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 British Army in 1775
Historian Don Hagist, editor of the Journal of the American Revolution, discusses the state of the British Army in North America before and after the opening shots of the Revolution on April 19, 1775. Drawing from his research, Hagist will also discuss the experiences of the British Army during the initial battles of the war; the tactical, strategic, and logistical challenges it encountered; and how its leaders attempted to overcome and adapt to these challenges. Registration is requested. To attend…
Find out more »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 »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 is as determined as ever to bring his rebellious colonies to heel. But the king’s task is…
Find out more »July 2025
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…
Find out more »August 2025
Author’s Talk—Fighting for Philadelphia: Forts Mercer and Mifflin, the Battle of Whitemarsh, and the Road to Valley Forge
The weeks of bloody maneuvering and fighting along the Delaware River at Fort Mercer, Fort Mifflin, and Gloucester receive but scant attention in the literature of the American Revolution. The same is true for the five-day Whitemarsh operation and other important events in December 1777. This period of the war began when Gen. Sir William Howe’s army of 16,500 British and Hessian soldiers set out aboard a 265-ship armada from New York to capture Philadelphia in late July 1777. Six…
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