September 2021
Virtual Author’s Talk – Religion and the American Revolution: An Imperial History
For most of the eighteenth century, British Protestantism was driven neither by the primacy of denominations nor by fundamental discord between them. Instead, it thrived as part of a complex transatlantic system that bound religious institutions to imperial politics. As Dr. Carté argues, British imperial Protestantism proved remarkably effective in advancing both the interests of empire and the cause of religion until the war for American independence disrupted it. The American Revolution forced a reassessment of the role of religion…
Find out more »October 2021
Livestream – The British Are Coming: The War for America Begins
Watch live online as Rick Atkinson delivers the annual George Rogers Clark Lecture on the beginning of the Revolutionary War and the fight for American independence. Who can doubt that the creation story of our founding in the American Revolution remains valid, vivid and thrilling? Even in 2021, at a moment when national unity is elusive, when our partisan rancor seems ever more toxic, when the simple concept of truth is assailed, that story informs who we are, where we…
Find out more »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…
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