Harvard historian and New Yorker staff writer Jill Lepore investigates American origin stories -- from John Smith's account of the founding of Jamestown in 1607 to Barack Obama's 2009 inaugural address -- to show how American democracy is bound up with the history of print.

The "Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, the Gettysburg Address... American Treasures charts the little-known journeys of these American crown jewels. From the risky and audacious adoption of the Declaration of Independence in 1776 to our modern Fourth of July celebrations, American Treasures shows how the ideas captured in these documents underscore the nation's strengths and hopes, and embody its fundamental values of liberty and equality."--...

"Gregg Jarrett provides commentary for the documents and speeches that shaped America"-- In this volume, the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence are brought together with dozens of other historic documents and speeches which shaped the destiny of the United States of America. Also included are the Bill of Rights, the Federalist Papers, and the Articles of Confederation. Gregg Jarrett introduces and explains how each of these great documents...