The historical antecedents of Shaara’s narrative are not only real but also a key part of standard American history—Paul Revere’s ride, Washington crossing the Delaware, and the Boston Tea Party are taught in history classes as early as elementary school. Shaara blends real events with the tools of fiction: character development, setting, physical description. Historical figures are reimagined through fiction, adding their emotions and interiority, but the narrative balances those fictional flourishes with historical fact. John Adams, for example, is torn between his love for his family and farm and his obligations to his country, but he inevitably returns to the Continental Congress to deliver a passionate speech. The historical truth of Franklin’s celebrity is augmented by his despair over political differences with his son. The narrative also highlights the importance of figures like Sam Adams, one of the primary leaders of the Massachusetts Sons of Liberty and a primary driver of American independence, as well as Thomas Paine, whose treatise, Common Sense, helps unite the colonies. Shaara gives these characters life,