Give Me Liberty: The Story of the Declaration of Independence

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Summary: [...]
Review: Give me Liberty is a very factual novel about the Revolutionary War and the people who played important roles. This book goes in detail about the Boston Tea Party, Sons of Liberty, Daughters of Liberty, The Battle in Lexington and Concord. Read this book!

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Summary: Review by a teenage drama queen
Review: I have to adment that it took some time for me to get interested in this book. This book has so much information about the Revolutionary War and people who played big parts in it. This takes you back shows you images of what life was like under British rule. I love my country but what was so harsh about paying 3 cents a pound for tea. That is how this thing got started. If you look at the facts given to us. These farmers with pitchforks weren't that bad off. They revolted out of greed not love of their county. I say againg I love my county, but what was so bad about paying 3 cents a pound for tea. If you think about it we pay taxes all the time for our troops, government employees, and others. They asked us to help pay for war dept. I do understand however that they should have not ignored us. This book tells the stories but not the whole truth.

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Summary: Give Me Liberty
Review: OK...I'll admit it; I got fooled! I didn't read the review carefully enough nor did I do the necessary inspection of the book itself. I was expecting a well written, adult oriented, lengthy, history of the early years of the republic; say from 1730 to about 1810.
What I got was a picture book suited to 7th/8th graders at best. The bibliography is a joke. If you have children of these ages in your home, this is a passable book. I don't. For me, the book was a waste of money

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Summary: Teaching the Declaration? Then look at this last chapter
Review: The title "Give Me Liberty!" is closer to the mark that the subtitle, which says this juvenile history by Russell Freedman is "The Story of the Declaration of Independence." More properly, it is a history of the American Revolution from the Boston Tea Party on December 16, 1773 to the declaring of Independence on July 4, 1776. In fact, only the last two chapters are devoted to the actual Declaration of Independence, the first being a history of the writing and adoption of the Declaration and the second being an analysis of the document's significance (followed by the complete text of the document). It is in this last chapter that Freedman looks at the Declaration from a contemporary perspective on issues like the rights of women and how the concept of equality applied to a nation that allowed slavery, as well as the importance of the Declaration in the powerful rhetoric of Abraham Lincoln and Martin Luther King, Jr.

However, the title of his book remains problematic for me. I picked it up because I was checking out juvenile histories dealing with the Declaration of Independence and while Freedman is certainly not alone in putting the Declaration in the full context of the American Revolution and colonial relations with the British crown, I am still looking for a first rate book about what happened in Philadelphia during the summer of 1776. Yes, I am basically looking for something that will tell young students the story behind the musical "1776," which has enjoyed a Broadway revival and been touring the nation the last couple of years. "Give Me Liberty" has excellent historic paintings and etchings, and Freedman usually works in some analysis along with the historical facts. It is for that reason in general, and his last chapter in particular, that I am willing to overlook the problems with the title. Any teacher covering the Declaration of Independence in class would be well served to take notes on the points covered in that last chapter.

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Summary: History comes alive
Review: The words rang out from Philadelphia, liberty, equality. Not merely a dry, historic document, the Declaration of Independence summed up a century of political thought and years of practical experience governing the colonies. These words brought forth a new nation and are among the most influental ever written. Freedman brings them alive against the backdrop of the times.

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Summary: An outstanding American history book for young readers
Review: This book may be aimed at young readers between 9 and 12 years old, yet readers of any age can benefit from Russell Freedman's basic yet very informative look at the writing of the Declaration of Independence and the events and ideas that helped shape it. Opening with the exciting story of the Boston Tea Party, Freedman walks the reader through the series of events leading up to the start of the Revolutionary War and America's formal declaration of independence from the English government. After a quick summary of American history up to the crucial events of the 1770s, Freedman describes the range of taxes, burdens, and laws that the British Crown and Parliament forced on its increasingly recalcitrant colonies. The words of such men as Thomas Paine and Patrick Henry are once again called upon to reveal the unquenchable thirst for freedom which would help convince a divided population to take up arms in defense of a new, independent nation.

Freedman then presents a wonderful summary of the early skirmishes and battles of the Revolutionary War: the Boston Massacre, the Battles of Lexington and Concord, the Battle of Bunker Hill (Breed's Hill), the ill-fated (and very poorly planned) attack on Quebec, the English naval bombardment of coastal towns such as Charlestown, Massachusetts and Charleston, South Carolina, etc. Against this backdrop of burgeoning military conflict stands the work of the First and Second Continental Congresses, and Freedman provides an excellent assessment of the differences of opinion that had to be ironed out before America dared claim her independence. Freedman does an especially nice job of showing how the events of the first skirmishes of the war affected the thinking of Continental Congress delegates. He closes with a discussion of the Declaration of Independence, imparting the true significance and provocative importance of this document too easily taken for granted today.

Freedman does not cover the events of the Revolutionary War after July 1776, but he does devote a chapter to an informed discussion of the legacy of the Declaration of Independence, discussing its relevance to later issues such as the emancipation of the slaves, women's suffrage, and the civil rights movements. He shows just how significant and visionary the document remains to this very day and gives readers the chance to read it in its entirety. He closes with a chronology of important events and a bibliography featuring recommendations to adults as well as children for future reading. Packed with wonderful prints and illustrations, Give Me Liberty! The Story of the Declaration of Independence offers readers a concise yet highly informative look at the document that defines the United States of America.