1775: The Year the War Began

As we approach the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution the causes of the war are being discussed in Museums across the Commonwealth. In this talk professor Bob Allison will discuss the many factors contributing to the start of this bloody conflict.

The War for American Independence began in 1775. Why? Why did armed conflict not begin sooner? Could war have been avoided? Neither side wanted a war, but each would accept one in order to establish its aims. What were the aims of each side, what obstacles were in the way of achieving them, and how was the situation different at the end of the year?

Robert J. Allison is a professor of history at Suffolk University. His books include The Crescent Obscured: The United States and the Muslim World, a biography of American naval hero Stephen Decatur, and short books on the history of Boston, the American Revolution, and an edition of The Interesting Narrative of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, the African. Two of his classes, “Before 1776: Life in Colonial America,” and “The Age of Benjamin Franklin” are available from The Great Courses. As chair of Revolution 250, a consortium of organizations planning Revolutionary commemorations in Massachusetts, he hosts its weekly podcast (https://www.buzzsprout.com/1336051) featuring conversations on the Revolution with historians and interpreters. He received his Ph.D. in the History of American Civilization at Harvard, the first American studies doctoral program. He is President of the Colonial Society of Massachusetts (https://www.colonialsociety.org/), a scholarly organization focused on early American history, and a life-trustee of the USS CONSTITUTION Museum.

This lecture will be held via Zoom. Pre-registration is required to receive the Zoom link.

The painting above is The Battle of Lexington by William Barnes Wollen, from 1910 and currently in the collection of the National Army Museum