Events

When Congress declared independence in 1776, it cited King George III “for quartering large bodies of armed troops among us.” In Quarters, John Gilbert McCurdy explores the social and political history behind this charge, offering the first authoritative account of the housing of British soldiers in America. Providing new interpretations and analysis of the Quartering Act of 1765, McCurdy sheds light on a misunderstood aspect of the American Revolution.

Quarters also unearths the vivid debate in eighteenth-century America over the meaning of place. It asks why the previously uncontroversial act of accommodating soldiers in one’s house became an unconstitutional act. In so doing, the book reveals new dimensions of the origins of Americans’ right to privacy. It also traces the transformation of military geography in the lead up to independence, asking how barracks changed cities and how attempts to reorder the empire and the borderland led the colonists to imagine a new nation.

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.

About the Speaker

John Gilbert McCurdy is professor of history at Eastern Michigan University. He is the author of Citizen Bachelors: Manhood and the Creation of the United States. McCurdy received his Ph.D. in history from Washington University in St. Louis in 2004.  He also holds an M.A. from the University of Chicago and a B.A. from Knox College.