Join us for a thought-provoking lecture from award-winning historian Michael D. Hattem, exploring how Americans have debated and reinterpreted the meaning of the Revolutionary War for more than 250 years. From the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution to modern political and social movements, the program examines how different generations have reshaped the legacy of the nation’s founding to reflect the issues of their own time.
Register Here: trumbull.libcal.com/event/16256454
Michael D. Hattem is an American historian, with interests in early America, the American Revolution, and historical memory. He received his PhD in History at Yale University and has taught at The New School and Knox College. He is the author of The Memory of ’76: The Revolution in American History (Yale University Press, 2024), which was a finalist for the 2025 George Washington Prize, and Past and Prologue: Politics and Memory in the American Revolution (Yale University Press, 2020).
Hattem’s work has been featured or mentioned in The New York Times, TIME magazine, The Smithsonian Magazine, the Washington Post, as well as many other mainstream media publications and outlets. He has served as a historical consultant or contributor for a number of projects and organizations, curated historical exhibitions, appeared in television documentaries, and authenticated and written catalogue essays for historical document auctions. He is currently the Associate Director of the Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute.
This event is part of Past, Present, and Pages, a program initiative developed by the Trumbull Library in celebration of America's 250. These programs explore history, literature, music, art, and community stories, highlighting the people, ideas, and events that connect the past to the present. Join us this summer as we explore our town, our country, and the stories that bring our community together.