After two hundred and fifty years, there couldn’t possibly be any more stories hiding away in the Declaration of Independence, right? The shelves groan with the collective weight of all the books writ...

Robert G. Parkinson is Professor of History at Binghamton University. This interview is based on his new book, Tyrants and Rogues: Understanding the Declaration of Independence (W. W. Norton & Company, 2026). JF: What led you to write Tyrants and Rogues? RP: Surprisingly, there hasn’t been a book-length study of the grievances listed in the Declaration. With all the shelves of studies on that document, no one has decided to feature the Declaration’s body instead of the opening paragraphs. Maybe the reason why is: it’s boring. My way into narrating the grievances was to create a “rogues” gallery of the Revolution.

YouTube video by Primary Source Media

On 4 July,  the United States celebrated the 250th anniversary of its Declaration of Independence from Great Britain.…

Four historians explore the Declaration of Independence at its 250th anniversary--its grievances and what equality meant in 1776.

The United States is celebrating the 250th anniversary of its Declaration of Independence on July 4. It does so amidst protests from the ‘No Kings’ movement, which rallies against Trump’s authoritaria...

Perspective: The Revolution rested on real grievances and genuine ideals. It was also sold through selective memory.

Where readers meet writers, Fridays at 11 a.m. Listen live or stream later on your favorite podcast app.

If you think we’re living in the age of grievance politics, have you seen the Declaration of Independence? Historian and professor Robert Parkinson takes a deep dive into the grievances of America’s f...

Celebrate America’s 250th by exploring the stories behind the founding and beyond. For July 4th weekend only, we've curated a selection of

YouTube video by Anthony Scaramucci

In 'Tyrants and Rogues: Understanding the Declaration of Independence,' Robert Parkinson argues that the document’s often-overlooked list of grievances against King George III reveals what truly drove...

'A timely and highly useful book in this semiquincentennial year&#8212;and far beyond.' &#8212;<em>Kirkus Reviews</em>, starred review<br /><br />From an acclaimed historian, a revelatory account of t...

YouTube video by BinghamtonUniversity

Robert G. Parkinson wrote Tyrants and Rogues. These are their favorite books on the declaration of independence.

YouTube video by KFYR+

As the nation prepares to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, historian Robert G. Parkinson reminds us that the founding document also contains 27 grievances to King Ge...

Dr.s Christopher Hodson & Brett Rushforth discuss their magnum opus which took them 15 years to write: the history of French conquerors, explorers, adventurers & pi…

As the U.S. semiquincentennial approaches, authors reexamine the nation’s history and legacy.