Supporting scholarship and promoting popular understanding of the American Revolution is central to the work of the American Revolution Institute. The Institute welcomes distinguished scholars and authors to share their insights and discuss their latest research with the public at Anderson House through lectures, author's talks and panel discussions. The Institute also hosts a variety of other historical programs throughout the year, including our Lunch Bite object talks, battlefield tours, special Anderson House tour programs and other events. Many of the events we offer are free.
November 2021
Virtual Author’s Talk – George Washington, the Society of the Cincinnati, and the Origins of American Neutrality
George Washington and his cabinet issued the Neutrality Proclamation in 1793 to shield the United States from European warfare. This proclamation owed its existence to numerous sources, including Washington’s military experiences and European diplomatic precedents. A lesser known, but highly influential, inspiration came from the Society of the Cincinnati, whose French members had served alongside Washington in the Revolutionary War and then were faced with the French Revolution. The Society of the Cincinnati provided the platform for Washington and these…
Find out more »December 2021
Virtual Author’s Talk – Surviving the Winters: Housing Washington’s Army during the American Revolution
George Washington and his Continental Army braving the frigid winter at Valley Forge forms an iconic image in the popular history of the American Revolution. Such winter camps were also a critical factor in waging and winning the War of Independence. Exploring the inner workings of the Continental Army through the prism of its encampments, Surviving the Winters shows how camp construction and administration played a crucial role in American strategy during the Revolutionary War. Washington’s troops spent only a…
Find out more »January 2022
Virtual Author’s Talk – Underwriters of the United States: How Insurance Shaped the American Founding
Unassuming but formidable, American maritime insurers used their position at the pinnacle of global trade to shape the new nation. As Hannah Farber demonstrates in her new book Underwriters of the United States: How Insurance Shaped the American Founding, the international information insurers gathered and the capital they generated enabled them to play central roles in state building and economic development. During the American Revolution, they helped the new nation negotiate foreign loans, sell state debts and establish a single…
Find out more »February 2022
Virtual Author’s Talk – The Untold War at Sea: America’s Revolutionary Privateers
Action at sea played a critical role in European and Anglo-American conflicts throughout the eighteenth century. Yet the oft-told narrative of the American Revolution tends to focus on battles on American soil or the debates and decisions of the Continental Congress. The Untold War at Sea is the first book to place American privateers and their experiences during the War for Independence front and center. Kylie A. Hulbert tells the story of privateers at home and abroad while chronicling their…
Find out more »Virtual Author’s Talk – A Most Gallant Resistance: The Delaware River Campaign, September-November 1777
By October 1777, British forces occupied Philadelphia. Yet an elaborate American defense of the Delaware River crippled the British supply lines and threatened their ability to hold the city. Historian Jim Mc Intyre discusses the massive effort by the Crown forces to gain control of the strategic waterway. He highlights the British occupation of Philadelphia, the American defense of the river, and several often-neglected engagements such as the successful repulse of a Hessian attack on Fort Mercer in New Jersey,…
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