Commonwealth Speakers:American Founders and Pioneers


Ben Franklin is examined from several different perspectives through presentations that look at his persona, his work as a scientist and his accomplishments as a journalist. Photo courtesy of Richard Rosen.

The story of the founding of the U.S. is woven from many strands. The presentations offered in this category provide a variety of insights into that era and its events—from the role of Native Americans, to the impact of the War for Independence, to patriots in love.

B. Franklin, Printer of Philadelphia
Explore the life of Pennsylvania's most noted colonial, as we look at how Benjamin Franklin continuously "re-edited" himself throughout his life. We will examine the characters he created in his published work (Poor Richard, Silence Dogood) and the way Franklin literally recreated his own persona in the numerous portraits for which he sat. Franklin was one of the first Americans to market himself, to understand the importance of public perception for personal success. Slides of Franklin and his contemporaries, as well as the world in which they lived, will illustrate this talk.

George Boudreau, Philadelphia
Associate Professor of History & Humanities, Penn State University – Harrisburg

The Delaware Indian Ordeal During the French and Indian War
This multi-media presentation will discuss the concerns, ambitions and actions of Pennsylvania's largest native group, the Lenni Lenapes or Delaware Indians, during the era of the French and Indian War (1754-1764). Embattled by a long and bitter experience of dispossession by the Pennsylvania government and its Iroquois allies, the Delawares waged war against Pennsylvanians according to their own design. Far from being pawns or even close allies of the French, the Delawares fought to secure a refuge in western Pennsylvania for their beleaguered people. Historian Daniel Barr will present the Delaware perspective using visual imagery and excerpts from letters, journals and diaries of native, colonial and British participants.

Daniel Barr, Mercer
Assistant Professor of History, Robert Morris University

Patriots in Love: Courtship, Marriage and the American Revolution
Philip Vickers Fithian loved Elizabeth Beatty, but his duties as an itinerant Presbyterian minister in the Susquehanna River Valley and his labors as a chaplain in the Revolutionary army made it difficult to sustain a relationship with her. Using dozens of letters that Fithian wrote to his beloved "Betsy" from 1770-1776, historian John Fea will tell the heart-wrenching story of their long-distance relationship and explore how a changing colonial world impacted the practice of courtship, marriage and letter-writing.

John Fea, Mechanicsburg
Assistant Professor of American History, Messiah College

Pennsylvania German Rifleman on the Frontier and in the Revolution
Dressed in full Pennsylvania German rifleman regalia (including rifle, hunting shirt and other accoutrements), David Valuska will give a first person narrative presentation. The talk includes a general discussion of the evolution of the Pennsylvania rifle starting with the earlier German jagerbusch rifle and the famous "Brown Bess" musket. Valuska also will discuss life along the Pennsylvania frontier and the rifleman's encounters with the French and their Indian allies. The rifleman's involvement in the American War for Independence also will be covered.

David Valuska, Kutztown
Professor Emeritus, Kutztown University. President, Pennsylvania German Society

Pennsylvania Jews in the Era of the American Revolution
Although they comprised fewer than 200 people and 50 families, Pennsylvania's small Jewish community played an important role—not only in securing American independence, but also in using the revolution to obtain the right for Jews to vote and to hold political office. Historian William Pencak will use the story of men like Haym Salomon (not only did Salomon help Superintendent of Finance Robert Morris obtain much needed funds for the war effort, he also penned a powerful defense of Jewish citizenship in response to anti-Semitic attacks on Jewish profiteers) to tell the story of the entire Pennsylvania Jewish community during the formative years of the nation.

William Pencak, Coburn
Professor of History, Penn State University – University Park

The Battle of Bushy Run
The Battle of Bushy Run was a crucial event in Pontiac's War (a rebellion launched by Native Americans dissatisfied with British rule). David Miller will explore the background causes of the war and the events that transpired in Pennsylvania during the war, including the siege of Fort Pitt. Participants will learn of the strategies and tactics used by both British forces and Native Americans, along with various theories of the number of native combatants at the battle. Miller will end with the relief of Fort Pitt, the eventual end of Pontiac's War and the ramifications of the battle and war to American history. Overhead transparencies will show images of maps, forts and key people.

David Miller, Irwin
Museum Educator, Bushy Run Battlefield

Benjamin Franklin: Scientist, Humanist
Benjamin Franklin, the oldest of our founding fathers, celebrated his 300th birthday in January 2006. Franklin may be the best-known Pennsylvanian in history. In his time, he was known throughout the colonies for his books and newspaper, his lending library, his fire-fighting company and his work as Postmaster General. He also was known and admired throughout Europe—but primarily as a scientist. Historian Richard Rosen will discuss Franklin's scientific ideas and how his reputation as a scientist aided his diplomatic work by gaining him access to some of the most powerful people of France and Britain. The interactive program will include electrical demonstrations.

Richard Rosen, Huntingdon Valley
Associate Professor of History, Drexel University

A World on Fire: George Washington's Military Career in Pennsylvania
Historian Daniel Barr will discuss George Washington's military campaigns in Pennsylvania—campaigns that spanned two major wars and witnessed the birth of the nation. In 1753, Washington took his first uneasy steps into history along the frontier of western Pennsylvania. From there, his fame and his connection to Pennsylvania increased dramatically. Washington played important roles in the campaigns against Fort Duquesne during the French and Indian War, led the Continental Army in eastern Pennsylvania during the Revolutionary War and became the only American president to lead an army in the field during the Whiskey Rebellion. In this multi-media lecture, Barr will present visual imagery with excerpts from letters, journals and diaries of Washington and his contemporaries to reveal a deep connection between Pennsylvania and America's foremost founding father.

Daniel Barr, Mercer
Assistant Professor of History, Robert Morris University

The French and Indian War in Pennsylvania
David Miller will begin this presentation with an examination of the background causes of the French and Indian War. The presentation will touch on Washington's journey to Fort LeBoeuf, the building of forts in the Ohio Valley, the skirmish at Jumonville Glen and the Battle of Fort Necessity. The Braddock expedition, General Forbes' expedition against Fort Duquesne and the diplomatic aspects of the Treaty of Easton and Christian Post also will be discussed. A look at the ramifications of the war to American history will end the presentation. Overhead transparencies will show images of maps, forts and key people.

David Miller, Irwin
Museum Educator, Bushy Run Battlefield

The Forgotten Franklin: Pennsylvania's Premier Printer and Journalist
While he is best remembered for his role in the American Revolution and for his exploits as a scientist, inventor and diplomat, Benjamin Franklin was first and foremost a printer and journalist. From his shop in Philadelphia, he permanently altered the character of American journalism. Franklin combined printing craftsmanship with sophisticated writing skills to produce a newspaper that set new journalistic standards in the colonies. This presentation of lecture and slides will explore the innovations of Franklin (as a printer, editor and publisher) that made the Pennsylvania Gazette, a newspaper well ahead of its time, and Poor Richard's Almanack, a compendium of information and wisdom for colonial America.

Walter Fox, Philadelphia
Lecturer, College of General Studies, University of Pennsylvania

Lafayette in Pennsylvania
The 300th anniversary of Benjamin Franklin's birthday was much celebrated in 2006. But, almost nothing has been done in 2007 to honor Lafayette on the 250th anniversary of his birth, even in Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania is where Lafayette first saw military action when wounded at the Battle of Brandywine, where he became friends with Washington and where he saved Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell from the auction block during an impassioned 1824 speech. In this presentation, historian William Pencak will discuss Lafayette's Pennsylvania exploits and triumphs.

William Pencak, Coburn
Professor of History, Penn State University – University Park

Dining with William Penn
Wearing a 17th century mantua, Susan Plaisted will bring Pennsylvanians to their roots as she explores founder William Penn through his gastronomical experiences. The basic history of Penn, his relationship to England, the acquisition of the Charter and his Quaker background all will be intertwined in this unique look at Pennsylvania's first governor. PowerPoint images depicting the gardens and reproductions of 17th century receipts from Pennsbury Manor will bring the foodways of Penn to life. Food defined the person and food was used as a tool for establishing, controlling and displaying status. Penn's descriptions of foods in this country, his discussions of food and beverages in his papers and the foods he requested to be planted in his gardens will be discussed.

Susan McLellan Plaisted, Morrisville
Dietitian. Member of the International Association of Culinary Professionals

Germany to Pennsylvania: 18th Century Odyssey
Misconceptions abound regarding 18th century German immigration to Pennsylvania—including notions that most came for freedom of religion and that journeys always were long and perilous. James Beidler will use the writing of immigrants to reveal their true motivations for leaving Germany, the typical journey undertaken and the opportunities found in Pennsylvania. Even after the romanticisms are stripped away, the real stories of the immigrant crossings are compelling. Included with this presentation will be a compilation of Pennsylvania German immigrant memoirs (relatively few have survived from the 18th century). A PowerPoint display will offer quotations from the narratives and a bibliography handout also will be available.

James Beidler, Leesport
Writer/Editor & Genealogist

The Revolutionary War Burial Ground in Bethlehem
In 1995, construction activity in Bethlehem unearthed human skeletal remains. Archaeologists with the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission conducted a limited archaeological salvage investigation. This slide-illustrated presentation will summarize the archaeological work done. Although Bethlehem was founded in 1741 by a Moravian religious congregation, analysis of the recovered skeletal material and associated artifacts confirm that these remains date to the Revolutionary War period. Between 1776 and 1778, medical officers of the Continental Army commandeered a Moravian building for use as a general hospital. Hundreds of soldiers died in this makeshift hospital and were buried nearby. Details from a 1996 community commemorative and re-interment ceremony also will be featured in this presentation which offers a look at a unique chapter in Bethlehem's and our nation's history.

Mark Shaffer, Boiling Springs
Historic Preservation Specialist, Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission

The Forbes Expedition and the French and Indian War
In 1758, William Pitt became Prime Minister of Britain, promising to reverse a long string of defeats in the ongoing war with France. Pitt overhauled Britain's approach to the war and established new policies and plans. One such policy sent John Forbes to drive the French from the Forks of the Ohio; the key to the western frontier. Storyteller Alan Irvine will recreate Forbes' march across Pennsylvania and the final assault on Fort Duquesne. He also will tell of the early years of the war and examine its aftermath and implications. Forbes' victory opened the way for a string of British victories that culminated in the defeat of France and the British conquest of eastern North America. It also set the stage for the American Revolution which would come 15 years later.

Alan Irvine, Pittsburgh
Storyteller. Visiting Lecturer of Sociology, University of Pittsburgh

The Keystone of Liberty? Pennsylvania's American Revolution
Historian Paul Newman's 45-minute presentation will consider the American Revolution as a Pennsylvania event (from 1760-1790). While the imperial squabble began in New England and the Revolutionary leadership hailed from Virginia, Pennsylvania played a central, if ambiguous, role in the struggle for independence and the attempted revolution of American life. Newman will ask audience members to interpret the meaning of the "revolution" both for its participants and for themselves.

Paul Douglas Newman, Johnstown
Associate Professor of Early American History, University of Pittsburgh - Johnstown

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