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 2026
Author’s Talk—National Treasure: How the Declaration of Independence Made America
Award-winning historian Michael Auslin discusses his new book that demonstrates how Thomas Jefferson’s words in the Declaration of Independence have inspired implausibly varied causes, from suffragists and civil rights leaders to groups waging war on the United States government. Auslin will address the lessons that should be taken from the document today and how the Declaration’s ideals can bring a disparate nation together. As we gather to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the founders’ bold experiment in democracy, this talk…
Find out more »July 2026
Lecture – Palmetto Parapets: The Battle of Sullivan’s Island, June 28, 1776
Independent historian Chip Bragg commemorates the 250th anniversary of the Battle of Sullivan’s Island, where Maj. Gen. William Moultrie commanded a valiant defended an unfinished log fort on Sullivan’s Island, located at the entrance of Charleston harbor in South Carolina, against a determined British naval attack. Drawing from his extensive research, Dr. Bragg gives an in-depth overview of the iconic battle—which occurred while the Continental Congress in Philadelphia considered a draft of the Declaration of Independence—and demonstrates how a garrison…
Find out more »Author’s Talk – Suffering for the Crown: The Hudson Valley Loyalists and the Violence of Revolution
Kieran O’Keefe of Lyon College discusses his new book that focuses our attention on Loyalists living in New York’s Hudson Valley during the Revolution, an epicenter where neighbor fought neighbor, brother fought brother, and fathers fought sons. Through an analysis of the effects of violence on Loyalist communities—which included white, Black, and Native peoples—this talk reveals the brutal reality of war by examining its enduring psychological and social legacies, providing a nuanced understanding of the Revolution’s human cost and how…
Find out more »Music of the American Revolution – America’s 250th
Join us for a special concert featuring David and Ginger Hildebrand to celebrate the 250th anniversary of American independence. Donned in period attire, the Hildebrands will perform patriotic songs, ballads, dance tunes, and theater songs known by George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, and others. Guests will also learn about the various instruments being used in the performance, including the hammered dulcimer, violin, and Spanish and English guitars. This performance interprets musical traditions, featuring both the formal and less refined…
Find out more »August 2026
Lecture—Entangled Alliances: The Soldiers of Saint-Domingue During the American Revolution
Historian Ronald Angelo Johnson of Baylor University brings to light the fascinating story of American patriots and rebels from Saint-Domingue (later Haiti) allying against European tyranny. While modern understandings of freedom are often linked to the U.S. Declaration of Independence, Johnson argues that the desire of Black Atlantic inhabitants for liberty and their will to resist slavery predated the fateful standoff between minutemen and redcoats at Lexington and Concord. Drawing from original multilingual sources to offer a fresh perspective, this…
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