Read the Revolution series kicks off next month at MoAR

The MoAR launched its Read the Revolution Speaker Series as a way to showcase celebrated authors and historians, and open up a lively conversation with the community.

This fall, the series will be welcoming author and historian of presidential history and legacies, Dr. Lindsay M. Chervinsky, for the first installment of the 2024-25 go-around of the activation.

Chervinsky, who is Executive Director of the George Washington Presidential Library at Mount Vernon, will give a hybrid lecture and discussion on presidential history inspired by her latest book, ‘Making the Presidency: John Adams and the Precedents That Forged the Republic’, a release notes.

Chervinsky is also the author of the award-winning ‘The Cabinet: George Washington and the Creation of an American Institution’ and the co-editor of ‘Mourning the Presidents: Loss and Legacy in American Culture.’

Taking place on Wednesday, Oct. 16 from 6:30 to 8 p.m., the  Speaker Series event will be held in the Museum’s Liberty Hall and will also be broadcast live online for ticketed guests as well. Guests who will be joining the event onsite can head to the venue at 6 p.m. and enjoy refreshments at a cash bar, and have the opportunity to purchase signed copies of the featured book.

Museum President and CEO Dr. R. Scott Stephenson will join Chervinsky on stage after her presentation for a live Q&A with both onsite and online audiences.

As the release notes, in ‘Making the Presidency’, Chervinsky recounts the historical circumstances surrounding the 1796 presidential election and how Americans were unsure if the presidency could succeed without George Washington’s leadership. By March 1797, Washington retired from office and his two-term vice president, John Adams, was elected the second leader of a fledgling nation. 

The book cites that despite unprecedented challenges, he navigated the growing potential for conflict with Britain and France as well as intense partisan divides, debates over citizenship, fears of political violence, and in-fighting within his own cabinet.

With another election looming, Chervinsky will revisit and look into Adams’ life and legacy as “the president who established the democratic value of the peaceful transfer of power and ensured the survival of the American republic.”

Onsite tickets for this event include Zoom access and are $20 for general admission and $15 for Museum members. Online-only tickets are $12 for general admission and $10 for Museum members. Tickets can be purchased online. Locals interested in the Read the Revolution series can also learn more about the activation through bi-monthly e-newsletters, which feature excerpts from books that inspire learning about the American Revolution.

To learn more about the Museum of the American Revolution’s (101 S 3rd St.) Read the Revolution series and to find tickets, visit amrevmuseum.org