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American History Mondays with Dr. Richard Bell: Declaring Cultural Independence

American History Mondays with Dr. Richard Bell: Declaring Cultural Independence


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Before the Revolution, most American colonists had tended to think of themselves as British and were often deeply enamored with the culture and fashions of their cousins London. That shifted after 1783 as many new citizens tried to kickstart a distinctively American culture – to give America a national character different and distinctive from the national character of Britain. 

Following a general survey of the many different ways that these artists and intellectuals tried to declare their cultural independence, we’ll zero in on Noah Webster, the Connecticut schoolmaster who spent his life trying to persuade ordinary Americans to rethink their relationship with the British empire’s mother tongue: the English language.

Dr. Richard Bell is Professor of History at the University of Maryland. He holds a PhD from Harvard University and has won more than a dozen teaching awards, including the University System of Maryland Board of Regents Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching. He has held major research fellowships at Yale, Cambridge, the Library of Congress and is the recipient of the Andrew Carnegie Fellowship and the National Endowment of the Humanities Public Scholar Award. Professor Bell is author of the new book "Stolen: Five Free Boys Kidnapped into Slavery and their Astonishing Odyssey Home," which was shortlisted for the George Washington Prize and the Harriet Tubman Prize.

This conversation is suitable for all ages.

90 minutes, including a 30 minute Q&A.

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T (Tempe, US)

Great group conversation on such an interesting topic.

Customer Reviews

Based on 1 review
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T (Tempe, US)

Great group conversation on such an interesting topic.