Many of the American Revolution‘s key moments can be traced to New York: city crowds rioted against colonial taxation and George Washington spent one-third of the war in and around the soon-to-be “Empire State.”
Beyond these well-known players and moments, however, lies a trove of new information on New York’s hidden revolutionary stories. Fire and Freedom: The American Revolution in New York (Three Hills / Cornell University Press, 2026) showcases New York’s central role in the revolution and highlights the stories of people and events previously hidden from popular view.
With a foreword by historian Russell Shorto and seven chapters from scholars on a range of subjects, we see that events off the battlefield ― a strategic retreat, a destructive fire, and displays of independence ― were just as meaningful as the fighting itself.
The book relates how state power and politics redefined conceptions of loyalty and allegiance. And how the resistance and agency of Indigenous and enslaved people shaped New York’s postwar era.
These diverse stories are tied together by the defining war, but they stretch far beyond its confines and even further beyond our common understandings.
The book is edited by Thomas S. Wermuth, State Historian Devin Lander, State Museum Chief Curator of History Jennifer Lemak, and Robert Chiles.
Essay authors include: Christopher F. Minty, Emily Seff, Benjamin L. Carp, John Cording, Dillon L. Streifeneder, Elana Krischer, Iris De Rode, and Lucien Holness.
Book Purchases made through this Amazon link support the New York Almanack’s mission to report new publications relevant to New York State.
Read more about the American Revolution in New York.
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