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.
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…
Find out more »Author’s Talk—When the Declaration of Independence Was News
Historian Emily Sneff discusses her new book that reveals the stories of how the Declaration of Independence was communicated in the United States and around the Atlantic World. In 1776, people could hear the Declaration of Independence proclaimed in public squares and read it in the pages of their local newspapers. Histories of the Declaration typically recount the work that took place inside the Continental Congress, focusing on the men tasked with drafting the text. Although Congress declared independence, the…
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