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American History Mondays with Dr. Richard Bell: The Battle for America
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The French and Indian War (1756-1763) was a war for America’s future, an epic struggle between Britain and France to control the American continent. We’ll examine the parts of this global conflict that took place on American soil and track the shifting fortunes of the several European forces and their native and colonial American allies. Finally, we’ll examine the peculiar legacy of American colonists’ involvement. How did their participation reinforce a sense of themselves as essential partners in the British Empire and sow the seeds of the imperial crisis that would culminate just 20 years later in American independence? Note: this seminar repeats content from a stand-alone seminar previously offered with the same title.
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.
Dr. Bell’s passion for the subject matter was contagious! I knew very little about the French & Indian War and chose this topic for that reason. Dr. Bell’s engaging personality revealed his comprehensive understanding of the war while maintaining a comfortable, inclusive learning community. I will enroll in another of his AHM topics.
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This seminar was really interesting in laying out the struggle between the French and the British for dominance in America as manifested in the French and Indian War. There were numerous times during the seminar when I had 'ah ha' moments from connecting the dots of different parts of early American history that I had never connected before. Dr. Bell's presentation was really well-organized and lucid, his slides really enhanced his lecture, and as always his own passion for the topic and his sense of humor had me riveted to the seminar.