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Crafting Independence: How The Gunboat Philadelphia Preserved the Revolution

Presentation by Dr. Kenneth Cohen of the Smithsonian Institution, hosted by Friends of the Norwich University Library/Archives/Museum.

Friday, October 16, 1-2 p.m.  |  Kreitzberg Library Multipurpose Room

In the summer of 1776, British forces in Canada were plotting to invade the newly United States and quash the Revolution before the ink on the Declaration of Independence was even dry. What saved the country was not an army that could fight but one that could build. The story of how more than ten thousand Americans came to Lake Champlain that summer to swiftly construct a fleet and defenses to preserve the republic will change how you think about the Revolution. Seating for this discussion is limited to 30 individuals.
 

A wooden Continental Gondola with a cannon on display in a museum.
Gunboat Philadelphia, Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History.

Speaker: Dr. Kenneth Cohen

Portrait of Kenneth Cohen.

 
Dr. Cohen is Chair of Military History and Curator of Early American History at the Smithsonian Institution.

He is a public historian of early America, focusing on the period before 1900. HIs projects have covered a range of topics, from the Revolutionary War to oystering on the Chesapeake. See more about Dr. Kenneth Cohen.