Museum of the American Revolution Announces Full, Expanded Slate of 2025-2026 Read the Revolution Speaker Series Events

In Celebration of the Semiquincentennial, Popular Series to Feature Five Events, Highlighting Authors From Diverse Backgrounds and Areas of Scholarship 

The Museum of the American Revolution today announces the full lineup for the 2025-2026 Read the Revolution Speaker Series, which has brought celebrated authors and historians to the Museum for lively, facilitated discussions of their work since our opening in 2017. In celebration of the Semiquincentennial, this year’s lineup features some of the most celebrated contemporary historians and authors of Revolutionary-era scholarship, as well as those whose work highlights and enhances the 250-year legacy of the Declaration of Independence in line with the Museum’s soon-opening special exhibition, The Declaration’s Journey. 

The five series events announced are as follows: 

Dr. David Armitage, Lloyd C. Blankfein Professor of History at Harvard University, will join the Museum on Thursday, Nov. 13 at 6:30 p.m., kicking off the series by providing a hybrid lecture and discussion reflecting on his award-winning book, The Declaration of Independence: A Global History (2007) and the upcoming 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. More information and tickets available here. 

Dr. Julia Gaffield, Associate Professor of History at William & Mary, and Dr. Marlene L. Daut, Professor of French and African Diaspora Studies at Yale University, will join the Museum on Wednesday, Feb. 25 at 6:30 p.m. to present a joint lecture and discussion inspired by their recent biographies on Haitian Revolutionaries: Gaffield’s I Have Avenged America: Jean-Jacques Dessalines and Haiti’s Fight for Freedom, and Daut’s The First and Last King of Haiti: The Rise and Fall of Henry Christophe. In observance of Black History Month, the program will – as is the case in both books – reflect on how formerly enslaved leaders of the Haitian Revolution were inspired by the fight for American Independence and went on to define freedom and shape a legacy for their new nation. More information and tickets available here. 

Dr. Ned Blackhawk, Howard R. Lamar Professor of History and American Studies at Yale University, will join the Museum on Wednesday, April 16 at 6:30 p.m. to provide a lecture and discussion of his book, The Rediscovery of America: Native Peoples and the Unmaking of U.S. History (Winner of the 2023 National Book Award), which includes a information about Native American declarations since 1776 and underscores why Indigenous history is essential to understanding the evolution of modern America. More information and tickets available here. 

Award-winning author Laurie Halse Anderson will join the Museum on Thursday, May 14 at 6:30 p.m. with a talk about her process to research and write historical fiction for generations of young readers, including her bestselling Fever 1793 (2000) as well as Rebellion 1776 (2025), for which attendees will have one of the first chances to purchase in paperback at the event. More information and tickets available here. 

To end the series, Dr. Francis D. Cogliano, Professor of American History at the University of Edinburgh, and Dr. Peter S. Onuf, Thomas Jefferson Memorial Foundation Professor Emeritus of the University of Virginia, will join the Museum on Wednesday, June 3 at 6:30 p.m. for a joint lecture and discussion to launch their new book, Thomas Jefferson Survives: American Independence in His Time and Ours. The book explains Jefferson’s legacy and how his wisdom can be applied today, coinciding with the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence this summer. More information and tickets available here. 

Each of these special programs will be held in the Museum’s Liberty Hall and will be broadcast live online for ticketed guests. Following each lecture, Museum President and CEO Dr. R. Scott Stephenson will join guests in an interview conversation about their work and facilitate a live Q&A with both onsite and online audiences. Adrienne G. Whaley, the Museum’s Director of Education and Community Engagement, will also join the May 14 event to facilitate a conversation on education and public history for the nation's youngest Read the Revolution readers. 

“Our Read the Revolution Speaker Series is the cornerstone of the Museum’s special program offerings,” said Stephenson. “We are thrilled to offer a fantastic lineup of distinguished speakers to explore the history and legacies of America’s founding era during the upcoming Semiquincentennial.” 

For each event, guests with onsite tickets are invited to arrive early to view The Declaration’s Journey from 5:15 p.m. to 6 p.m. Doors open at 6 p.m. for onsite guests to see a featured artifact from the Museum collection, enjoy refreshments at a cash bar, and purchase signed copies of the featured book.  

Now in its ninth season, the Read the Revolution Speaker Series is based on the Museum’s national Read the Revolution bi-monthly e-newsletters, which feature excerpts from thought-provoking books to inspire learning about the American Revolution. 

Find out more about the series and each 2025-2026 speaker here. 

About Museum of the American Revolution 

The Museum of the American Revolution uncovers and shares compelling stories about the diverse people and complex events that sparked America’s ongoing experiment in liberty, equality, and self-government. Through the Museum’s unmatched collection, immersive galleries, powerful theater experiences, and interactive elements, visitors gain a deeper appreciation for how this nation came to be and feel inspired to consider their role in ensuring that the promise of the American Revolution endures. Located just steps away from Independence Hall, the Museum serves as a portal to the region’s many Revolutionary sites, sparking interest, providing context, and encouraging exploration. The Museum, which opened on April 19, 2017, is an independent, non-profit, and non-partisan organization. For more information, visit www.AmRevMuseum.org or call 877.740.1776.