Videos

Michelle Marchetti Coughlin discussed her book, Penelope Winslow, Plymouth Colony First Lady: Re-Imagining a Life. A descendant of English nobility, Winslow was the wife of Josiah Winslow, P…

John Turner, a George Mason University religious studies professor, provided a history of the Plymouth Colony, established in 1620 by English settlers. This was a virtual event hosted by the…

Panelists compared founding-era politics to today’s. They stressed that while government size and voting demographics have changed, many issues that concern Americans today worried those in …

Historian Amy Watson talked about British imperialism and the New England Patriot movement in the 1700s. She described the movement’s ideology, discussed why they were involved in the 1745 s…

Purdue University history professor John Larson looked at how colonial Americans utilized industry to benefit themselves to the detriment of the environment. This was a virtual program hoste…

Washington University English Professor Abram Van Engen provided a history of American exceptionalism and the term “city on a hill,” from its origins in a 1630 sermon by Massachusetts Bay go…

History Professor Serena Zabin provided a history of the 1770 Boston Massacre.

University of Utah history professor Eric Hinderaker revisited the events of the Boston Massacre and attempted to determine what really happened on March 5, 1770. He is the author of Boston’…

Historian John Ferling recalled the joint efforts of Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Paine, and James Monroe to sow social and political upheaval throughout colonial America as well as their suppor…

John Sedgwick talked about his book War of Two: Alexander Hamilton, Aaron Burr, and the Duel that Stunned the Nation, in which he examines the rivalry between Alexander Hamilton and Vice Pre…

Author Alan Hoffman discussed General Lafayette’s “farewell tour” of America in 1824 and 1825, 50 years after the American Revolution. Mr. Hoffman’s book is an English translation of a journ…

Professor Andrew Wehrman talked about smallpox in Revolutionary era America and the campaign to inoculate colonists, which was promoted by political leaders like John Adams. Adams, his wife …

Historian Woody Holton talked about his book Unruly Americans and the Origins of the Constitution, published by Hill and Wang. He contends that the Constitution was drafted by a group of eli…

John and Abigail Adams kept a written correspondence throughout their relationship that contained a commentary on the political landscape of the newly formed country. My Dearest Friend: Lett…

Professor Joseph Ellis talked about his book His Excellency: George Washington, published by Knopf. The author explained Washington’s position on several issues, including expansion and slav…

Scholars spoke about the various books and ideas that shaped the religious theology and philosophy of Thomas Jefferson and John Adams. They focused on how various works by religious leaders,…

Panelists talked about John Adams and Thomas Jefferson’s friendship, legacies, and libraries. They also spoke about the social climate of the Founding Fathers. Following their prepared remar…

David Glassberg spoke about the historical significance of the battle at Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1775, that opened the Revolutionary War. Professor Glassberg’s research concerns t…

James Grant talked about his book John Adams: Party of One, published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux. He described John Adams as an independent-minded president. The book recounted his feuds …

At the Harvard Club, David McCullough spoke about the relationship between the United States and France from a cultural and historical perspective. He discussed the effect of the French on A…