Are there echoes of Shakespeare in the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution? Absolutely, argues the author of George Washington: A Life in Books, who notes that the Founding Fathers read, understood, and applied the words of Shakespeare to suit a new nation, appreciating them for their timeless insights into the human condition. Tracing the history of reading the Bard in British North America during the 18th century, Kevin Hayes also reveals that American writers quoted Shakespeare to justify their actions during the French and Indian War, the Stamp Act crisis, and the Revolutionary War.