Major General Jason Q. Bohm

Jason Q. Bohm is a Marine with more than 30 years of service. An infantryman by trade, he has commanded at every level from platoon commander to commanding general in peacetime and war. Bohm also served in several key staff positions including as a strategic planner with the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Director of the Marine Corps Expeditionary Warfare School, House Director, Marine Corps Office of Legislative Affairs, U.S. House of Representatives, and Chief of Staff of U.S. Naval Striking and Support Forces, NATO. Bohm has a bachelor’s degree in marketing, a Master’s degree in military studies, and Master’s degree in national security studies. Jason has written several articles for the Marine Corps Gazette and won various writing awards from the Marine Corps Association.

The fighting prowess of united states marines is second to none, but few know of the Corps’ humble beginnings and what it achieved during the early years of the American Revolution. Jason Bohm rectifies this oversight with his eye-opening Washington’s Marines: The Origins of the Corps and the American Revolution, 1775–1777.

The story begins with the oppressive days that drove America into a conflict for which it was ill-prepared, when thirteen independent colonies commenced a war against the world’s most powerful military with nothing more than local militias, privateers, and other ad hoc units. The Continental Congress rushed to form an army and placed George Washington in command, but soon realized that, to win its freedom, America would need men who could fight on the sea and on land. Enter the Marines. Bohm artfully tells the story of the creation of the Continental Marines and the men who led them during the parallel paths followed by the Army and Marines in the opening years of the war and through the early successes and failures at Lexington and Concord, Bunker Hill, Canada, Boston, Charleston, and more.

As General Washington struggled to preserve his command after defeats in New York and New Jersey in 1776, the nascent U.S. Navy and Marines deployed the first American fleet, conducted their first amphibious operation, and waged a war on the rivers and seas to block British reinforcements and capture critically needed supplies. Desperate times forced Congress to detach the Continental Marines from the Navy to join the embattled army as Washington sought an “important stroke” to defeat his adversary.

Washington’s Marines joined their fellow soldiers in a protracted land campaign that culminated in turning-point victories at Trenton, Assunpink Creek, and Princeton. This chapter of the Continental Marines ends in Morristown, New Jersey, when Washington granted Henry Knox’s request to leverage the Marines’ expertise with naval guns to fill the depleted ranks of the army’s artillery during the “Forage War.”

Washington’s Marines is the first complete study of its kind to weave the men, strategy, performance, and personalities of the Corps’ formative early years into a single compelling account. The sweeping prose relies heavily on primary research and the author’s own extensive military knowledge. Enhanced with original maps and illustrations, Washington’s Marines will take its place as one of the finest studies of its kind.

Brooke Barbier

Brooke Barbier is a public historian who received her PhD in American history from Boston College, specifically researching Boston’s social and cultural life during and after the American Revolution. While earning her graduate degree, she taught history at Boston College and Stonehill College.

Two of Brooke's favorite things are history and beer, so in 2013 she founded Ye Olde Tavern Tours, which offers tours of Boston’s historic sites and taverns (beer is included!). She is the author of two books about revolutionary Boston and has been interviewed by the New York Times, Boston Globe, Boston Herald, and Boston.com. She is originally from San Diego, CA but has lived in Boston for many years.

A rollicking portrait of the paradoxical patriot, whose measured pragmatism helped make American independence a reality.

Americans are surprisingly more familiar with his famous signature than with the man himself. In this spirited account of John Hancock’s life, Brooke Barbier depicts a patriot of fascinating contradictions—a child of enormous privilege who would nevertheless become a voice of the common folk; a pillar of society uncomfortable with radicalism who yet was crucial to independence. About two-fifths of the American population held neutral or ambivalent views about the Revolution, and Hancock spoke for them and to them, bringing them along.

Orphaned young, Hancock was raised by his merchant uncle, whose business and vast wealth he inherited—including household slaves, whom Hancock later freed. By his early thirties, he was one of New England’s most prominent politicians, earning a place on Britain’s most-wanted list and the derisive nickname King Hancock. While he eventually joined the revolution against England, his ever moderate—and moderating—disposition would prove an asset after 1776. Barbier shows Hancock appealing to southerners and northerners, Federalists and Anti-Federalists. He was a famously steadying force as president of the fractious Second Continental Congress. He parlayed with French military officials, strengthening a key alliance with his hospitable diplomacy. As governor of Massachusetts, Hancock convinced its delegates to vote for the federal Constitution and calmed the fallout from the shocking Shays’s Rebellion.

An insightful study of leadership in the revolutionary era, King Hancock traces a moment when passion was on the side of compromise and accommodation proved the basis of profound social and political change.

Tom Hand

Tom Hand created Americana Corner in 2020 to share informative stories of the momentous events, significant documents and influential leaders that helped create and shape our country. Through compelling articles and captivating videos, Tom hopes to rekindle a spirit of patriotism in his fellow Americans, and remind them of our nation’s incredible past and why our founding era still matters today.

Tom’s passion to tell the Great American Story extends to conserving its cultural and historical treasures through the Preserving America Grant Program, which supports diverse projects across the nation that contribute to sharing the rich tapestry of early American history.

Tom graduated from West Point, Class of 1982, and went on to create the Gilman Cheese Corporation after leaving the military. Now retired, Tom spends most of his time on Americana Corner, but also serves on the Board of Trustees for the American Battlefield Trust. He has the good fortune to be married to his best friend, Char, who reviews all his work and provides unending support. He enjoys reading books on American history, classic novels, and playing his guitar.

Tom Hand’s An American Triumph: America’s Founding Era Through the Lives of Ben Franklin, George Washington, and John Adams masterfully blends the personal experiences and historic milestones of these three Founding Fathers into an engaging narrative written for the everyday American. Through a collection of captivating stories from Ben Franklin’s birth in 1706 to the passing of John Adams on July 4, 1826, An American Triumph focuses on the momentous events where Franklin, Washington, and Adams played a vital role. 

Several “why it matters” sidebars as well as vignettes on other influential persons, impactful occasions and significant documents provide a broader view of America’s creation and inform readers of often overlooked but still noteworthy topics. These stories, along with 130 historical images and a dozen beautifully detailed maps, help make An American Triumph both educational and entertaining, leading to a deeper appreciation of our nation’s founding generation and inspiring a greater sense of love of country.

How are Books Submitted?
Books are submitted to the Education & Public Programs Manager at Fraunces Tavern Museum. Only publishers, authors and similar book representatives may submit books. To contact the Manager, email:
 2education@frauncestavernmuseum.org.

Submissions must include the following:

• Two copies of the book

• Book synopsis

• Author's bio

• Publisher's name

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• Author(s) must be able to attend the Book Award Ceremony in order to officially receive the award.

Mail Book Award submissions to:

Fraunces Tavern Museum
Attn: Book Award Committee
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New York, NY 10004