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.
June 2025
Lecture—The Whites of Their Eyes: Bunker Hill, the First American Army, and the Emergence of George Washington
Paul Lockhart, professor of history at Wright State University, highlights the Battle of Bunker Hill on the 250th anniversary of the engagement. Offering a reassessment of the first major battle of the war, Dr. Lockhart illuminates it as a crucial event in the creation of American identity while interweaving it with two other momentous narratives: the creation of America’s first army and the rise of George Washington. This program accompanies our current exhibition, Revolutionary Beginnings: War and Remembrance in the…
Find out more »Lunch Bite—A 1773 Register of British Army Officers
The Institute’s historical programs manager, Andrew Outten, discusses a 1773 register of British Army officers, annotated with casualties suffered during the Battles of Lexington and Concord and Bunker Hill. Drawing from the various annotations throughout the register, this presentation will explore the severity of the battles’ impacts on the British Army, the subsequent lessons it learned from their outcomes, and attempt to identify the potential owner of the book. This program accompanies our current exhibition, Revolutionary Beginnings: War and Remembrance in…
Find out more »Author’s Talk—The Fate of the Day: The War for America, Fort Ticonderoga to Charleston, 1777-1780
The first twenty-one months of the American Revolution—which began at Lexington and ended at Princeton—was the story of a ragged group of militiamen and soldiers fighting to forge a new nation. By the winter of 1777, the exhausted Continental Army could claim only that it had barely escaped annihilation by the world’s most formidable fighting force. Two years into the war, George III was determined to bring his rebellious colonies to heel, though his task was far too complicated. Not…
Find out more »July 2025
The Comte de Rochambeau’s 300th Birthday Celebration
The comte de Rochambeau, the commander in chief of France’s 1780 expeditionary force sent to aid the Continental Army, played a pivotal role in helping to secure American independence. To commemorate the 300th birthday of this important figure of the American Revolutionary War, join us and the Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route National Historic Trail for a special evening honoring the French commander. Beginning at 5 p.m., guests can enjoy a special pairing of libations and French pastries, mingle with representatives from…
Find out more »Author’s Talk—The Painter’s Fire: A Forgotten History of the Artists Who Championed the American Revolution
Historian Zara Anishanslin discusses her new book that highlights three remarkable artists devoted to the pursuit of liberty. The American Revolution was not only fought in the colonies with muskets and bayonets. On both sides of the Atlantic, artists armed with paint, canvas, and wax played an integral role in forging revolutionary ideals. Drawing from her new book, Dr. Anishanslin charts the intertwined lives of three such figures who dared to defy the British monarchy—Robert Edge Pine, Prince Demah, and…
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