Dr. Joseph Warren, a respected physician and architect of the Revolutionary movement, was one of the most important figures in early American history—and might have gone on to lead the country had he not been killed at Bunker Hill in 1775. Warren was involved in almost every major protest against British policies in the Boston area for a decade, from the Stamp Act protests to the Boston Massacre to the Boston Tea Party, and his incendiary writings included the famous Suffolk Resolves, which helped unite the colonies against Britain and inspired the Declaration of Independence. Yet after his death, his memory faded, leaving his contemporaries to rise to fame in his place, obscuring his essential role in sparking American independence. Following Warren from his farming childhood and years at Harvard through his professional success and political radicalization to his role in sparking the rebellion, Christian Di Spigna’s analysis not only restores Warren to his rightful place in the pantheon of Revolutionary greats, it deepens our understanding of the nation’s dramatic beginnings. This program accompanies our new exhibition Saving Soldiers: Medical Practice in the Revolutionary War, now on display through November 27, 2022.
About the Speaker
Christian Di Spigna is a historian of early American history and the Chairman of the Dr. Joseph Warren Foundation, a non-organization dedicated to helping preserve Warren’s legacy through education and research. Also a frequent speaker in Colonial Williamsburg, Di Spigna graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Columbia University with a degree in History. After decades of research on Dr. Joseph Warren he authored, “Founding Martyr: The Life and Death of Dr. Joseph Warren, the American Revolution’s Lost Hero” and has given numerous talks on Dr. Warren to a wide array of audiences on throughout the country.