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.
August 2022
Lecture – “A Kind of Partisan War”: An Archaeological Perspective on Francis Marion
When Nathanael Greene was appointed commander of the southern Continental forces in the fall of 1780, he wrote to George Washington that he would be forced to fight “a kind of partisan war,” until he could raise an army large enough to contend with the British. Greene’s strategy was to check the main British army while partisan militia leaders like Thomas Sumter, Francis Marion and Andrew Pickens harassed the British supply lines. Marion was the most famous and successful of…
Find out more »Author’s Talk – The Habsburg Monarchy and the American Revolution
During the Revolutionary War, the Habsburg monarchy, the largest continental European power of the eighteenth century, never formally recognized the United States, but its ruling and mercantile elites saw opportunity, especially for commerce. Bringing together materials from nearly fifty international archives, Jonathan Singerton of the University of Innsbruck reconstructs the full sweep of relations between the nascent United States and one of the oldest European dynasties during and after the American Revolution and offers a reexamination of the Revolution by…
Find out more »Lunch Bite – The Patriot’s Monitor
Director of Education Stacia Smith discusses The Patriot’s Monitor, an early American primer published in 1810. This textbook contains content “Designed to Impress and Perpetuate the First Principles of the Revolution on the Minds of Youth; Together with Some Pieces Important and Interesting Adapted for the Use of Schools.” This Lunch Bite will explore the history of this teaching aid and its relevance in the modern classroom. This presentation will be held in our research library and last approximately 30…
Find out more »Virtual Lecture – “To Have The Bed Made”: Invisible Labor and the Material Culture of Nursing in the Revolutionary War
In this lecture, historian Meg Roberts sheds light on the labor of the Revolutionary War’s caregivers. Alongside the surgeons and physicians, the medical care of the thousands of sick and wounded Continental soldiers relied upon the tireless work of army nurses, camp followers, housewives, cooks, laundresses and local families. In contrast to the voluminous records of soldiers’ and military leaders’ wartime experiences, the contribution of women has often been summarized fleetingly with three verbs: washing, cooking and nursing. The rich…
Find out more »September 2022
Lunch Bite – William Faden’s 1778 & 1784 maps of the Battle of Brandywine
Historical Programs Manager Andrew Outten discusses two maps produced by British cartographer William Faden depicting the Battle of Brandywine. William Faden is well known for his maps of major battles of the Revolutionary War. Unusually, he produced two maps of the Battle of Brandywine, one in 1778 and the other in 1784. Each map shows troop movements and positions along with other aspects of the overall battlefield landscape, but each conveys significantly different information. This Lunch Bite will focus on…
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