · Jul 2, 2026 · 19 MIN

What Students Read In 1776 | The Books That Shaped The Revolution

from The Cause - Rob Pirie · host Robert Pirie

Send us Fan MailWhat Students Read In 1776 | The Books That Shaped The RevolutionHave you ever wondered which books shaped the American founding or ignited the Revolution? In this episode, I cover the books the founders would have studied at Harvard or Yale and provide a breakdown of those that would have shaped their thinking. From John Adams, Nathan Hale, John Hancock, Patrick Henry, to the famous Thomas Jefferson, Joseph Warren, and Sam Adams, we learn what the founders were reading on the eve of 1776. This is a fascinating topic to me, and I hope you enjoy. The links to most of the sources are below. I will eventually create a Substack post and compile this material further. Substack: https://substack.com/@robpirieSome books mentioned in the video: • John Adams - David McCullough: https://amzn.to/4oZ28Ip• Alexander Hamilton: https://amzn.to/44pzKn7• Washington: A Life - Ron Chernow:  https://amzn.to/44jcaZ8• Founding Martyr (Joseph Warren): https://amzn.to/4eS6a0z• Ben Franklin - Walter Isaacson: https://amzn.to/4p4CUsm• Joseph Addison's Cato: https://amzn.to/4vEjJYD• Euclid's Elements: https://amzn.to/4vCXout• Common Sense - Thomas Paine: https://amzn.to/4eIk86o• John Milton Works: https://amzn.to/4v54Qxp• Plato - The Republic: https://amzn.to/456FIKp• Cicero On Duties: https://amzn.to/44IAQg2• Aeneid - Virgil - https://amzn.to/4gB1EGv• Hommer: https://amzn.to/4vTsIVS• Political Theory of the American Founding: Thomas West: https://amzn.to/4ayX73l• Nathan Hale - William Phelps: https://amzn.to/44G4FxI• Sam Adams - The Revolutionary - Stacy Schiff: https://amzn.to/4vHBbvn• Benjamin Rush - Harlow Giles Unger: https://amzn.to/44GEfMp• 1776 - David McCullough: https://amzn.to/4eH5koLHarvard Database Research: https://guides.library.harvard.edu/hua/harvard17th18thhttps://guides.library.harvard.edu/hua/earlycurriculumSupport the show

Send us Fan Mail What Students Read In 1776 | The Books That Shaped The Revolution Have you ever wondered which books shaped the American founding or ignited the Revolution? In this episode, I cover the books the founders would have studied at Harvard or Yale and provide a breakdown of those that would have shaped their thinking. From John Adams, Nathan Hale, John Hancock, Patrick Henry, to the famous Thomas Jefferson, Joseph Warren, and Sam Adams, we learn what the founders were reading on ...

NOW PLAYING

What Students Read In 1776 | The Books That Shaped The Revolution

0:00 19:06

No transcript for this episode yet

We transcribe on demand. Request one and we'll notify you when it's ready — usually under 10 minutes.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is this episode of The Cause - Rob Pirie?

This episode is 19 minutes long.

When was this The Cause - Rob Pirie episode published?

This episode was published on July 2, 2026.

What is this episode about?

Send us Fan MailWhat Students Read In 1776 | The Books That Shaped The RevolutionHave you ever wondered which books shaped the American founding or ignited the Revolution? In this episode, I cover the books the founders would have studied at Harvard...

Can I download this The Cause - Rob Pirie episode?

Yes, you can download this episode by clicking the download button on the episode player, or subscribe to the podcast in your preferred podcast app for automatic downloads.
URL copied to clipboard!