The Declaration of Independence

Declaration_independence by John Trumbull

Declaration of Independence by Thomas Jefferson

Clicking any of the following links will take you away from My Audio School. Kids, please get permission before leaving My Audio School.

To listen to The Declaration of Independence, as read by Bill Barker, who interprets Thomas Jefferson for Colonial Williamsburg, go to Monticello Podcasts. You’ll need to page most of the way down the page, to the podcast titled Jefferson’s Words: Two Declarations.

Read along by clicking here.

To see a video of the reading of the Declaration of Independence from Colonial Williamsburg, go to the Colonial Williamsburg Video page. This video is titled We Hold These Truths. You’ll need to page down to find it.  This video is archived  on June 29, 2009.

For more excellent audio and video podcasts from Colonial Williamsburg, go to History.org.

Page down to the April 27, 2009 podcast to hear Thomas Jefferson on religious freedom, and the April 20, 2009 podcast to hear Patrick Henry on religious freedom.

Hero Tales from American History by Theodore Roosevelt and Henry Cabot Lodge

HT Theodore Roosevelt in military uniform, 1898

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To listen to this book, click play in the box below, or click on the chapter titles.

George Washington, 1772

01 – Washington

02 – Daniel Boone and the Founding of Kentucky

03 – George Rogers Clark and the Conquest of the Northwest

Lewis and Clark expedition by Charles Marion Russell
Lewis and Clark expedition by Charles Marion Russell

04 – The Battle of Trenton

05 – Bennington

06 – King’s Mountain

07 – The Storming of Stony Point

08 – Gouverneur Morris

09 – The Burning of the ‘Philadelphia’

"Burning of the Frigate Philadelphia in the Harbor of Tripoli, February 16, 1804" by Edward Moran, 1897
"Burning of the Frigate Philadelphia in the Harbor of Tripoli, February 16, 1804" by Edward Moran, 1897

10 – The Cruise of the ‘Wasp’

11 – The ‘General Armstrong’ Privateer

12 – The Battle of New Orleans

13 – John Quincy Adams and the Right of Petition

14 – Francis Parkman

15 – ‘Remember the Alamo’

HT Davy Crockett, 1834

16 – Hampton Roads

17 – The Flag-Bearer

18 – The Death of Stonewall Jackson

Stonewall Jackson

19 – The Charge at Gettysburg

20 – General Grant and the Vicksburg Campaign

Ulysses Simpson Grant

21 – Robert Gould Shaw

22 – Charles Russell Lowell

23 – Sheridan at Cedar Creek

Sheridan at Cedar Creek

24 – Lieutenant Cushing and the Ram ‘Albemarle’

25 – Farragut at Mobile Bay

26 – Lincoln

Our Island Story Part 2 by H. E. Marshall

Lady Jane Grey Preparing for Execution, painted by George Whiting Flagg in 1835

To stream these chapters online or to download to MP3, click here.

To read the text yourself, click here .

The first half of this book is also available. Click here for Our Island Story Part 1.

To hear this book, click play on the box below, or click on the chapter titles throughout this post.

Tudor rose.

Summary from Librivox:
Our Island Story was first published in 1905 and became an instant classic. Beginning with the Romans and following the triumphs and foibles of the good, not so good and the downright despicable figures of history; we are treated to a dazzling montage of kings, queens, barons, knights, explorers, movers and shakers that have played a key role in the history of England.

Marshall freely mixes folk tale with historical fact and in so doing paints a very vivid picture of the past in a style reminiscent of all that is finest in the children’s story-telling tradition. This is the second section of that work and will carry you from the convoluted and bloody Wars of the Roses up to the death of Queen Victoria and the resolution of the Boer War.

Please be advised that this book was written in the early years of the 20th century and there will be words and phrases used then, in all innocence, that are considered politically incorrect in this age. It’s perfectly fine for children to listen to but please ensure there is someone on hand who can explain these terms in a mature fashion.(Summary by Jim, for Librivox.org)

Wars of the Roses

55 The red rose and the white

56  Queen Margaret and the Robbers

57 The King Maker

58 Edward V – The King Who was Never Crowned

Edward V by Wenceslas Hollar

59 The Two Little Princes in the Tower

60 Henry VII – Story of the Make-Believe Prince

61 Another Make-Believe Prince

62 Henry VIII and The Field of the Cloth of Gold

HenryXIII

63 How the King Became the Defender of the Faith

64 Henry VIII: The Story of the King’s Six Wives

65 The Story of a Boy King

66 The Story of Lady Jane Grey

Hatfield House, where Queen Elizabeth held her first council of state, photo by Allan Engelhardt CCAS2 license

67 How the Princess Elizabeth Became a Prisoner

68 Mary I – How a Candle Was Lit in England

69 How the Imprisoned Princess Became a Queen

Elizabeth 1 England

70 Elizabeth – The Story of a Most Unhappy Queen

71 How England was saved from the Spaniards

72 Elizabeth–The story of Sir Walter Raleigh

73 The Queen’s Favorite

74 The Story of Guy Fawkes

Mayflower in Plymouth Harbor by William Halsall, 1882

75 The Story of the Mayflower

76 How a Woman Struck a Blow for Freedom

77 How the King and the Parliament Quarrelled

78 The Story of How the King was Brought to His Death

Oliver Cromwell Imprisoning King Charles I

79 The Adventures of a Prince

80 The Commonwealth – The Lord Protector

81 How Death Walked in the Streets of London

82 The Story of How London was Burned

OIS2 Makasiinit_tulessa by Petteri Sulonen Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 license

83 The Fiery Cross

84 The Story of King Monmouth

85 The Story of the Seven Bishops

86 William the Deliverer

87 The Story of Brave Londonderry

88 The Story of a Sad Day in a Highland Glen

british flag

89 How the Union Jack was Made

90 The Story of the Earl of Mar’s Hunting Party

91 The Story of Bonnie Prince Charlie

Bonnie Prince Charlie

92 The Story of Flora MacDonald

93 The Story of The Black Hole of Calcutta

94 The Story of How Canada Was Won

The Delaware Regiment at the Battle of Long Island

95 How America Was Lost

96 A Story of a Spinning Wheel

97 England Expects that Every Man will do his Duty

98 George III – The Battle of Waterloo

Battle of Waterloo by Robinson, circa 1820

99 The First Gentleman in Europe

100 Two Peaceful Victories

101 The Girl Queen

102 Victoria – When Bread was Dear

103 Victoria – Peace

Queen Victoria by Melville

104 Victoria – War

105 The Land of Snow

106 Victoria – The Siege of Delhi

Secundra Bagh after the Indian Mutiny

107 The Pipes at Lucknow

108 Victoria – Under the Southern Cross

109 From Cannibal to Christian

110 Victoria – Boer and Briton

111 List of Kings from Edward the Confessor

Four Great Americans by James Baldwin

George Washington Battle of Princeton

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George Washington 1

01 – Washington, Ch. 1

02 – Washington, Ch. 2

03 – Washington, Ch. 3

04 – Washington, Ch. 4

05 – Washington, Ch. 5

06 – Washington, Ch. 6

Washington

07 – Washington, Ch. 7

08 – Washington, Ch. 8

09 – Washington, Ch. 9

10 – Washington, Ch. 10

11 – Washington, Ch. 11

12 – Washington, Ch. 12

13 – Washington, Ch. 13

14 – Washington, Ch. 14

15 – Washington, Ch. 15

Benjamin Franklin
Chamberlin_-_Benjamin_Franklin_(1762)

16 – Franklin, Ch. 1

17 – Franklin, Ch. 2

18 – Franklin, Ch. 3

19 – Franklin, Ch. 4

20 – Franklin, Ch. 5

21 – Franklin, Ch. 6

22 – Franklin, Ch. 7

Benjamin_Franklin_by_Jean-Baptiste_Greuze

23 – Franklin, Ch. 8

24 – Franklin, Ch. 9

25 – Franklin, Ch. 10

26 – Franklin, Ch. 11

27 – Franklin, Ch. 12

28 – Franklin, Ch. 13

29 – Franklin, Ch. 14

30 – Franklin, Ch. 15

Daniel Webster
Webster

31 – Webster, Ch. 1

32 – Webster, Ch. 2

33 – Webster, Ch. 3

34 – Webster, Ch. 4

35 – Webster, Ch. 5

36 – Webster, Ch. 6

Daniel_Webster

37 – Webster, Ch. 7

38 – Webster, Ch. 8

39 – Webster, Ch. 9

40 – Webster, Ch. 10

41 – Webster, Ch. 11

42 – Webster, Ch. 12

43 – Webster, Ch. 13

44 – Webster, Ch. 14

45 – Webster, Ch. 15

Abraham Lincoln
Lincoln

46 – Lincoln, Ch. 1

47 – Lincoln, Ch. 2

48 – Lincoln, Ch. 3

49 – Lincoln, Ch. 4

50 – Lincoln, Ch. 5

51 – Lincoln, Ch. 6

52 – Lincoln, Ch. 7

Abraham Lincoln

53 – Lincoln, Ch. 8

54 – Lincoln, Ch. 9

55 – Lincoln, Ch. 10

56 – Lincoln, Ch. 11

57 – Lincoln, Ch. 12

58 – Lincoln, Ch. 13

59 – Lincoln, Ch. 14

60 – Lincoln, Ch. 15

The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin

Ben Franklin by Duplessis

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Internet archive page

Click here to view downloadable curriculum from CurrClick relating to Ben Franklin.

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To listen to this book, click play in the box below, or click on the chapter titles.

To look at Benjamin Franklin’s book Poor Richard’s Almanac, click here. Use the arrows to turn the pages of the book.

Benjamin Franklin by Greuze

00-Introduction

01-Ancestry and Early Youth in Boston

02-Beginning Life as a Printer

03-Arrival in Philadelphia

04-First Visit to Boston

05-Early Friends in Philadelphia

06-First Visit to London

07-Beginning Business in Philadelphia

08-Business Success and First Public Service

09-Plan for Attaining Moral Perfection

Poor Richard's Almanac 1739

10-Poor Richard’s Almanac and Other Activities

11-Interest in Public Affairs

12-Defense of the Province

13-Public Services and Duties

Treaty of Paris by Benjamin West, unfinished

14-Albany Plan of Union

15-Quarrels with the Proprietary

16-Braddock’s Expedition

17-Franklin’s Defense of the Frontier

Benjamin Franklin Drawing Electricity from the Sky, by Benjamin West

18-Scientific Experiments

19-Agent of Pennsylvania in London

20-Appendix

The Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan

Emmanuel' s land Window at Emmanuel Church in the City of Boston(depicting Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress), image released to  public domain by its author Eliza JR

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To read this book yourself, click here.

Translated into over 100 languages, The Pilgrim’s Progress is one of the most famous classics of literature. It is an allegorical novel, describing a Christian’s journey through life to reach heaven. Part 1 was written by John Bunyan in 1679 whilst he was imprisoned for conducting unauthorised religious services, whilst Part 2 was not written until 1684, and is not included in many versions of this text. This recording includes both parts, and inline scripture references. (Summary by Joy Chan for Librivox)

Click here to view The Pilgrim’s Progress Writing Pages Pack at CurrClick, which could be used in studying or notebooking about Pilgrim’s Progress. This link will take you away from My Audio School.

To stream this book, click play on the box below or click on the chapter links in this post.

Wicket Gate

Part One

Author’s Apology for His Book

The First Stage

The Second Stage

The Third Stage

The Fourth Stage

The Fifth Stage

The Sixth Stage

The Seventh Stage

The Eighth Stage

The Ninth Stage

The Tenth Stage

Conclusion of Part First

Christian and Apollyon

Part Two

The Author’s Way

Pilgrimage of Christiana and Her Children

The First Stage

The Second Stage

The Third Stage

The Fourth Stage

The Fifth Stage

The Sixth Stage ( part 1)

Christian and Hopeful  and the salt statue Lot's Wife by Henry Altemus, 1890

The Sixth Stage (part 2)

The Seventh Stage

The Eighth Stage

Author’s Farewell

The Anti-Federalist Papers by Patrick Henry, et al.

Patrick Henry before the Virginia House of Burgesses by Peter Rothermel

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Total running time: 19 hours, 52 minutes

Summary: During the period of debate over the ratification of the Constitution, numerous independent local speeches and articles were published all across the country. Initially, many of the articles in opposition were written under pseudonyms, such as Brutus, Centinel, and Federal Farmer. Eventually, famous revolutionary figures such as Patrick Henry came out publicly against the Constitution. They argued that the strong national government proposed by the Federalists was a threat to the rights of individuals and that the President would become a king. They objected to the federal court system created by the proposed constitution. This produced a phenomenal body of political writing; the best and most influential of these articles and speeches were gathered by historians into a collection known as the Anti-Federalist Papers in allusion to the Federalist Papers. (Summary by Ticktockman for Librivox)

Patrick Henry

01 Centinel I  00:27:37

02 Centinel XI  00:07:30

03 Federal Farmer I 00:19:54

04 Federal Farmer II  00:11:22

05 Federal Farmer III  00:35:53

06 Federal Farmer IV  00:19:51

07 Federal Farmer V 00:16:53

08 Federal Farmer VI  00:24:46

09 Federal Farmer VII  00:19:43

10 Federal Farmer VIII00:15:58

11 Federal Farmer IX  00:22:42

12 Federal Farmer X  00:15:20

13 Federal Farmer XI 00:23:10

14 Federal Farmer XII 00:22:44

15 Federal Farmer XIII  00:21:09

16 Federal Farmer XIV 00:23:35

17 Federal Farmer XV  00:28:10

18 Federal Farmer XVI 00:25:15

19 Federal Farmer XVII  00:29:54

20 Federal Farmer XVIII  00:33:31

21 Brutus I  00:29:13

22 Brutus II  00:15:16

23 Brutus III  00:15:09

24 Brutus IV  00:18:38

25 Brutus V  00:16:30

26 Brutus VI  00:20:41

27 Brutus VII  00:14:51

28 Brutus VIII  00:09:21

29 Brutus IX  00:14:06

30 Brutus X 00:14:59

31 Brutus XII  00:17:12

32 Brutus XII  00:17:22

33 Brutus XIII  00:09:46

34 Brutus XIV 00:19:37

35 Brutus XV  00:15:52

36 Brutus XVI  00:12:39

37 John DeWitt I  00:14:09

38 John DeWitt II  00:14:11

39 John Dewitt III  00:16:35

40 Cato III  00:09:27

41 Cato IV  00:08:34

42 Cato V  00:10:08

43 Cato VII  00:08:11

44 Agrippa VI 00:05:58

45 Agrippa VII  00:08:46

46 Agrippa VIII  00:05:36

47 Agrippa IX  00:06:27

48 Penn Minority 01:28:56

49 Impartial Examiner I  00:28:46

50 Impartial Examiner II 00:15:33

51 Impartial Examiner III  00:25:25

52 Maryland Farmer IV  00:18:40

53 Maryland Farmer V  00:44:55

54 Patrick Henry, 5 June 1788  00:51:35

55 Patrick Henry, 7 June 1788 00:35:26

56 Patrick Henry, 9 June 1788  01:08:06

The Federalist Papers by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison and John Jay

Federalist cover

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Total running time: 21 hours, 12 minutes

The Federalist Papers (correctly known as The Federalist) are a series of 85 articles advocating the ratification of the United States Constitution. Seventy-seven of the essays were published serially in The Independent Journal and The New York Packet between October 1787 and August 1788 . A compilation of these and eight others, called The Federalist, was published in 1788 by J. and A. M’Lean.


The Federalist Papers serve as a primary source for interpretation of the Constitution, as they outline the philosophy and motivation of the proposed system of government.The authors of the Federalist Papers wanted to both influence the vote in favor of ratification and shape future interpretations of the Constitution. According to historian Richard Morris, they are an “incomparable exposition of the Constitution, a classic in political science unsurpassed in both breadth and depth by the product of any later American writer.
(Summary by Wikipedia)

Alexander Hamilton, painted by Daniel Huntington

Federalist No. 01 by Alexander Hamilton  00:11:21

Federalist No. 02 by John Jay 00:12:10

Federalist No. 03 by John Jay 00:11:20

Federalist No. 04 by John Jay  00:11:58

Federalist No. 05 by John Jay  00:10:38

Federalist No. 06 by Alexander Hamilton  00:15:39

Federalist No. 07 by Alexander Hamilton 00:15:01

Federalist No. 08 by Alexander Hamilton 00:13:28

Federalist No. 09 by Alexander Hamilton  00:12:46

Federalist No. 10 by James Madison 00:18:15

Federalist No. 11 by Alexander Hamilton  00:20:19

Federalist No. 12 by Alexander Hamilton  00:18:04

Federalist No. 13 by Alexander Hamilton 00:08:15

Federalist No. 14 by James Madison  00:20:29

Federalist No. 15 by Alexander Hamilton  00:19:36

Federalist No. 16 by Alexander Hamilton  00:13:08

Federalist No. 17 by Alexander Hamilton  00:09:47

Federalist No. 18 by James Madison  00:14:56

Federalist No. 19 by James Madison  00:14:32

Federalist No. 20 by James Madison  00:11:24

Federalist No. 21 by Alexander Hamilton  00:12:47

Federalist No. 22 by Alexander Hamilton  00:20:24

Federalist No. 23 by Alexander Hamilton  00:10:45

Federalist No. 24 by Alexander Hamilton  00:13:42

Federalist No. 25 by Alexander Hamilton  00:12:50

Federalist No. 26 by Alexander Hamilton  00:15:21

Federalist No. 27 by Alexander Hamilton 00:09:15

Federalist No. 28 by Alexander Hamilton  00:10:16

Federalist No. 29 by Alexander Hamilton  00:14:44

Federalist No. 30 by Alexander Hamilton  00:13:12

Federalist No. 31 by Alexander Hamilton  00:11:23

Federalist No. 32 by Alexander Hamilton  00:09:50

Federalist No. 33 by Alexander Hamilton  00:11:34

Federalist No. 34 by Alexander Hamilton  00:14:42

Federalist No. 35 by Alexander Hamilton  00:14:46

Federalist No. 36 by Alexander Hamilton  00:19:26

James Madison

Federalist No. 37 by James Madison  00:20:39

Federalist No. 38 by James Madison  00:25:19

Federalist No. 39 by James Madison  00:14:50

Federalist No. 40 by James Madison 00:22:12

Federalist No. 41 by James Madison  00:20:55

Federalist No. 42 by James Madison  00:17:45

Federalist No. 43 by James Madison  00:22:40

Federalist No. 44 by James Madison  00:19:42

Federalist No. 45 by James Madison  00:14:02

Federalist No. 46 by James Madison  00:16:24

Federalist No. 47 by James Madison 00:18:07

Federalist No. 48 by James Madison 00:12:52

Federalist No. 49 by James Madison  00:12:19

Federalist No. 50 by James Madison  00:07:15

Federalist No. 51 by James Madison  00:12:15

Federalist No. 52 by James Madison  00:10:38

Federalist No. 53 by James Madison  00:12:38

Federalist No. 54 by James Madison 00:11:46

Federalist No. 55 by James Madison  00:11:35

Federalist No. 56 by James Madison  00:10:51

Federalist No. 57 by James Madison  00:14:33

Federalist No. 58 by James Madison 00:14:11

Federalist No. 59 by Alexander Hamilton 00:12:44

Federalist No. 60 by Alexander Hamilton  00:14:39

Federalist No. 61 by Alexander Hamilton 00:09:54

Federalist No. 62 by James Madison 00:15:51

Federalist No. 63 by James Madison  00:19:52

John Jay by Gilbert Stuart

Federalist No. 64 by John Jay  00:15:02

Federalist No. 65 by Alexander Hamilton  00:13:08

Federalist No. 66 by Alexander Hamilton  00:14:56

Federalist No. 67 by Alexander Hamilton 00:12:05

Federalist No. 68 by Alexander Hamilton  00:09:49

Federalist No. 69 by Alexander Hamilton 00:19:57

Federalist No. 70 by Alexander Hamilton  00:20:38

Federalist No. 71 by Alexander Hamilton  00:10:49

Federalist No. 72 by Alexander Hamilton  00:13:12

Federalist No. 73 by Alexander Hamilton  00:16:53

Federalist No. 74 by Alexander Hamilton  00:07:09

Federalist No. 75 by Alexander Hamilton  00:12:40

Federalist No. 76 by Alexander Hamilton  00:12:42

Federalist No. 77 by Alexander Hamilton  00:13:01

Federalist No. 78 by Alexander Hamilton  00:19:57

Federalist No. 79 by Alexander Hamilton  00:06:53

Federalist No. 80 by Alexander Hamilton  00:14:51

Federalist No. 81 by Alexander Hamilton  00:22:17

Federalist No. 82 by Alexander Hamilton  00:09:37

Federalist No. 83 by Alexander Hamilton  00:51:54

Federalist No. 84 by Alexander Hamilton  00:23:21

Federalist No. 85 by Alexander Hamilton  00:16:28

Robinson Crusoe written anew for children by James Baldwin

Robinson Crusoe from German illustrators Offterdinger and Zweigle

This abbreviated version for children is good for introducing kids to the longer, unabridged work.

Internet Archive Page

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You can also listen to the chapters by clicking the links throughout this post, or click play on the box below.

Robinson Crusoe chapter 14

01 – Chapters 1 through 6

02 – Chapters 7 through 11

Robinson Crusoe 4 by Offterdinger and Zweigle

03 – Chapters 12 through 15

04 – Chapters 16 through 19

05 – Chapters 20 through 23

06 – Chapters 24 through 26

Robinson Crusoe 2 by Offterdinger and Zweigle

07 – Chapters 27 through 29

08 – Chapters 30 through 32

09 – Chapters 33 through 35

10 – Chapters 36 and 37

11 – Chapters 38 through 40

Robinson Crusoe 5 by Offterdinger and Zweigle

12 – Chapters 41 and 42

13 – Chapters 43 and 44

14 – Chapters 45 and 46

15 – Chapters 47 through 49 (Conclusion)