Book Guide

Every day, tired express riders came dashing into Philadelphia from South Carolina, Vermont, New York—all the thirteen colonies—with messages for the delegates to the Second Continental Congress. Although the Congress had been in session at the State House for over a year, no one seemed to know what was going on.

What did those messages say? What had the delegates been doing all that time? No one dared to ask; that is, no one but Debby. She had often seen two of the delegates, old Doctor Benjamin Franklin and young Mr. Thomas Jefferson, pass her house. So one day she asked them, “What do you do, all day long, every day? What do you do?”

To everyone's surprise, the two great men wrote "A report to Debby." In it, they told her about their hopes and plans. But they didn't tell her what was going to happen on July 4th, 1776—just one month away.

In Our Independence and the Constitution, Dorothy Canfield Fisher gives us an exciting picture of that first Independence Day when every bell in Philadelphia clanged and people shouted and roared until they had no voices left. Even more stirring—and more important to us today—is Mrs. Fisher's account of what happened in 1787.

Every American will read this story with a wish that he could have lived in those passion-filled days when our country was coming into being. It will be read, too, with a pleasant chill of fear. For suppose those men of 1776 and 1787 hadn't been so great and good and patient and wise. Just suppose!

From the dust jacket

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Dorothy Canfield Fisher

Dorothy Canfield Fisher

1879 - 1958
American
Dorothy Canfield Fisher—one of the most respected writer of our time—was a native of Kansas who returned to her family's home state, Ver... See more
Robert Doremus

Robert Doremus

1914 - 2010
American
Robert Doremus began to show talent in drawing and painting at a very early age, and studied under local artists. Upon graduation from high school, ... See more

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Our Independence and the Constitution Reprint

Our Independence and the Constitution
Reprinted in 1987 by Random House Books for Young Readers
Available formats: Paperback
Series: Landmark Books (Random House Paperback Reprints) Members Only (Original Landmark Books)
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Content Guide

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Resource Guide

Plumfield Moms Podcast
Podcast

Landmark Books: What They Are and Why They Matter
Released in 2022 by Plumfield Moms Podcast
Available formats: Streaming Audio
Length: 52 min.
View on the Plumfield Moms Podcast site

Two-part episode hosted by Podcast Moms with guests Sandy Hall (Hall's Living Library), Jill Morgan (Purple House Press), and Tanya Arnold (Biblioguides) where they discuss the Landmark series, how they came to be and why they are worth adding to a home library.