The Virginia Historical Society is undergoing an extensive renovation, but it remains open despite the difficulty of parking and finding your way to a working entrance. I rearranged my classes today so I could leave school early and attend a noon lecture, part of the Banner Lecture Series. Here is the description of the program:
Set against the backdrop of Revolutionary Virginia, Lorri Glover’s new book, Founders as Fathers: Family Values and Revolutionary Politics, offers an intimate portrait of the lives of the country’s most celebrated political leaders, revealing, for the first time, how they struggled to balance civic duties against domestic responsibilities and contended with a revolution that remade family life every bit as much as political institutions. Glover’s lecture will bring to life the surprising, profound connections between family and politics in the lives of the Virginians who became the principal architects of the American Republic: George Mason, Patrick Henry, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison.
I am currently reading Ron Chernow's fascinating biography of George Washington, based on the 60 volumes of his papers at the University of Virginia. It has changed my image of Washington from the plaster saint that was held up to us in school to a complex man of integrity and vision. Today's lecture reinforced Chernow's presentation of the world of Washington.
Richmond was the Capitol of the Confederacy and the Civil War is the focus of much of the local history. Virginia is just as rich in 18th century history. It is good to be reminded of that.
It is always eye opening when you learn more of the accurate accounts of our history. It makes you question the validity of what we learned when we were in school
October 12th, 2014
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