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AN AFTERNOON WITH AUTHOR GEORGE C. DAUGHAN

October 13, 2018 @ 2:00 PM - 3:30 PM

 
Well-known Author, George C. Daughan, will be here on Saturday, October 13 at 2:00 pm to read from and discuss his new book Lexington and Concord.  George C. Daughan’s magnificently detailed account of the Battle of Lexington and Concord challenges the prevailing narrative of the American War of Independence. It was, Daughan argues, based as much in economic concerns as political ones. When Massachusetts militiamen turned out in overwhelming numbers to fight the British, they believed they were fighting for their farms and livelihoods, as well as for liberty.
Benjamin Franklin was not surprised by this widespread belief. In the years prior to the Revolution, Franklin had toured Great Britain and witnessed the wretched living conditions of the king’s subjects. They wore rags for clothes, went barefoot, and had little to eat. They were not citizens, but serfs. Franklin described the appalling situation in a number of letters home. In the eyes of many American colonists, Britain’s repressive measures were not seen simply as an effort to reestablish political control of the colonies, but also as a means to reduce the prosperous colonists themselves to the serfdom described in the Franklin letters.
Another key factor in the outcome of this historic battle, according to Daughan, was the scorn British officers had for colonial fighters. Although the British officers had fought alongside colonial Americans in the ferocious French and Indian War, they failed to anticipate the skill, organization, and sheer numbers of the colonial militias. Daughan explains how British arrogance led them to defeat at the hands of motivated, experienced patriot fighters determined to protect their way of life.
Authoritative and immersive, Lexington and Concord gives us a new understanding of a battle that became a template for colonial uprisings in later centuries.  (Amazon.com)
After receiving a PhD in American History and Government from Harvard University, Mr. Daughan spent three years in the United States Air Force during the Vietnam War. Most of the time he taught at the Air Force Academy, where he was director of the MA program in international affairs. Upon returning to civilian life, he taught at the University of Colorado, the University of NH, Wesleyan University, Connecticut College, and Harvard University. He now reside in New Hampshire. He is the author of several books including:   The Shining Sea (2013),  If By Sea: The Forging of the American Navy from the Revolution to the War of 1812 (2008), winner of the 2008 Samuel Eliot Morison Award, and “1812: The Navy’s War (2011), recipient of the 2012 gold medal in history from the Independent Publisher’s Association, and the 2012 George Pendleton Prize,  Revolution on the Hudson : New York City and the Hudson River Valley in the American War of Independence.  1812: The Navy’s War was also selected for the Navy’s Reading List. In 2014 he received the Samuel Eliot Morison Award from the Constitution Museum for this body of work.
Tickets ($20.00) will be sold at the Library starting August 1st.  Price includes the talk, a wine and cheese reception, and intimate discussion with the author.  All proceeds benefit the Capital Campaign for the new Mothers Wing.  Limited seating available.  Please call for further information  (967-2778).
 
 
 
Tickets: http://www.graveslibrary.org.

Details

Date:
October 13, 2018
Time:
2:00 PM - 3:30 PM
Event Category:
Website:
https://graveslibrary.org/event/an-afternoon-with-author-george-c-daughan/

Venue

Louis T. Graves Memorial Public Library @ 18 Maine St, Kennebunkport, ME 04046, USA
18 Maine Street
Kennebunkport, ME 04046 United States
Phone
2079672778
View Venue Website