Preparing for America’s 250th Birthday:

The Core Principles of the American Revolution

A four-part class by public historian Nancy Spannaus

Are you prepared for the celebration of America’s 250th Birthday, coming up on July 4, 2026?  Or have you been confused by all the recent discussion about the America’s early history, much of which seems to imply that we never should have declared independence from the British Empire? Does confronting the very real shortcomings of our Founding Fathers mean that we have to be ashamed of our Revolution? How should we address those shortcomings, whose consequences are still ripping us apart today?

If these questions bother you, we have just the class series you need.

On Wednesday, March 13th, public historian Nancy Spannaus will begin a four-part class on The Core Principles of the American Revolution. Spannaus is the author of two recent books on the Revolution’s leading economic genius, Alexander Hamilton: Hamilton Versus Wall Street: The Core Principles of the American System of Economics (2019), and Defeating Slavery: Hamilton’s American System Showed the Way. (2023) Her in-depth knowledge of the early days of our republic will be brought to bear in this concise introduction to the true significance of the American Revolution.

Each class will involve substantial discussion of documents from the era. Students are encouraged to supplement the presentations by reading Spannaus’s books, but that is not required.

The general topics of the four-part series are:

I. Causes of the Revolution

II. How Revolutionary was the American Revolution?

III. The Role of Alexander Hamilton

IV. Has America’s Revolutionary Heritage Survived?