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.
February 2026
Virtual Lunch Bite— British Officer Thomas Musgraves’ Account of the American Revolution
Join the Institute’s museum collections and operations manager, Paul Newman, for a discussion of a 1780s manuscript account of the American Revolution by Lt. Col. (later made a General and Baronet) Thomas Musgrave, a British officer who served extensively throughout the war. At the battle of Germantown, he commanded the British 40th Regiment of Foot that famously defended the Chew House against attacking American forces. Subsequently, he was restationed in the West Indies in 1778, before returning to New York…
Find out more »April 2026
Virtual Lunch Bite—Thomas Paine’s Common Sense
Join the Institute’s library director, Thomas Lannon, to examine one of the most important pamphlets in American history that reshaped the political imagination of British North America: Thomas Paine’s Common Sense, published in January 1776. Written in direct, accessible language, it challenged monarchy, argued for independence and urged ordinary readers to see themselves as agents of historical change. This Lunch Bite marks the 250th anniversary of Common Sense by exploring how Paine’s words circulated, why they resonated so powerfully in…
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