1774 And All That: Paths To Independence

In her talk, groundbreaking historian Mary Beth Norton will reveal the “back story” to her George Washington Book Prize-winning book, 1774: The Long Year of Revolution. She will explains the book's intellectual origins and why it differs so dramatically from any other book discussing the crucial eighteen-month period that preceded the battles at Lexington and Concord, paying particular attention to events in Philadelphia, in contrast to the usual emphasis on Boston.

This talk will mark the opening of the new exhibit ,on view through September 18, 2026. Featuring rare original documents from the Historical Society of Pennsylvania’s collections—including letters, pamphlets, broadsides, prints, and drafts of the Articles of Confederation and the US Constitution —the display traces the complex path to American independence. It highlights not only the perspectives of well-known figures such as Benjamin Franklin, John Dickinson, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and James Wilson, but also the experiences and evolving views of ordinary Philadelphians.

• This event is being offered in a hybrid format. Both onsite and virtual tickets are available. All ticket reservations will include a Zoom link.
• Onsite tickets include admission to the talk and the exhibit ,, on view through September 18, 2024.
• We wish to provide complimentary tickets to current secondary, undergraduate, and graduate students. Please email us at [email protected] and tell us where you are enrolled as a student and in what program.

Please register here.

About the Speaker:

Historian Mary Beth Norton is the author of six books and co-editor of several others. She has written books about both women and loyalists during the Revolution. Her textbook, A People and a Nation, a survey of U.S. history written with five other authors, has been published in eleven editions and has sold more than 500,000 copies. Norton is the Mary Donlon Alger Professor Emerita of American History at Cornell University. She lives in Ithaca, NY.

The Historical Society of Pennsylvania, founded in 1824, is one of the nation’s largest archives of historical documents. We are proud to serve as Philadelphia’s Library of American History, with over 21 million manuscripts, books, and graphic images encompassing centuries of US history. Through educator workshops, research opportunities, public programs, and lectures throughout the year, we strive to make history relevant and exhilarating to all. For more information, visit hsp.org.

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