Author Event: Fire & Freedom-New York & the Haudenosaunee in the Revolution

Meet historians Dr. Elana Krischer Schimmel and Dr. Thomas Wermuth, featured in the new edited volume Fire and Freedom: The American Revolution in New York. Dr. Krischer Schimmel and Dr. Wermuth will discuss their contributions to this important new work on New York State's Revolutionary history, followed by a Q&A from the audience and reception. The Q&A will also include discussion from the ACHA on public history, community response, and approaches for inclusive history during the on-going commemoration of our nation's 250th.

Fire and Freedom showcases New York's central role in the American Revolution. This sweeping collection of essays weaves in previously excluded voices of the time, examines the importance of New York State, and emphasizes the Hudson Valley and city itself as key targets of the British.

With a foreword by acclaimed historian Russell Shorto and seven fascinating chapters on a range of subjects, Fire and Freedom demonstrates that events off the battlefield were just as meaningful as the fighting itself. State power and politics redefined conceptions of loyalty and allegiance. The resistance and agency of Indigenous and enslaved populations shaped New York's postwar era.

Historian Daniel Hulsebosch, author of Constituting Empire: New York and the Transformation of Constitutionalism in the Atlantic World, 1664-1830, wrote of the book: "Fire and Freedom foregrounds the vicious civil war at the heart of independence, with new research displaying forgotten New Yorkers—free and enslaved; Native American and European; patriot, loyalist, and those in the middle—who struggled over the meaning of liberty. This is their revolution."

Copies of Fire and Freedom will be available for purchase during the event and a portion of the sales will support the Ten Broeck Mansion. Donations to support the Ten Broeck Mansion are gratefully appreciated.

2 pm: Author Presentation & facilitated Q&A from audience.

2:45 pm Book signing and refreshments/reception on the Ten Broeck Mansion porch to follow. Event concludes at 3:30 pm.

Advanced registration is required since space is limited. Please cancel your registration if you are not able to attend so that others may register.

About the Authors:

Dr. Elana Krischer Schimmel is currently a Visiting Assistant Professor of History at Siena University. She holds a PhD in History from the University at Albany, SUNY. Her research interests include Haudenosaunee history, settler colonialism, and the early republic. Her most recent work was published in Cornell University Press's Fire and Freedom: The American Revolution in New York.

Dr. Thomas S. Wermuth is the Frank T. Bumpus Chair and the Academic Director of the Hudson River Valley Institute. His teaching focuses on early North American and United States history with special attention to the Hudson Valley region. He has researched and authored books and articles about the people and culture of the Hudson River Valley, and his most recent volume is a reappraisal of New York’s pivotal role in the American Revolution, titled Fire and Freedom: The American Revolution in New York, available from Cornell University Press.

To make your visit safe and enjoyable for all:

1) Getting Here

• Free off‑street parking: Please use our Livingston Avenue parking lot (GPS: 136 Livingston Avenue, Albany, NY).
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• Public transportation: CDTA bus routes 100 and 106 stop about a four‑minute walk away.
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7) Ensuring a Positive Experience

• The ACHA is committed to a welcoming, respectful environment. For everyone’s safety, visitors must follow all guidelines and the instructions of ACHA staff. Disrespectful, abusive, threatening, or otherwise inappropriate behavior is not permitted.
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These regulations are subject to being updated at any time. Please visit our website for current regulations.

Image captions: book cover, Fire and Freedom: The American Revolution in New York courtesy of Cornell University Press(detail). Below: Dr. Thomas Wermuth, courtesy author; Dr. Elana Krischer Schimmel, courtesy of author; book cover, Fire and Freedom: The American Revolution in New York courtesy of Cornell University Press