October

The 250th anniversary of key events in the American Revolution provides an opportunity to look back on how the United States emerged as an independent nation. This four-part forum presented by Professor of Physics Steve Feller surveys the development of British colonies in North America and the road to revolution and independence for some of them. In the first session, we will introduce the various European powers that colonized North America (Spanish, French, Dutch and English) and the rise of British North America. We will learn about the broader economy of the colonies, the transatlantic slave trade and the colonies that failed or succeeded. Week two will focus on the Seven Years’ War in North America (known in British North America as the French and Indian War) and how British victory in that conflict gave rise to a series of events, such as the Stamp Act, Townshend Acts and Boston Massacre, that led to a call for independence. During weeks three and four, we will follow the armed revolt against Great Britain from Lexington and Concord in 1775 through American victory in the War for Independence in 1783. We will hear about military conflicts like Bunker Hill, the Battle of Brooklyn, and Yorktown. We will simultaneously follow the establishment of the American Congress and its attempts to run an army and establish common purpose. The series will conclude with the postwar period and the process of establishing a new nation, from the Articles of Confederation to the Constitution to the first president.