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.
April 2025
Lecture—The Realities of Infantry in Combat During the American Revolution
Historian Alex Burns, Ph.D., assistant professor of history at Franciscan University of Steubenville, places the common enlisted man during the American Revolution at center stage by discussing their experiences during the war. Drawing from his archival research on the American, British and Prussian armies, Dr. Burns shows how the infantryman throughout the eighteenth century played an important role by asserting tactical reforms from below and places the tactical experiences of the Continental Army in a European context. Registration is requested.…
Find out more »Lunch Bite—A Hangar Sword Owned by Massacusetts Minute Man James Taylor
Deputy Director and Curator Emily Parsons discusses an American-made hanger sword carried during the early months of the Revolutionary War by James Taylor, a minute man from western Massachusetts. A native of Pelham, Taylor was an ensign in Capt. David Cowden’s company of minute men when it answered the Lexington Alarm—seventy-five miles east—on April 19, 1775. Two months later, Taylor participated in the Battle of Bunker Hill, a sobering victory for the British Army, which lost so many casualties that…
Find out more »Panel Discussion—The Battles of Lexington and Concord
To kick off our eight-year-long 250th anniversary celebrations of the American Revolution, join us for a panel discussion highlighting the Battles of Lexington and Concord. Panelists for the discussion include historian J.L. Bell exploring the prelude of the two events of April 19, 1775; historian Alexander Cain exploring the engagements through the perspectives of the battles’ participants and civilian eyewitnesses; and Jarrad Fuoss of Minuteman National Historical Park focusing on recent archaeological studies and findings and how they have impacted…
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