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.
July 2019
Author’s Talk—The Disaffected: Britain’s Occupation of Philadelphia During the American Revolution
Historian Aaron Sullivan discusses and signs copies of his book that chronicles the experiences of Quakers, pacifists and others who were pursued, pressured and at times persecuted during the British occupation of Philadelphia, not because they chose the wrong side of the Revolution, but because they tried not to choose a side at all. The talk will last approximately 45 minutes, followed by a book signing and refreshments. Copies of the book will be available to purchase at the event.…
Find out more »August 2019
Documentary Film Screening—The Lafayette Escadrille
At the beginning of World War I, young Americans rushed to France as volunteers to defend America’s oldest ally. The Lafayette Escadrille, the only all-American squadron in the French Air Service, is the subject of a new documentary film co-directed by Paul Glenshaw. Following the film screening, Glenshaw will comment on the production, including presenting the deep connections several of the pilots had to the Revolution and to the Society of the Cincinnati. About the Speaker Paul Glenshaw, a graduate…
Find out more »Lunch Bite – A Collection of Images Illustrating the Art of War in the 18th Century
Bénédicte Miyamoto, associate professor at Université Sorbonne Nouvelle and a fellow in the Institute's library, will present highlights of manuscript maps, fortification drawings and artillery diagrams in the Institute's collections that illustrate the art of the war in the eighteenth century. Military engineers, draftsmen and topographers received artistic training that was used to produce these documents, which were vital tools in eighteenth-century warfare. Artistic skills were not only needed for in-situ sketching, but were also required to produce a wealth of…
Find out more »September 2019
Author’s Talk—The Widow Washington: The Life of Mary Washington
Historian and professor Martha Saxton discusses and signs copies of her recently published book The Widow Washington: The Life of Mary Washington, the first biography of George Washington’s mother based on archival sources. Her son’s biographers have, for the most part, painted her as self-centered and crude, a trial and an obstacle to her oldest child. The records tell a very different story. Mary Ball, the daughter of a wealthy planter and a formerly indentured servant, was orphaned young and…
Find out more »Concert – Classical Violin
Akiko Kobayashi, violin, and Eric Siepkes, piano, perform works by well-known composers including Béla Bartóka, a Hungarian-born composer, pianist and ethnomusicologist, and Igor Stravinsky, a Russian-born composer, pianist and conductor, who became American citizens and New Yorkers in their later years. The concert will last approximately one hour. This is the first date in the fall American Music Series, which celebrates the history and variety of American music genres. About the Performers New York-born violinist Akiko Kobayashi is an active solo and…
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