Joseph Ellis to Speak on Revolutionary Summer of 1776

Media contact: Noelle Lemoine, communications assistant; tele: (413) 597-4277; email: [email protected]

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass., March 28, 2012 – Joseph Ellis, one of the nation’s foremost scholars of American history, will present a lecture at Williams College titled, “Revolutionary Summer: Politics and War in the Summer of 1776,” at 8 p.m. on Thursday, April 12, in Griffin Hall, room 3. The event is free and open to the public.

Ellis, a professor of history at Mount Holyoke College, has written many important studies of the revolutionary generation. In 2001, he won the Pulitzer Prize for History for his book Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation. His book American Sphinx: The Character of Thomas Jefferson won the 1997 National Book Award. Other histories that Ellis has written include First Family: Abigail and John Adams, American Creation: Triumphs and Tragedies at the Founding of the Republic; His Excellency: George Washington; After the Revolution: Profiles of Early American Culture; and Passionate Sage: The Character and Legacy of John Adams.

Ellis has been featured on CSPAN, CNN, and PBS’s Lehrer News Hour. He has also appeared in several documentaries such as PBS’ The American Experience and a History Channel documentary about George Washington. His essays and book reviews are published regularly in national publications such as The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, and The Wall Street Journal. In addition to giving lectures throughout the United States, Ellis conducts seminars for federal judges.

Ellis received his B.A. from the College of William and Mary in his Ph.D. from Yale University in 1969.

The lecture is sponsored by the Program in Leadership Studies.

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