Talking About History
A FREE series of lectures, discussions, and conversations
Upcoming Lectures:
Remembering the War of 1812
Monday, April 23, 2012 at 6:30 pm
From Battleground to Empire State:
NY and the Legacy of the War of 1812 A lecture by Mr. Alfred Ronzoni
York College Room 3D01**
The War of 1812 has been referred to as America’s “forgotten war.” But it was, in fact the pivotal event in establishing the young United States as an independent nation, here to stay. Victories at the battles of Plattsburgh, Lake Erie, Baltimore and New Orleans gave Americans a new sense of confidence, pride and patriotism. This and the absence of another major war for the next thirty years gave rise to a remarkable period of economic, political, social and technological transformation much of which was spearheaded in the State of New York. This lecture will explore this legacy of the War of 1812 in the creation of New York as the “Empire State.”
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This program, which is free and open to the public, is made possible through the support of the New York Council for the Humanities' Speakers in the Humanities program.
**York College, 94-20 Guy R. Brewer Blvd, Jamaica, NY (1/2 mile from King Manor Museum). Please visit: http://www.york.cuny.edu/about/directions.
If Objects Could Talk:
Upcoming lectures in June, August and October
This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council, and from the New York State Council on the Arts.
Past Lectures
Saturday, October 15, 2011 at 5:00 pm
Dutch Influence on the American Kitchen & Life
A lecture by Peter Rose
This lecture explores the foodways brought to America by the Dutch more than three centuries ago, and the way these foodways were adapted to new circumstances.
Saturday, October 1, 2011 at 5:00 pm
The Disappearing Dutch: Where Have All The Houses Gone?
A lecture by Chris Ricciardi
At the end of World War II there were over seventy Dutch-American farmhouses and barns remaining in Brooklyn. Today there are less than thirteen and this is only an example from Brooklyn. The history of the Dutch in New York has long been overshadowed by the English and Americans, but their influence still remains today. Using the methods of historical archaeology, combined with a new look at historical documents and architecture, researchers are now beginning to piece together what life was like for these Dutch-Americans.
Saturday, September 24, 2011 at 5:00 pm
Cultural Pluralism
A lecture by Firth Fabend
Native Americans, Dutch, English, French, Germans, Africans, West Indians, Scandinavians, Scots, Irish, Poles, Jews and more jockeyed for recognition of their own cultural traditions and, when their numbers were large enough, the power to assert them. Yet, the society ultimately held together. Firth Fabend considers the glue that held it together, the contact points that enabled men and women of diverse backgrounds and interests to find common ground.
Saturday, August 6, 2011 at 5:00 pm
Three Kings but not Three of a Kind
A lecture by Joshua Smith
This lecture compared and contrasted the political and personal lives of the King brothers and their influence on the early republic regarding the spread of slavery, states’ rights, westward expansion, and the move toward an increasingly egalitarian yet fractious early American republic.
Saturday, June 11, 2011 at 5:00pm
Rufus King & New York's Patrons of Latin American Revolution
A lecture by Timothy Milford
In 1806, two New Yorkers were tried in federal court for underwriting a coup against the Spanish government in Venezuela. Rufus King was in the courtroom, ready to serve as a witness for the defense. While U.S. Ambassador to Great Britain, he had often played host to Francisco de Miranda, the chief Venezuelan plotter. Yet King's role in the cause and conspiracy was ambivalent. The episode tells us much about America's international policies and the limits of empire in the Revolutionary Age.
Saturday, October 2, 2010, 5:00 pm
Rufus King's Library
A lecture by David Gary
At his death in 1827, King had a library of almost 4,000 volumes, several thousand pamphlets, and hundreds of maps. This talk will explore the culture of an early 19th century gentleman’s library and specifically examine his book collecting and reading habits from scrap notes, notebooks, and marginalia in the books themselves.
August 28, 2010, 5pm
Rufus King & the Jay Treaty
A lecture by David Gary
Working with Alexander Hamilton to craft a newspaper series under the pseudonym “Camillus,” King helped to form some of the strongest arguments in defense of the controversial Jay Treaty. This talk will examine King's political strategies and explain some of the sources King sought out to write the articles.
Saturday, June 5, 2010 at 5:00pm
The Early Years of Rufus King
A lecture by David Gary
How did King’s upbringing in frontier Maine prepare him to become an important political force in state and national politics? This talk will explore Rufus King’s life from his early years through the end of his formal legal practice in 1784, and how his experiences shaped his political career.
This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council, and from the New York State Council on the Arts.
Lecturers
Dr. Firth Fabend, an independent historian with a Ph.D. in American Studies from New York University. She is the author of the prize-winning works A Dutch Family in the Middle Colonies, 1660-1800 and Zion on the Hudson: Dutch New York and New Jersey in the Age of Revivals, both published by Rutgers University Press.
David Gary, doctoral candidate and former King Manor Museum educator, is undertaking a systematic study and analysis of the actual books in Rufus King’s personal library. This is a subject of immense importance to a fuller understanding of Mr. King as a Founding Father and will provide greater insight into the flow of ideas and information between England, Europe and the young United States. Mr. Gary’s research continues to add depth to the stories we tell at King Manor.
Dr. Timothy Milford, an associate professor at St. John's University is a historian of colonial and early national North America. His research has concentrated on political change and cultural aspiration in the late 18th century. He is currently studying how Latin American unrest and the geopolitics of the Napoleonic era affected Anglo-American relations and conceptions of empire. On June 11, 2011 Dr. Milford will speak at King Manor Museum on Rufus King's involvement in the Latin American Revolution.
Dr. Chris Ricciardi, holds his doctorate in Anthropology and Archaeology from Syracuse University. Dr. Ricciardi has participated in over thirty archaeological excavations in Eastern Europe, Bulgaria, The Caribbean, upstate New York, Long Island and the New York City area.
Ms. Peter G. Rose, is a food historian who has lectured on Dutch-American culinary history for over twenty years. Ms. Rose has published numerous books on this subject, and is the 2002 recipient of the Alice P. Kenney Award for her research and writing on Dutch food history.
Dr. Joshua Smith, an Associate Professor at the United States Merchant Marine Academy where he holds the position of Department Chair of the Humanities Department. Dr. Smith has published numerous books on Maritime History and early American History. Dr. Smith is the Interim Director of the American Merchant Marine Museum at Kings Point.
This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council, and from the New York State Council on the Arts.
Reserve Your Seat!
Space is limited. Reserve your seat by emailing Programs@kingmanor.org or calling (718) 206-0545 ext 13. Please provide your name, the number of seats you want to reserve, and the best way to contact you.
This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council, and from the New York State Council on the Arts.
