Conversation with Thomas Richards, author of The Unfinished Business of 1776

• Thursday, March 19 @ 5:00 pm
• Lewes Public Library, Lewes, DE

Join us in-person in the library or online a conversation between Ron Collins and Thomas Richards, author of The Unfinished Business of 1776: Why the American Revolution Never Ended, published for the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.

Who gets to claim the legacy of the American Revolution and the mantle of patriotism that goes along with it? In a sharp, irreverent, deeply informed account of the nation's founding moment and its enduring legacies, Richards invites us to see the Revolution not just as a one-time fight for political freedom from Britain but as an ongoing struggle for equality, justice, and social and political independence for all Americans. The Revolutionary struggle did not end in 1787 when the Constitution was ratified: Across nine chapters, Richards introduces readers to the characters who kept the Revolution alive for the next century and beyond, including the women's rights advocate Judith Sargent Murray, the enslaved rebel Gabriel, the economic reformer Solomon Sharp, and the religious visionary Joseph Smith--each pushing for freedoms that extended well beyond the traditional narrative of the Revolution, and each revealing how the unfinished work of 1776 fueled demands for economic, social, and legal equality that lasted well beyond the Revolution itself.

Thomas Richards Jr. teaches history at Springside Chestnut Hill Academy in Philadelphia and holds a PhD in history from Temple University. The author of Breakaway Americas: The Unmanifest Future of the Jacksonian United States and The Unfinished Business of 1776, he lives in Gulph Mills, Pennsylvania, where George Washington once camped.

This program is part of Lewes 250, a commemoration of America’s 250th anniversary, honoring our town’s rich past and bright future. Lewes 250 brings neighbors, visitors, and local organizations together in celebration of the “First Town in the First State.”

NOTE: this session is available to attend in-person or through Zoom. You MUST REGISTER and indicate which you prefer.

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