America250 Reading Challenge

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Reading Challenge: February 16, 2026 - January 31, 2027

America250 Reading Challenge

2026 marks the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, recognizing the founding of the United States. Those early years were shaped by thoughtful documents, and this challenge is an opportunity to read, or re-read, the writings of the founding fathers along with books that show the struggles and successes.

America250 book selections and reading suggestions.

Get Started with the Reading Challenge

America250 Reading Challenge (February 2026 - January 2027) - This reading challenge encourages adults and teens to delve into America's early history. Read (or listen - audio books count too!) founding documents, historic writings, and histories to learn more about America's past and present. Win an America250 commemoration prize upon completion. 

Sign up for the America250 Reading Challenge in Beanstack or pick up a paper copy at the Main Reference Desk. You'll find more information and suggested book titles on these nine main topics:

The Charters of Freedom+

Declaration of Independence, US Constitution, and the Bill of Rights, +plus notable Amendments 11-27 of the US Constitution (not officially part of the Charters of Freedom, but good reads).

A History of the Revolutionary War

Read a history of the Revolutionary War or some aspect. Find your own book or choose from one of these titles:

  • 1776 by David McCullough
  • The Cause: The American Revolution and Its Discontents, 1773-1783 by Joseph J. Ellis
  • George Washington's Secret Six: The Spy Ring that Saved the American Revolution by Brian Kilmeade

The Constitution Explained for the Modern Reader

New to the Constitution? Try one of these bias-free overviews or find your own:

  • The Constitution Explained: A Guide for Every American by David L. Hudson Jr. JD
  • The Penguin Guide to the United States Constitution by Richard R. Beeman
  • What Does the Constitution Actually Say? by Ben Sheehan
  • The Words We Live By by Linda R. Monk

The Federalist Papers (abridged)

Tackle the full read or the abridged version from "Publius" - a collection of 85 essays written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay between 1787 and 1788. Here are some links to get you started:

The History of the Making of the Constitution

What did the founding fathers have in mind while framing this new nation? Try one of these selections or find a book on your own:

  • Founding Partisans: Hamilton, Madison, Jefferson, Adams and the Brawling Birth of American Politics by H.W. Brands
  • The Pursuit of Liberty: How Hamilton vs. Jefferson Ignited the Lasting Battle Over Power in America by Jeffrey Rosen
  • The Summer of 1787: The Men Who Invented the Constitution by David O. Stewart

George Washington, US First President

There are thousands of biographies on the U.S. First President. What did you learn that you didn't already know?

The Supreme Court

You'll understand the Supreme Court better after learning about its history. A few titles to get you started:

  • The Most Powerful Court in the World by Stuart Banner
  • The Supreme Court by William H. Rehnquist
  • The Supreme Court by Jeffrey Rosen

Disenfranchised Population

Select and read a book about those who were denied the right to vote by the US Government in its earliest days. Consider these titles, but there are so many more to choose from:

  • The Great Contradiction: The Tragic Side of the American Founding by Joseph J. Ellis
  • Running from Bondage: Enslaved Women and their Remarkable Fight for Freedom in Revolutionary America by Karen Cook Bell
  • American Nations: A History of the Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America by Colin Woodard
  • Divided Ground: Indians, Settlers, and the Northern Borderland of the American Revolution by Alan Taylor

The Second Founding - Constitutional Changes after the Civil War

Historians refer to the changes to the Constitution after the Civil War as the Second Founding because the 13, 14, and 15 amendments were so monumental. Select a book on this topic, or choose from one of these recommendations:

  • The Second Founding: How the Civil War and Reconstruction Remade the Constitution by Eric Foner
  • A Glorious Liberty: Frederick Douglass and the Fight for an Antislavery Constitution by Damon Root
  • The Crooked Path to Abolition: Abraham Lincoln and the Antislavery Constitution by James Oakes
  • The Broken Constitution: Lincoln, Slavery, and the Refounding of America by Noah Feldman

Sign up for the America250 Reading Challenge in Beanstack or pick up a paper copy at the Main Reference Desk. 

America250 programs and activities at Wright Library

America250 Exhibit, Events, and more

Wright Library invites you to explore our rotating exhibit for kids, Americans in Motion, our Cinephile Film Series which features Ohio communities and Ohio actors,  along with a number of programs and activities for kids, teens, and adults. 

>> Visit the Wright Library America250 page for all the details.