"Apple of Gold": The Centrality of the Declaration of Independence in American Political Life

Description

Professor Christopher Flannery examines the prominence of the Declaration of Independence in U.S. history and present life, the context in which it was written, and the intentions of its drafters. He includes readings from historical documents.

For the lecture, follow the link below and scroll down to the first seminar under Monday, June 21.

Older versions of this lecture can be found, from most recent to oldest, here, here, and here.

Cole Digges House [VA]

Description

Cole Digges, a Revolutionary War hero, built his house in Richmond in 1805. Renovated in 1995, the building now houses the statewide offices of the Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities (AVPA), including a library and archives which are open by appointment.

The house offers research library access by appointment.

Lynnhaven House [VA]

Description

Francis Thelaball II built this house with its massive chimneys in 1725. Typical of early colonial planters' homes, the Lynnhaven House features a hall-parlor plan with molded ceiling joists and a closed string Jacobean-type stair. Furnishings reflect the early 18th century. Costumed docents conduct tours of the House and grounds as guests arrive. On the grounds are gardens and a small Revolutionary War graveyard.

The house offers short films, tours, exhibits, and recreational and educational events.

Steuben House [NJ]

Description

Built in 1752 by merchant Jan Zabriskie, the Steuben House witnessed the crossing of George Washington and the garrison of Fort Lee across the Hackensack River during their infamous November 1776 retreat. Because of this strategic position on the banks of the river at the New Bridge, the Steuben House survived throughout the American Revolution and was used by both Colonial and British soldiers. The confiscated mansion once served as a military headquarters for General Washington and was later presented to Major General Baron von Steuben as thanks for his efforts during the War for Independence.

The house offers tours and educational programs.

Old Dutch Parsonage and Wallace House [NJ]

Description

The parsonage was built in 1751 and first occupied by Reverend John Frelinghuysen, who came from Amsterdam to serve three congregations of the Dutch Reform church in the upper Raritan Valley. The second occupant of the Parsonage, the Reverend Jacob Hardenbergh, founded Queens College in 1766 while residing in the house. While living at the Dutch Parsonage, Hardenbergh sold 95 acres of land and a small farmhouse to John Wallace, a Philadelphia fabric importer and merchant. Between 1775 and 1776, Wallace purchased an additional 12 acres of land and built an eight-room Georgian style mansion adjoining part of the existing farmhouse. It was the largest house built in New Jersey during the Revolutionary War. Naming his estate "Hope Farm," Wallace intended the property to be his country seat and place of retirement.

The site offers tours.

Rockingham [NJ]

Description

Rockingham is believed to be the second oldest house in the Millstone River valley, its original construction dating between 1702 and 1710. Jedidiah Higgins, one of the earliest settlers in the Rocky Hill–Kingston area, is credited with building the house. In 1783, while the Continental Congress was meeting at Nassau Hall in nearby Princeton, Congress rented this house from the widow of Judge John Berrien for use by General George Washington from August 23 to November 10, 1783. Martha Washington joined him at Rockingham.

A second website for the site can be found here.

The site offers tours, exhibits, educational programs, and occasional recreational and educational events (including living history events).

Cragfont [TN]

Description

Cragfont was the home of General James Winchester, a protagonist of the American Revolution, a pioneer in the Middle Tennessee wilderness, a soldier against indigenous Americans, a brigadier general in the War of 1812, and co-founder of the City of Memphis. The construction of Cragfont was started in 1798 and finished in 1802. It was the finest mansion on the Tennessee frontier and typified the grandeur and style of the best architecture of the late Georgian period. Named Cragfont because it stood on a rocky bluff with a spring at its base, the house is furnished with Federal antiques, some of which are original to the Winchester family. The basement holds an authentic weaving room.

A second website for the site can be found here.

The house offers tours and occasional recreational and educational events.

House in the Horseshoe [NC]

Description

In spring and summer, bright flowers surround this plantation house named for its location on a horseshoe bend in the Deep River. The house (circa 1770) was owned by Philip Alston, whose band of colonists seeking independence from Britain was attacked here in 1781 during the American Revolution by British loyalists led by David Fanning. Later, four-term governor Benjamin Williams lived in the house, which now features antiques of the colonial and Revolutionary War eras.

The site offers exhibits, tours, and occasional recreational and educational events (including living history events).

Brandywine Battlefield Park [PA]

Description

The Brandywine Battlefield Historic Site brings to life the largest engagement of the Revolutionary War, fought on September 11, 1777, between the Continental Army led by General George Washington and the British forces headed by General William Howe.

The site offers a short film, exhibits, tours, educational programs, and occasional recreational and educational events (including living history events).

Quincy House

Description

Built as a country estate in 1770, Quincy House was originally surrounded by fields and pasture overlooking Quincy Bay. Its architectural details, including a Chinese fretwork balustrade and classical portico, befit the status of the man who built it, the Revolutionary leader Colonel Josiah Quincy. For generations, the Quincys, like the Adamses, to whom they were related, played important roles in the social and political life of Massachusetts. The family produced three mayors of Boston and a president of Harvard. Much of the historical information pertaining to the house and family was documented in the early 1880s by Eliza Susan Quincy. She kept journals, inventoried the contents of the house, commissioned photographs of the interior, and persuaded relatives to return heirlooms so that the house could become a repository of Quincy family history.

The house offers tours and educational programs.