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.
November 2026
Author’s Talk—Revolutionary Snipers: Washington’s Frontier Commandos Whose Marksmanship Forged a New Way of War and Helped Win the Revolution
Award-winning independent historian and author Patrick K. O’Donnell discusses his newest book that vividly brings to life the exploits of Washington’s finest frontier commandos, whose legendary deadeye shooting offered the Continental Army an evolving and unconventional tactical advantage throughout the American Revolution. Drawing from the book, along with unpublished letters, diaries, and other participant documents, this talk illuminates the importance of these lesser-known soldiers of the Revolution and sheds light on how their fighting style emerged as a new way of…
Find out more »Lecture—Old World Meets New World: Franco-American Encounters, 1776-1783
Historian Robert Selig discusses the experiences of the French soldiers who fought for the under the Comte de Rochambeau during the American Revolution. Arriving in Newport in July 1780, Rochambeau’s soldiers stepped into a brave new world whose societal norms and modes of social interaction differed radically from their own. Rochambeau’s soldiers knew almost nothing about America and its people, and what they thought they knew were preconceptions based on ideals of the Enlightenment. Getting to know their ally proceeded…
Find out more »December 2026
Virtual Lecture—Underappreciated Victory: Bernardo de Galvez’s Mississippi River Campaign Against the British in 1779
Independent historian Steven Kling sheds light on Spanish general Bernardo de Gálvez’s Mississippi River campaign in 1779 during the American Revolution. While brief, Gálvez’s campaign was tremendously impactful and yet it is often over-looked. Drawing from newly discovered primary source materials, this program highlights Gálvez’s campaign through an examination of terrain and weather difficulties, logistical challenges and British fortified positions, and its overall significance in paving the way for the more well-known operations against Mobile and Pensacola. This program accompanies…
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