The Art and Literature of the American Revolution in Global Contexts
Our IHRC project took the form of a fall 2010 Integrated Semester composed of two graduate seminars in Art History and English. Thirteen students from English, Art History, and the Winterthur Program in American Material Culture met twice weekly for an interdisciplinary study of the ways in which art and literature shaped political thought and action in the Atlantic world during the American Revolutionary period, from the taxation crises of the 1760s and 1770s through war with Great Britain and the French and Haitian Revolutions. The American Revolution challenged British North Americans to reassess many of their fundamental assumptions about their world, including the viability of their political institutions, the nature of social relations, and their cultural and aesthetic values. Students investigated such issues by focusing on the intersections of literature, the arts, and political culture. A major component of the Integrated Semester was the study of original texts and works of art at institutions rich in the material culture of the American Revolution. Students undertook field trips to the Library Company of Philadelphia, the University of Delaware’s University Museums, and Winterthur Museum. Public talks also formed an important part of the course. Three esteemed scholars visited campus for public lectures and classroom workshops with students. The students also presented short public talks based upon their original research at an in-house symposium, "New Directions in Cultural Studies of the American Revolutionary Era."