Conference on the War of 1812

A small exhibition of American Antiquarian Society artifacts relating to the War of 1812 will be on display in Reading Room throughout the day.

-Session Descriptions and Presenter Biographies-
Note: Concurrent session order is subject to change.

  • Plenary Talk 1:
    Donald C. Carleton, Jr. -- "1763: the Treaty, the Proclamation, and the Future of a Continent"

Thundersticks: Firearms and the Violent Transformation of Native America

The adoption of firearms by American Indians between the seventeenth and nineteenth centuries marked a turning point in the history of North America’s indigenous peoples – a cultural earthquake so profound that its impact has yet to be adequately measured. This lecture, based upon the book Thundersticks: Firearms and the Violent Transformation of Native America, explores how Native American’s embracing of firearms transformed their cultures and empowered them to pursue their interests and defend their political and economic autonomy for over two centuries.

Holding These Truths: A Panel Discussion about the Declaration of Independence

America’s foundational text famously declares: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” But what did these concepts mean to the people living at the time they were first written? How have they been understood over the centuries since? And today, do we still see these as “self-evident truths?” If so, have we realized the full potential of their promise?