Presentation on The Great New York Fire of 1776: A Lost Story of the American Revolution
Happy Birthday Hamilton!
Free event!, Jan. 28, 2024
Benjamin L. Carp, whose book was featured in the 2023 Virtual Hamilton Book Club, is back to present in person for the first time at Hamilton Grange! Learn more about the fascinating story of the Great Fire of 1776 and why its origins remained a mystery even after the British investigated it in 1776 and 1783. Uncovering stories of espionage, terror, and radicalism, Benjamin L. Carp paints a vivid picture of the chaos, passions, and unresolved tragedies that define a historical moment we usually associate with “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”
Also at 2 pm : Hamilton Remembrance Ceremony and Blessing of the Grave at Trinity Church (89 Broadway, New York, NY)
Join the Alexander Hamilton Appreciation Society, Trinity Church, Museum of American Finance, US Coast Guard Auxiliary, and others in the traditional commemoration of Alexander Hamilton's passing with a graveside blessing organized by Trinity Church; remarks by author Benjamin Carp; Presentation of Colors by the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary; wreath laid by the Museum of American Finance; and the National Anthem and Taps performed by the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Band Coordinator, Flotilla Staff Officer Louis DiLeo.
The Boston Tea Party and its Legacy at 250
Sponsored by the American Revolution Roundtable of Richmond, Virginia, and the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at the University of Richmond. Please contact these organizations for the Zoom link!
As the semiquincentennial of America’s independence approaches, we have a chance to reflect on the creation of the United States. Our nation has had debates in recent years about 1619, 1776, and whose stories we ought to teach. This talk will explore the rich possibilities for understanding the history of the American Revolution, the broad possibilities for storytelling, and the complex legacy of the Boston Tea Party and the Revolution in our own times.
Defiance of the Patriots: The Boston Tea Party and the Making of America (with David Waldstreicher)
National Archives Museum
Online
This book tells the full story of an iconic episode in American history—the Boston Tea Party—exploding myths, exploring the unique city life of 18th-century Boston, and setting this audacious prelude to the American Revolution in a global context.
Benjamin L. Carp illuminates how a determined group of New Englanders shook the foundations of the British Empire, and what this has meant for Americans since. Joining Carp in conversation will be David Waldstreicher, professor of history and American studies at CUNY.
Boston Tea Party Book Discussion and Author Q&A
Sponsored by Ledyard Public Library
December 16th marks 250 years since the Boston Tea Party, another step for the Revolutionaries, the move toward open rebellion, and eventually independence. Join the Ledyard Public Library in welcoming Historian Benjamin L. Carp as we discuss his 2011 book, Defiance of the Patriots: The Boston Tea Party and the Making of America.
This is a hybrid event
CONTACT: Matt Novosad 860-917-1618 mnovosad@ledyardlibrary.org
Defiance of the Patriots: The Boston Tea Party and the Making of America
At the American Revolution Institute of the Society of the Cincinnati
On the night of December 16, 1773, a party of Bostonians boarded three British vessels and dumped over three hundred chests of tea into Boston Harbor. In addition to objecting to taxation without representation, the participants were also protesting the Tea Act of 1773, which forced them to pay a tax on top of the monopoly prices set by the East India Company and benefitting the family of the royal governor of Massachusetts. To commemorate the 250th anniversary of this harbinger of the Revolution, Benjamin Carp, professor of history at Brooklyn College, discusses the event by examining the actions of those who carried out the raid in the context of the global story of British interests in India, North America and the Caribbean.
Registration is requested. To attend the lecture in-person at Anderson House, or to watch virtually, please use the appropriate link on the website.
The American Revolution Institute
Phone: 202-785-2040
The Boston Tea Party and Its Legacy at 250
Hosted by Civic Spirit
As the semiquincentennial of America’s independence approaches, all of us have a chance to reflect on the creation of the United States. But in 2023, we also observe the 250th anniversary of the Boston Tea Party, a famous evening of property destruction that touched off the events that led to American Independence. Our nation has had debates in recent years about 1619, 1776, and whose stories we ought to teach. This We the People talk will explore the rich possibilities for understanding the history of the American Revolution, the broad possibilities for storytelling, and the mixed legacy of the Boston Tea Party and the Revolution in our own times.
On Zoom: Register here!
Benjamin L. Carp is the Daniel M. Lyons Professor of American History at Brooklyn College and teaches at the CUNY Graduate Center. He is the author of The Great New York Fire of 1776: A Lost Story of the American Revolution (2023). He previously wrote Defiance of the Patriots: The Boston Tea Party and the Making of America (2010), which won the triennial Society of the Cincinnati Cox Book Prize in 2013; and Rebels Rising: Cities and the American Revolution (2007). With Richard D. Brown, he co-edited Major Problems in the Era of the American Revolution, 1760-1791: Documents and Essays, 3rd ed. (2014). He has written about nationalism, firefighters, Benjamin Franklin, and Quaker merchants in Charleston. He has also written for Colonial Williamsburg, the New York Daily News, the Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post. He previously taught at the University of Edinburgh and Tufts University.
Boston Tea Party at the 250th Anniversary
VIRTUAL Boston Tea Party at the 250th Anniversary
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 7, 7:00—8:00 PM
ZOOM
Lincoln Public Library, Bedford Rd, Lincoln, MA, 01773
This year marks the 250th anniversary of the Boston Tea Party, a political protest that occurred on December 16, 1773 in Boston. Bringing vividly to life the diverse array of people and places that the Tea Party brought together — from Chinese tea-pickers to English businessmen, Native American tribes, sugar plantation slaves, and Boston’s ladies of leisure — Professor Benjamin L. Carp will share with us how a determined group of New Englanders shook the foundations of the British Empire, and what this has meant for Americans since.
Benjamin L. Carp is the Daniel M. Lyons Professor of American History at Brooklyn College and teaches at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York. His latest book is The Great New York Fire of 1776: A Lost Story of the American Revolution. He also wrote Defiance of the Patriots: The Boston Tea Party and the Making of America (Yale, 2010), which won the Cox Book Prize from the Society of the Cincinnati in 2013, and Rebels Rising: Cities and the American Revolution (Oxford, 2007). He has written about nationalism, firefighters, wet nurses, Benjamin Franklin, and Quaker merchants in Charleston, for scholarly journals like Early American Studies, Civil War History, New York History, the William and Mary Quarterly, and popular publications such as BBC History, Colonial Williamsburg, the Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post. He received his B.A. from Yale University and his Ph.D. from the University of Virginia, and he previously taught at the University of Edinburgh and Tufts University.
Registration for this event opens Thursday, November 16 at 12:00 AM.
Talk in Honor of the 250th Anniversary of the Boston Tea Party
Our country will soon commemorate our 250th anniversary. There are several milestones to be recognized along the way including the 250th anniversary of the Boston Tea Party on December 16, 2023.
Join the Brooklyn Chapter, National Society Daughters of the American Revolution, as they invite you to a lecture about the Boston Tea Party, given by Dr. Benjamin Carp, American History Professor, Brooklyn College. This event will be followed by a tea reception where you can meet Dr. Carp and members of the Brooklyn Chapter, NSDAR.
RSVP here to secure your spot.
The Great New York Fire of 1776: A Lost Story of the American Revolution
Hosted by New York State Library
New York City, the strategic center of the Revolutionary War, was the most important place in North America in 1776. That summer, an unruly rebel army under George Washington repeatedly threatened to burn the city rather than let the British take it. Shortly after the Crown’s forces took New York City, much of it mysteriously burned to the ground. This is the first book to fully explore the Great Fire of 1776 and why its origins remained a mystery even after the British investigated it in 1776 and 1783. Uncovering stories of espionage, terror, and radicalism, Benjamin L. Carp paints a vivid picture of the chaos, passions, and unresolved tragedies that define a historical moment we usually associate with “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”
Benjamin L. Carp is the Daniel M. Lyons Professor of American History at Brooklyn College and teaches at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York. His latest book is The Great New York Fire of 1776: A Lost Story of the American Revolution. He also wrote Defiance of the Patriots: The Boston Tea Party and the Making of America (Yale, 2010), which won the Cox Book Prize from the Society of the Cincinnati in 2013, and Rebels Rising: Cities and the American Revolution (Oxford, 2007). He has written about nationalism, firefighters, wet nurses, Benjamin Franklin, and Quaker merchants in Charleston, for scholarly journals like Early American Studies, Civil War History, New York History, the William and Mary Quarterly, and popular publications such as BBC History, Colonial Williamsburg, the Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post. He received his B.A. from Yale University and his Ph.D. from the University of Virginia, and he previously taught at the University of Edinburgh and Tufts University.
Reasonable Accommodation: Please let us know if any reasonable accommodation is required (Americans with Disabilities Act) at least 1 week prior to the program date by calling 518-474-2274.
More information: For more information about these programs, call at 518-474-2274, or send an email to NYSLTRN@nysed.gov.
American Creation, American Destruction: The 250th Anniversary of the Boston Tea Party and 1776
The Department of History Presents: The Dr. H. Nicholas Hamner Lecture
Dr. Benjamin L. Carp Professor, Dept. of History, Brooklyn College
1776 was not just a year of signing documents, but also a year of war, devastation, and unrest. This talk will explore the rich possibilities for understanding the history of the American Revolution, the broad possibilities for storytelling, and the mixed legacy of the Revolution in our own times..
Benjamin Carp is the Daniel M. Lyons Professor of American History at Brooklyn College. He also teaches at the CUNY Graduate Center. His new book isThe Great New York Fire of 1776: A Lost Story of the American Revolution
Fetzer Center - Reception in lobby at 5 p.m.
Presentation to follow in Kirsch Auditorium at 6:30pm.
For flyer follow the link here!
Please RSVP by September 25th to kevin.r.bunkley@wmich.edu or 269.387.4652
A Hat Trick with author Benjamin L. Carp!
I’ll be talking about all three of my books for Historyauthortalks.com on Zoom.
Here’s more information on this talk, and here’s the registration link!
Benjamin L. Carp on Urban Geographies of the American Revolution
Join scholar Benjamin L. Carp on a tour through the urban spaces of the American Revolution. How did Boston’s waterfront geography become a flashpoint for rebellion? How did public gathering spaces in Philadelphia create the context for democratic ideas about mass politics? Can maps help us learn whether New York City was deliberately set on fire in 1776? Learn about these and other insights from a historical geographic approach to the Revolutionary period in a visually rich, interactive scholarly discussion.
Benjamin L. Carp is the Daniel M. Lyons Professor of American History at Brooklyn College. He also teaches at the CUNY Graduate Center. He focuses particularly on urban politics, society, and culture in eighteenth-century America. In addition to his new book, The Great New York Fire of 1776: A Lost Story of the American Revolution, he has also written Defiance of the Patriots: The Boston Tea Party and the Making of America (which won the triennial Society of the Cincinnati Cox Book Prize in 2013) and Rebels Rising: Cities and the American Revolution.
Register here! This talk is free and open to the public. It will broadcast live to our Facebook page and YouTube channel.
Part of the Richard H. Brown Seminar on the Historical Geography of the American Revolutionary Era and the American Revolutionary Geographies Online (ARGO) project.
The Great New York Fire of 1776: A Lost Story of the American Revolution Professor Benjamin L. Carp
The General Society of Mechanics & Tradesmen of the City of New York, in partnership with
The New York Landmarks Conservancy, as part of the Labor, Literature and Landmark Lecture Series, Spring 2023
The Great New York Fire of 1776: A Lost Story of the American Revolution
Professor Benjamin L. Carp
Tuesday, May 23rd 6:00 pm
This will be both an in-person and online lecture
The lecture will be followed by a Book-Signing.
Who set the mysterious fire that burned down much of New York City shortly after the British took the city during the Revolutionary War?
New York City, the strategic center of the Revolutionary War, was the most important place in North America in 1776. That summer, an unruly rebel army under George Washington repeatedly threatened to burn the city rather than let the British take it. Shortly after the Crown’s forces took New York City, much of it mysteriously burned to the ground.
This is the first book to fully explore the Great Fire of 1776 and why its origins remained a mystery even after the British investigated it in 1776 and 1783. Uncovering stories of espionage, terror, and radicalism, Benjamin L. Carp paints a vivid picture of the chaos, passions, and unresolved tragedies that define a historical moment we usually associate with “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”
“An elegant, reader-friendly example of assiduously researched, carefully written American history that feels definitive.”— Washington Post
“Meticulously researched and richly documented, this is an intriguing look at a little-known aspect of the Revolutionary War.”—Publishers Weekly
Benjamin L. Carp is professor of history at Brooklyn College and the CUNY Graduate Center. He is the author of Defiance of the Patriots: The Boston Tea Party and the Making of America and Rebels Rising: Cities and the American Revolution. He lives in New York City
General Admission: $10
Advance registration is required, whether online or in person).
The Great New York Fire of 1776: A Lost Story of the American Revolution
Sponsored by the American Revolution Round Table of Philadelphia
We recommend that you get here before 6:30pm to order your food and drinks before the lecture. Program begins at 7:30pm.
New York City, the strategic center of the Revolutionary War, was the most important place in North America in 1776. That summer, an unruly rebel army under George Washington repeatedly threatened to burn the city rather than let the British take it. Shortly after the Crown’s forces took New York City, much of it mysteriously burned to the ground.
This is the first book to fully explore the Great Fire of 1776 and why its origins remained a mystery even after the British investigated it in 1776 and 1783. Uncovering stories of espionage, terror, and radicalism, Benjamin L. Carp paints a vivid picture of the chaos, passions, and unresolved tragedies that define a historical moment we usually associate with “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”
ARRTOP’s meetings are free, and visitors are welcome.
Book Purchase: To purchase this book please click on this link: https://www.amazon.com//dp/0300246951
Lost Stories: How the New York City Fire of 1776 Illuminates Unfamiliar Lives of the American Revolution
On September 21, 1776, five days after the British occupied New York City, a devastating fire burned down about a fifth of the city. This mystery brings together a startling cast of characters from around the Atlantic World: soldiers and officers, but also Loyalists, women, and people of African and Indigenous descent.
Fraunces Tavern Museum hosts the New York Genealogical & Biographical Society and author Benjamin L. Carp to explore these themes in the context of his new book, The Great New York Fire of 1776: A Lost Story of the American Revolution.
This FREE lecture will take place in person at Fraunces Tavern Museum and via Zoom. All in-person attendees will receive a copy of the book. Registration is required, through the New York Genealogical & Biographical Society.
Joint Book Talk: David Waldstreicher and Benjamin Carp
Join the CUNY Early American Research Seminar on Friday, May 5th from 4pm-5:30pm to celebrate two scholars' recent publications! You have the opportunity to attend either in person at the CUNY Graduate Center (room 5114) or via Zoom. RSVP required! Click this link to register for in person or Zoom attrendance.
Ford Evening Book Talk: The Great New York Fire of 1776 (hybrid, free)
Hear from Benjamin L. Carp, author of The Great New York Fire of 1776: A Lost Story of the American Revolution. This exciting new book tells the untold story of who set the mysterious fire that burned down much of New York City shortly after the British took the city during the Revolutionary War. Carp takes readers on thorough investigation of the dramatic and catastrophic event, as well as its consequences for the city’s people and the Revolutionary cause.
Attendees will have the opportunity to submit questions and have their books signed. Register for the event here! In person and virtual.
The Great New York Fire of 1776: A Lost Story of the American Revolution
On Zoom! Free and open to all! See here for registration instructions.
Who set the mysterious fire that burned down much of New York City shortly after the British took the city during the Revolutionary War? New York, the strategic center of the Revolutionary War, was the most important place in North America in 1776. That summer, an unruly rebel army under George Washington repeatedly threatened to burn the city rather than let the British take it. Shortly after the Crown’s forces took New York City, much of it mysteriously burned to the ground.
This is the first book to fully explore the Great Fire of 1776 and why its origins remained a mystery even after the British investigated it in 1776 and 1783. Uncovering stories of espionage, terror, and radicalism, Benjamin L. Carp paints a vivid picture of the chaos, passions, and unresolved tragedies that define a historical moment we usually associate with “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”
Cost: As long as ARRT-NY is meeting "virtually," our Board of Governors has decided to forego all charges. ARRT-NY's meetings are currently free and open to all.
Instructions for connecting to each Zoom meeting will be e-mailed to all members, together with their newsletters, approximately two weeks before the event. Non-members and former members are welcome, but requested to register 24 hours in advance of the meeting by e-mailing Board Member and Meeting Co-Host Andrea Meyer.
The Night Patriots Burned New York City Down
“The Night Patriots Burned New York City Down,” with Russell Shorto, Gotham Center for New York City History, CUNY Graduate Center, New York
Click that first link to register!
New York, the strategic center of the Revolutionary War, was the most important place in North America in 1776. That summer, an unruly rebel army under George Washington repeatedly threatened to burn the city rather than let the British take it. Shortly after the Crown’s forces took New York, much of it burned to the ground. Who set the blaze? In The Great New York Fire of 1776: A Lost Story of the American Revolution, Benjamin L. Carp delivers the “definitive account of this crucial but forgotten episode” in the first book to fully explore it, examining why its origins remained a mystery, even after two British investigations. Uncovering stories of espionage, terror, and radicalism, Carp paints a vivid picture of the chaos, passions, and unresolved tragedies that define a historical moment we usually associate with “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”
Russell Shorto, prize-winning author of the bestseller Island at the Center of the World and Revolution Song: A Story of American Freedom, joins in conversation.
Reading: “The Great New York Fire of 1776” by Benjamin L. Carp
Register here! Join us for a reading & presentation with local resident & professor Benjamin L. Carp on his latest book The Great New York Fire of 1776: A Lost Story of the American Revolution about the mysterious cause of the fire that burned down much of New York City shortly after the British took the city during the Revolutionary War.
This event is a $5 suggested donation ticket with 50 max attendees. Please register in advance.
In compliance with Word Up Community Safety guidelines, all attendees for this event must remain masked at all times.
Recirculation, a project of Word Up Community Bookshop, is located at 876 Riverside Drive (near 160th St.) in Washington Heights, NYC. You can take the 1 train to 157th St., A/C train to 163rd St., and the M4 and M5 to Broadway and 159/160th.
The Great New York Fire of 1776: Exhibition Viewing/Panel Discussion
As part of its six-month exhibition, Colonial Firefighting & the American Revolution, the Museum will host a private viewing and special panel discussion on the great fire of 1776, how it started, how it was fought, and who was to blame for the devastation and suffering it caused.
Revolutionary-era Manhattan was a chaotic scene of American Loyalists, British troops, Patriot spies, and thousands of New Yorkers seeking to weather the maelstrom of the Revolution. In the 1730s, the colonial legislature of New York officially created a fire department, giving birth to today’s FDNY. In 1776, as Washington withdrew from the city and the British rushed in, those firefighters had to choose – fight for the Patriot cause, fight for the British, or keep fighting fires in the city as they had for forty years.
They did not have long to make their decision. Just days after the British took control of the city, September 21, 1776, a fire broke out at the tip of the island. By daybreak, it had consumed five hundred buildings, the most destructive fire in colonial North America. The British claimed the fire was set by Patriot arsonists while the American Congress asserted Patriot innocence. Even today, controversy surrounds who started the fire and why.
Program Participants:
Moderator: Robert W. Snyder, Manhattan Borough Historian and professor emeritus of American Studies and Journalism at Rutgers University, author of two cultural narratives of New York, Crossing Broadway and The Voice of the City.
Panelists:
Benjamin Carp - author of the just published The Great New York Fire of 1776: A Lost Story of the American Revolution, is the Daniel M. Lyons Professor of American History at Brooklyn College and teaches at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York.
Bruce Twickler - author of the recent book, New York Firefighting and the American Revolution, wrote and directed the acclaimed PBS documentaries, Damrell’s Fire and Broadside.
Gary Urbanowicz - Honorary Assistant Chief and FDNY historian, former Executive Director of the New York City Fire Museum, author of Badges of the Bravest: A Pictorial History of Fire Departments in New York City, co-author of The Last Alarm, and host of the popular monthly podcast, “Throwback FDNY” available on nycfiremueum.org and popular streaming networks.
Private viewing begins at 5:30 PM and program begins at 6:00 PM. This event is free, but donations are welcome and registration is required. All donations will support the Museum's mission to preserve, educate, and celebrate the history of the FDNY.
The Burning of New York City, 1776
“The Great New York Fire of 1776,” American Origins seminar, Early Modern Studies Institute, University of Southern California, DML 241, Los Angeles
Register for pre-circulated material
Six Bridges presents: Benjamin L. Carp, The Great New York Fire of 1776 (Virtual)
Please join us in welcoming Benjamin L. Carp as he discusses his new book, The Great Fire of 1776: A Lost Story of the American Revolution. Vaughn Scribner will moderate.
Who set the mysterious fire that burned down much of New York City shortly after the British took the city during the Revolutionary War?
New York City, the strategic center of the Revolutionary War, was the most important place in North America in 1776. That summer, an unruly rebel army under George Washington repeatedly threatened to burn the city rather than let the British take it. Shortly after the Crown’s forces took New York City, much of it mysteriously burned to the ground. This is the first book to fully explore the Great Fire of 1776 and why its origins remained a mystery even after the British investigated it in 1776 and 1783. Uncovering stories of espionage, terror, and radicalism, Benjamin L. Carp paints a vivid picture of the chaos, passions, and unresolved tragedies that define a historical moment we usually associate with “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”
Virtual Lecture: The Great New York Fire of 1776 (online)
“Virtual Lecture: The Great New York Fire of 1776” (online): Putnam History Museum, Cold Spring, NY . Please click the event link to obtain tickets for this event: free for members, $10 for non-members. Support history non-profits!
Virtual Lecture: The Great New York Fire of 1776
Who set the mysterious fire that burned down much of New York City shortly after the British took the city during the Revolutionary War?
About this Event
Join the Putnam History Museum in learning about the myertious fire of 1776. New York City, the strategic center of the Revolutionary War, was the most important place in North America in 1776. That summer, an unruly rebel army under George Washington repeatedly threatened to burn the city rather than let the British take it. Shortly after the Crown’s forces took New York City, much of it mysteriously burned to the ground. This is the first book to fully explore the Great Fire of 1776 and why its origins remained a mystery even after the British investigated it in 1776 and 1783. Uncovering stories of espionage, terror, and radicalism, Benjamin L. Carp will paint a vivid picture of the chaos, passions, and unresolved tragedies that define a historical moment we usually associate with “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”
Benjamin L. Carp is the Daniel M. Lyons Professor of American History at Brooklyn College and teaches at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York. His latest book is The Great New York Fire of 1776: A Lost Story of the American Revolution. He also wrote Defiance of the Patriots: The Boston Tea Party and the Making of America (Yale, 2010), which won the Cox Book Prize from the Society of the Cincinnati in 2013, and Rebels Rising: Cities and the American Revolution (Oxford, 2007). He has written about nationalism, firefighters, wet nurses, Benjamin Franklin, and Quaker merchants in Charleston, for scholarly journals like Early American Studies, Civil War History, New York History, the William and Mary Quarterly, and popular publications such as BBC History, Colonial Williamsburg, the Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post. He received his B.A. from Yale University and his Ph.D. from the University of Virginia, and he previously taught at the University of Edinburgh and Tufts University.
The Great New York Fire of 1776
Feb. 16, 7 pm: “The Great New York Fire of 1776,” Suffolk County Vanderbilt Museum, Centerport, NY
The Great New York Fire of 1776
Benjamin Carp explores a lost story of the American Revolution
On Thursday, February 16th, the Suffolk County Vanderbilt Museum will host Benjamin L. Carp, noted historian of the American Revolution, for an evening lecture on one of the great mysteries of our early nation.
Carp’s presentation will draw heavily from his years of research and from his forthcoming book The Great New York Fire of 1776: A Lost Story of the American Revolution (Yale UP). In The Great New York Fire, Carp reconstructs the political climate of eighteenth-century North America and highlights the significance of New York City as a strategic center in the American War of Independence. He returns to the summer of 1776, when the rebel army under George Washington repeatedly threatened to burn New York City to the ground rather than see it fall under British control. Under these circumstances and days into the British occupation of the city, a tremendous fire swept across Manhattan, destroying a fifth of its buildings and creating the conditions for riot and plunder. Was this devastating fire the result of an accident at a tavern? Or was it started under direct orders from the revolutionary commander? Carp’s important retelling of this seminal but largely forgotten event features some of the American Revolution’s most important figures, including Nathan Hale, an early patriot with special importance for Long Island, and another lesser-known spy who deserves equal adulation.
The Great Fire of 1776 at Green-Wood (online)
Hosted by the Green-Wood Historic Fund. Tickets $9
It’s New York City, summer 1776, and a rebel army under General George Washington threatened to burn the city rather than let it fall.
It’s New York City, summer of 1776, and an unruly rebel army under General George Washington’s command repeatedly threatened to burn the city rather than let it fall into the hands of the British. In August, after the patriot's defeat at the Battle of Brooklyn (a good part of which was fought across what is now The Green-Wood Cemetery), Washington makes a miraculous escape with his army across the East River to Manhattan.The British capture New York City, then much of it mysteriously burned to the ground.
In his recently published book, The Great New York Fire of 1776: A Lost Story of the American Revolution, Benjamin L. Carp explores that fire and why its origins remained a mystery even after the British investigated it in 1776 and 1783. Uncovering stories of espionage, terror, and radicalism, Carp paints a vivid picture of the chaos, passions, and unresolved tragedies that define a historical moment we usually associate with “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” Join us for a conversation between Professor Carp and Green-Wood Historian Jeff Richman about this little-known, but important, event.
Benjamin L. Carp, PhD, is a history professor at CUNY Brooklyn College. His focus is on urban politics, society, and culture in eighteenth-century America, a period about which he has written several books.
The Great New York Fire of 1776 at New York Military Affairs Symposium
This Week at NYMAS
The Great New York Fire of 1776:
A Lost Story of the American Revolution
Please join Dr. Benjamin L. Carp, the Daniel M. Lyons Associate Professor of American History at Brooklyn College, to discuss his book, The Great Fire of 1776: A Lost Story of the American Revolution.
Lecture Time, Friday February 10, 2023 at 7:00 PM Eastern Standard Time
Please use this link to access the lecture:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88669361765
Panel Discussion - Women at War: Confronting Challenges in the American Revolution
The Revolutionary War dramatically affected the speed and nature of broader social, cultural and political changes, including shaping the place and roles of women in society. Whether loyalist or patriot, indigenous or immigrant, enslaved or slave-owning, going willingly into a battle or responding when war came to their doorsteps, women participated in the conflict in complex and varied ways that reveal the critical distinctions and intersections of race, class and allegiance that defined the era. This panel will consist of a panel of contributors to the recently publishedWomen Waging War in the American Revolution, and will be led by Dr. Holly Mayer, professor emerita of history at Duquesne University and editor of the anthology.
The discussion will last approximately 60 minutes, followed by a book signing. Copies of the book will be available to purchase at the event.
Registration is requested
New York City Ablaze: The Great Fire of September 1776
Hybrid Event! Professor Benjamin L. Carp of the CUNY Graduate Center explores the great fire of September 1776 in New York City, based on his forthcoming book about the event. Professor Carp is the author of several well-regarded books about the era of the American Revolution.