St. Bonaventure panel to explore the meaning of independence today

 

 

ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y., April 22, 2026 — As America looks ahead to the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence this summer, St. Bonaventure University invites the public and campus community to come together to discuss what “independence” means.

 

Since mid-March, St. Bonaventure’s “America’s 250 Series” has explored various facets of the American Revolution. To conclude the series, university historians will gather for a final panel discussion and open Q&A with the audience.

 

The program, “The Revolution Today,” will be held at 7 p.m. Monday, April 27, in Walsh Auditorium. The event is free and open to the public, and light refreshments will be served.

 

Discussion topics will include:

• What themes have emerged from our series?
• What questions have the Founders raised for us?
• What does the American Revolution mean to us today?
• What is our own role in remembering America’s 250th birthday?

 

The university’s “America’s 250 Series” is sponsored by the History Department, the Jandoli School of Communication, and Emerging Revolutionary War. For more information about the series, contact Dr. Phil Payne at ppayne@sbu.edu.

 

 

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About the University: The nation’s first Franciscan university, St. Bonaventure is a community committed to transforming the lives of its students inside and outside the classroom, inspiring in them a commitment to academic excellence and lifelong civic engagement. Out of 167 regional universities in the North, St. Bonaventure was ranked #8 for value and #19 overall by U.S. News and World Report (2025).

Dr. Steven Pitt to Discuss "Why Boston?"

 

Link: https://sbu.zoom.us/j/92889479800  

Pitt will present “Why Boston? A New Economic Interpretation of the American Revolution” on Monday, April 20 at 7:00 p.m. as part of St. Bonaventure’s “America’s 250 Series.” The event, which will be held in Walsh Auditorium, is free and open to the public, and light refreshments will be served

“The sparks of revolution swirled in Boston, and the language of liberty coursed through its streets in the decade leading up to the Declaration of Independence,” explains Pitt, an associate professor of history who focuses on colonial and Revolution-era America.

 

According to Pitt, the Stamp Act Crisis, Townshend Acts boycotts and riots, the Boston Massacre, the Boston Tea Party, and the Intolerable Acts reinforced and compounded grievances over economic decline, taxation, Navigations Acts enforcement, impressment, and imperial overreach. The port became the epicenter of resistance with the rise of the Sons of Liberty and eventual converts like John Adams.

 

“But why Boston? Why not Philadelphia, New York, or Charleston, SC?” Pitt asks. “The answer lies in Boston’s unique and complex religious, political, military, and economic trajectory that promised opportunity but led to frequent disillusionment.”

 

At every turn, Pitt explains, Bostonians from all classes tried to escape rigged economic systems (sometimes even systems they created), but conflicting internal desires and external forces thwarted their plans and shifted economic power to neighboring ports. By 1775, economic self-preservation propelled Bostonians onto the revolutionary path.  

 

Emerging Revolutionary War Panel at St. Bonaventure University

 

Hosted by Chris Mackowski, historians from the Emerging Revolutionary War discuss the military history of the Revolution. It is a fun and spirited discussion. Enjoy.

George Washington's Shadow Talk by Phillip Payne

 

Here is my talk on way Americans have thought about George Washington's legacy. I also try to draw the differences and connections between academic history and social memory. The video isn't great, apologies. This might be one you should listen to and not so much watch.

Kayla Krupski, history major, publishes essay with Emerging Revolutionary War

Kayla Krupski, a history major and classics minor, published her essay "Maintaining the Chaos: The Complexities of Domestic Life for Loyalist and Patriot Women Amidst the American Revolution, 1752 - 1789," with the Emerging Revolutionary War. She presented the paper as part of our ongoing series on America 250.

“Everyday Voices and the Revolution,” student research panel moderated by Prof. Christopher Dalton

 

Professor Dalton introducing the Session

Alex Payne and Kayla Krupski presented their work on everyday lives during the American Revolution. Payne presented on the role of songs and poetry for common people and sailors. Krupski presented on the role of women in the Revolution, including both Patriot and Tory. You can learn more about their presentations and the series here.

Alex Payne 

Kayla Krupski

 

St. Bonaventure lecture to explore George Washington’s legacy and influence

 ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y., March 24, 2026 — Few figures in American history have cast a shadow as long as George Washington’s. As the so-called “Father of our Country,” he is universally recognized. But how well do people actually know Washington?

 

Those are questions Dr. Phillip Payne will touch on in a public lecture at St. Bonaventure University later this month.

 

Payne will discuss “George Washington’s Shadow: Remembering and Contesting the Revolution” at 7 p.m. Monday, March 30, in Walsh Auditorium. The event, part of St. Bonaventure’s “America’s 250 Series,” is free and open to the public, and light refreshments will be served.

 

Payne is a professor of History and the chair of St. Bonaventure’s History Department. One of his primary areas of interest is how Americans remember their own history.

 

“As we approach the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, we are reminded that there are political stakes beyond the simple pleasures of the Fourth of July with its emphasis on picnics, fireworks and hot dogs,” said Payne. “From such ideological distant perspectives as Constitutional originalism and the 1619 Project, Americans live in the shadow of the founding moment. For a generation (if not more), George Washington stood as an exemplar of republican virtue, but our recent culture wars have fractured the meaning and legacy of the Revolution. This, as we will learn, is nothing new.”

 

Other events in St. Bonaventure University’s “America’s 250 Series” include:

 

• Monday, April 13: “Winning the War: Why American Victory was So Remarkable,” a panel discussion with historians from Emerging Revolutionary War

 

• Monday, April 20: “Why Boston? A New Economic Interpretation of the American Revolution,” Dr. Stephen Pitt

 

• Monday, April 27: “The Revolution Today,” an open panel discussion

 

St. Bonaventure’s “America’s 250 Series” is sponsored by the History Department, the Jandoli School of Communication, and Emerging Revolutionary War. For more information about the series, contact Payne at ppayne@sbu.edu.

 

 

 

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About the University: The nation’s first Franciscan university, St. Bonaventure is a community committed to transforming the lives of its students inside and outside the classroom, inspiring in them a commitment to academic excellence and lifelong civic engagement. Out of 167 regional universities in the North, St. Bonaventure was ranked #8 for value and #19 overall by U.S. News and World Report (2025).