Fraunces Tavern Museum

Thirty-five years before the battles of Lexington and Concord, the British colonies in North America raised a regiment to serve in the British Army for an expedition to seize control of the Spanish West Indies. The expedition marked the first time American soldiers deployed overseas. In this lecture, recorded June 16, 2022, Craig Chapman will discuss the Americans' role in the conflict, their terr...

In this lecture, recorded May 19, 2022, Mary Sarah Bilder looks to the 1780s, the Age of the Constitution, to investigate the rise of a radical new idea in the English-speaking world: female genius. Bilder will discuss Eliza Harriot Barons O'Connor, a path-breaking female educator who delivered a University of Pennsylvania lecture that was attended by George Washington as he and other members of t...

This lecture was recorded as part of Fraunces Tavern Museum's Evening Lecture Series on Thursday, April 28, 2022. In this lecture, Thomas Balcerski* will discuss New York City as the capital of the nation, beginning in 1785 under the Articles of Confederation Congress. Despite debates over whether the capital should be relocated, the first Congress determined to meet there in March 1789, and the f...

Military histories often focus on battles campaigns, overlooking the soldiers who fought them. Who were the red-coated soldiers who formed the ranks of the British army in the 1770s? In this talk, recorded April, 7, 2022, Don N. Hagist will investigate where British soldiers were from, what they did before joining the army, what motivated them to enlist, how they were trained, how they lived in Am...

In this lecture, recorded March 10, 2022, Roger McCormack, Director of Education at The Bronx County Historical Society, to explore the significance of the Bronx in the American Revolution. This lecture will highlight the Battle of Pell’s Point, the impact of the war on ordinary Bronx farmers and inhabitants, and the general history of the war in the Bronx.

For more than forty years, George Washington was dedicated to an innovative and experimental course of farming at Mount Vernon, where he sought to demonstrate the public benefits of recent advances in British agriculture. In this lecture, recorded February 17, 2022, Bruce Ragsdale will discuss these methods of British agricultural improvement and how they also shaped Washington’s management of ens...

In this lecture, recorded January 13, 2022, Norman Desmarais will discuss recent discoveries about the Count de Rochambeau’s army that counter popular assumptions—focusing primarily on the recently published diary of the Count de Lauberdière, which includes details that are not covered in any other French diaries. Serving as an aide-de-camp on General Rochambeau’s staff, the young and well-educate...

In this lecture, recorded December 2. 2021, Martha Saxton provides a sketch of the challenging life of Mary Ball Washington, who raised George and his four siblings largely alone—as well as her unfair treatment at the hands of his biographers.

In this lecture, recorded November 11, 2021, Nina Sankovitch presents the intimate connections between leading families of the American Revolution—the Hancock, Quincy, and Adams families—and explores the role played by such figures as John Hancock, John Adams and Abigail Smith (Adams), Josiah Quincy Junior and Dorothy Quincy (Hancock) in sparking the flames of dissent and rebellion that would lead...

In this lecture, recorded October 14, 2021, Michael Harris will discuss the Battle of Germantown. Despite a complicated plan of attack, George Washington’s Continental Army seemed on the verge of victory at Germantown, until decisions at the highest levels of the army took that promised victory away.

In this lecture, recorded September 27, 2021, author and SRNY member Ric Murphy will speak about his family genealogy, and his ancestors who fought in the American Revolution, serving in New York, Massachusetts and North Carolina regiments. Their story is covered in Ric’s book, Freedom Road, which also details Ric’s ancestors who fought in the War of 1812, Civil War, Spanish-American War, World Wa...

In honor of Fraunces Tavern Museum's Tavern Week, this special lecture celebrates Samuel Fraunces, a revolutionary tavernkeeper and Patriot during the Revolutionary War. Presented on September 13, 2021 by Special Programs and Engagement Manager Mary Tsaltas-Ottomanelli, the lecture will explore the mysteries surrounding his early life, highlight his life in New York City and Philadelphia, and his...

In this lecture, recorded August 19, 2021, Patrick O’Donnell discusses how the Marbleheaders repeatedly altered the course of events during the Revolution—from forming the elite Guard that protected General Washington to ferrying Continental forces across the Delaware River on Christmas night of 1776. White, Black, Hispanic, and Native American, this uniquely diverse group of soldiers set an inclu...

In this lecture, recorded July 8. 2021, author Claire Bellerjeau speaks about her new book Espionage and Enslavement in the Revolution. In January 1785, a young, enslaved woman from Oyster Bay named Elizabeth was put on board the Lucretia in New York Harbor, bound for Charleston, where she would be sold to her fifth enslaver in just 22 years. She had no idea that Robert Townsend, a son of the fami...

Why did over 600 Native Americans from dozens of nations meet in Pittsburgh? Just how bad did it smell inside the hull of a prison ship in 1776? Who was the only woman listed on the Declaration of Independence? In this lecture, recorded June 24, 2021, historical novelist Karen Chase will explore lesser-known figures, facts, and realities of the American Revolution.

In this lecture, recorded May 6, 2021, historian Mike Bunn offers the first comprehensive history of the British colony of West Florida. For a host of reasons, the colony has long been dismissed as a loyal but inconsequential fringe outpost. But the colony's history showcases a tumultuous political scene featuring a halting attempt at instituting representative government; a host of bold and color...

During the summer of 1776, patriots worked frantically to head off a British invasion from Canada. Their effort culminated in a wild three-day naval battle on Lake Champlain in northern New York. In this lecture, recorded April 22, 2021, Jack Kelly argues that, although the campaign has often been neglected by historians, its success was an important impetus to Washington's decision to cross the D...

In this lecture, recorded April 1, 2021, Michael Hattem discusses his book Past and Prologue: Politics and Memory in the American Revolution. Between the 1760s and 1800s, Americans stopped thinking of the British past as their own history and created a new historical tradition that would form the foundation of what future generations would think of as "American history." This process, Hattem argue...

In this lecture recorded March 11, 2021, Donald Johnson explores how, in the midst of British military occupation, men and women from a variety of backgrounds navigated harsh conditions, mitigated threats to their families and livelihoods, took advantage of new opportunities, and balanced precariously between revolutionary and royal attempts to secure their allegiance. In so doing, Johnson argues...

Despite America’s newly won independence, a bitter dispute over whether to have a capital and where to locate it almost tore the young nation apart. In this lecture recorded February 18, 2021, Robert Watson discusses the pivotal role played by George Washington in the struggle over the placement of America’s capital.

The 16 months from the Boston Tea Party to the Battles of Lexington and Concord changed the course of American history. In this lecture, recorded on February 4, 2021, Mary Beth Norton explores what is known as the "long year" of the American Revolution, a time when once-loyal colonists began their discordant "discussions," leading to the acceptance of the inevitability of a war against the British...

Everyone knows about the Revolutionary War, but few know of Benjamin Franklin's secret plan to turn the northern and southern colonies against their oppressors, and how the freeing of one enslaved man, Somersett, was the catalyst for the colonies to come together against the crown. In this lecture, Phillip Goodrich discusses the little-known story behind the origins of the Revolutionary War and ex...

In this lecture, Thomas E. Chavez discusses Spain's key role in the birth of the United States. From monetary support to naval engagements and ground warfare, Spain's involvement turned a revolution into a world war, and greatly aided the Patriot victory.

By now, most everyone has heard of the hit Broadway musical Hamilton: An American Musical. In this lecture, Robert Watson examines some of the little known, intriguing aspects of the Founder's remarkable life, including his Jewish roots and hard scrabble upbringing. This talk also features a fun fact-checking of the musical and a look at the backstory of some of the show's main scenes.

While historians often treat General Charles Lee as an inveterate enemy of George Washington or a great defender of American liberty, author Christian McBurney argues that neither image is wholly accurate. In this lecture, recorded October 16, 2020, McBurney will discuss his research into a more nuanced understanding of one of the Revolutionary War's most misunderstood figures.