November 2022
Author’s Talk – Misinformation Nation: Foreign News and the Politics of Truth in Revolutionary America
"Fake news" is nothing new. Just like millions of Americans today, the revolutionaries of the eighteenth century worried that they were entering a "post-truth" era. Their fears, however, were not fixated on social media or clickbait, but rather on peoples' increasing reliance on reading news gathered from foreign newspapers. News was the lifeblood of early American politics, but newspaper printers had few reliable sources to report on events from abroad. Accounts of battles and beheadings, as well as declarations and…
Find out more »Lecture – The Other 1776: Reform and French Military Dress in the Late Ancien Regime
Following its catastrophic defeat in the Seven Years’ War, the French military undertook a comprehensive series of reforms affecting everything from warship design to soldiers' uniforms, which dramatically altered the army’s appearance. This uniform provided unheard-of amenities for French soldiers but was widely disliked and quickly replaced. The fallout surrounding the 1776 uniform reflects the most consequential moment of the eighteenth century for the material culture of the French military. Far from being an emblem of a staid or conservative…
Find out more »Lunch Bite – A Series of 1778 Prints Satirizing the Carlisle Peace Commission
Join Research Services Librarian Rachel Nellis for a presentation on the art of satire and Matthew and Mary Darly, the English husband and wife print shop owners and caricaturists. This Lunch Bite will explore the Darly’s careers and focus on their series of four 1778 prints satirizing the British Carlisle Peace Commission—a failed attempt to negotiate a peace with Congress. This presentation will be held in our research library and last approximately 30 minutes. Registration is requested. To attend the…
Find out more »December 2022
Dinner and Lecture – The Battles of Kings Mountain and Cowpens: The American Revolution in the Southern Backcountry
Please note: This event was originally scheduled for September 30, but was postponed due to inclement weather. The southern backcountry was the center of the fight for independence, but backcountry devotion to the patriot cause was slow in coming. Decades of animosity between coastal elites and backcountry settlers who did not enjoy accurate representation in the assemblies meant a complex political and social milieu throughout the turbulent time. While examining the political, social and military history of the southern backcountry,…
Find out more »Battlefield Tour – The Battles of Kings Mountain and Cowpens
Please note: This event was originally scheduled for October 1, but was postponed due to inclement weather. Join us in Spartanburg, S.C., to explore the battles of Kings Mountain and Cowpens. This is a two-day experience that includes a buffet dinner and lecture at the 1881 Event Hall in Spartanburg, S.C., and a lecture given by Dr. Melissa Walker, professor emerita of history at Converse College, discussing the social, political, and military history of the southern backcountry that led to…
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