Author Alan Taylor to Participate in Speaker Series

Alan Taylor, Ph.D.

“The Civil War of 1812: Canada and the Chesapeake”

Wednesday, May 7  |  7:00 p.m. in the Barn

 

To call the War of 1812 a "civil war," now seems jarring because hindsight has distorted our perspective on the past. Given the later power and prosperity of the United States, we underestimate the fluid uncertainty of the post-revolutionary generation, when the new republic was so precarious and so embattled. We also imagine that the revolution affected a clean break between Americans and Britons as distinct peoples. In fact, the republic and the empire competed for the allegiance of the peoples in North America:    native, settler, and immigrant. Americans and Britons spoke the same language and conducted more trade with one another than with other nations, but their overlapping migrations and commerce generated the frictions of competition. The civil war proved fiercest in Upper Canada, where most of the settlers were newcomers from the United States. But partisan and racial divisions rendered the Chesapeake another theater of competition for local support by the British raiders and the American defenders. 

Because of the generous grant and continued support from The Boeing Company, Sotterley Plantation is able to offer this important community outreach, fulfilling its mission to preserve, research, and interpret Sotterley Plantation’s diverse cultures and environments and to serve the world as an educational, cultural, and community resource.

This event is FREE to the public.

Advance reservations are required due to limited seating.

Call 301-373-2280 to make your reservation.