The Founders
Revered by many, reviled by some, the Founders remain a touchstone for contested ideas about who Americans are as a people and what the American experiment in self-government means today. Their brilliant writings continue to fascinate and inspire, revealing a complexity and dynamism that belies our tendency to want to fix them, and the republic they built, in stone.
Library of America fans know that in addition to publishing exemplary editions of important American writing, LOA presents a broad slate of programs to ensure that the works celebrated in our series are enjoyed and understood. We’ve also provided tens of thousands of books, free of charge, to schools and libraries across the country.
Now Library of America is responding to the intense surge of interest in the brilliant and controversial Founder Alexander Hamilton—and in American history in general—by putting a user–friendly volume of Hamilton’s own words into the hands of thousands of high school teachers. Our 2017 Hamilton Project will provide free copies of our new collection The Essential Hamilton: Letters & Other Writings to thousands of classrooms across the United States.
Edited and with an introduction by award-winning historian Joanne B. Freeman, The Essential Hamilton is a uniquely accessible paperback edition that was developed with student readers in mind. Through Hamilton’s public writings, private letters, his correspondence with Aaron Burr that led to their duel, and two conflicting eyewitness accounts of their fatal encounter, the book offers an unparalleled portrait of Hamilton in his own words.
The success of the 2017 Hamilton Project depends on the public’s help. To begin sending copies of the book to high school history and social studies teachers in time for the coming school year, LOA needs to raise $25,000 by mid–July.
That’s why we hope readers will consider making a tax-deductible gift to support our 2017 Hamilton Project.
There’s rarely been a better opportunity to present this crucial Founder, in his own words, to a new generation of readers. With your help, Library of America can get Hamilton’s writings into the hands of the people responsible for cultivating an understanding of American history—high school teachers—and make this critical period of the American past come alive through the immediacy of primary texts.
As an added incentive, contributors who give $50 or more will receive a complimentary copy of The Essential Hamilton with our thanks. Make a tax-deductible donation now.
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