The Fall 2018 public lecture season was packed with events celebrating the Society's 275th anniversary. Many events were inspired by the Society's history or presented by current Members. If you missed any of them, they are all available as recordings. Follow us on Facebook to see our Facebook live videos or follow the link under each event description below.
September 16, Climate Justice with Mary Robinson
On September 16, Mary Robinson (APS 1999) spoke on her new book Climate Justice: Hope, Resilience, and the Fight for a Sustainable Future. Robinson is president of the Mary Robinson Foundation―Climate Justice. She served in two capacities as the United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Envoy on Climate Change. She is the former President of Ireland and United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, and is now Chair of the Elders and a member of the Club of Madrid. In 2009, she was awarded the U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom.
September 20, Frontier Rebels with Patrick Spero
On September 20, APS Librarian Patrick Spero spoke on his new book, Frontier Rebels: The Fight for Independence in the American West, 1765—1776. This book is the untold story of the "Black Boys" rebellion and how it sparked the American Revolution. Drawing on largely forgotten manuscript sources from archives across North America, Spero recasts the familiar narrative of the American Revolution, moving the action from the Eastern Seaboard to the treacherous western frontier. In spellbinding detail, Frontier Rebels reveals an often-overlooked truth: the West played a crucial role in igniting the flame of American independence.
October 4, An Academic Life with Hanna Gray
Hanna Holborn Gray (APS 1981) discussed her memoir, An Academic Life, with APS Executive Officer Robert M. Hauser (APS 2005). Their discussion covered her life from her childhood in Germany to her family's flight from Nazi rule, to her career in the United States' most prestigious universities. She was the first woman to serve as provost of Yale. In 1978, she became the first woman president of a major research university when she was appointed to lead the University of Chicago, a position she held for 15 years.
October 25, The Landmark Julius Caesar with Robert Strassler
Robert Strassler (APS 2012), series editor of the Landmark Ancient Histories, presented its newest entry. The Landmark Julius Caesar is the definitive edition of the five works that chronicle the military campaigns of Julius Caesar. Together, these five narratives present a comprehensive picture of military and political developments leading to the collapse of the Roman republic and the advent of the Roman Empire.
December 6, The Susan O. Montgomery Lecture: The Many Faces of Benjamin Rush with Clyde Barker
The Susan (Susie) O. Montgomery Lecture Series honors a remarkable Friend of the American Philosophical Society and a great champion of Benjamin Franklin’s founding mission of “promoting useful knowledge.” Former APS President Clyde Barker (APS 1997) presented his talk on the life and legacy of physician, patriot, and social reformer Benjamin Rush.
December 10, The Cabinetmaker's Account with Jay Stiefel
Jay Robert Stiefel presented the new release from the American Philosophical Society Press, The Cabinetmaker's Account: John Head's Record of Craft & Commerce in Colonial Philadelphia, 1718-1753. Discovered in the APS Library, Head’s account book is the earliest and most complete to have survived from any cabinetmaker working in British North America or in Great Britain. It chronicles the commerce, crafts, and lifestyles of early Philadelphia’s entire community: its shopkeeping, cabinetmaking, chairmaking, clockmaking, glazing, metalworking, needleworking, property development, agriculture, botany, livestock, transport, foodstuffs, drink, hardware, fabrics, furnishings, household wares, clothing, building materials, and export trade.