Fraunces Tavern Museum

Hosted by The Lower Manhattan Historical Association, Sons of the Revolution in the State of New York, Inc. and its Fraunces Tavern Museum, and cultureNOW. Each October the Lower Manhattan Historical Association celebrates two of the Continental Army’s most decisive Revolutionary War victories, the battles of Saratoga and Yorktown. Both General Horatio Gates, the commanding general at the Battle of Saratoga, and Alexander Hamilton, a key aide to General George Washington and the leader the climactic charge against redoubt 10 at the Battle of Yorktown, are buried at Trinity Churchyard. Additionally, the Battle of Yorktown is symbolic of the United States of America’s oldest military alliance. Powerful French land forces, commanded by the Comte de Rochambeau, and an equally important and sizable French fleet, commanded by the Comte de Grasse, played a crucial role in the defeat and capitulation of the British army. Participants include the Sons of the Revolution in the State of New York, Inc. Color Guard; Abby Suckle, Vice President Lower Manhattan Historical Association & President cultureNOW; Ambrose Madison Richardson III, President, Lower Manhattan Historical Association; James S. Kaplan, Former President/co-Founder Lower Manhattan Historical Association; Elizabeth Kahn Kaplan, The Alexander Hamilton Awareness Society; Camille Letournel, French Cadet, United States Military Academy at West Point; Alain H. Dupuis, President of the Federation of French War Veterans, 2nd Vice President & Deputy General Delegate, Le Souvenir Francais in the United States. Also includes the inaugural presentation of the Frederic P. Vigneron Award to the Federation of French War Veterans.

Join the Sons of the Revolution in the State of New York, Inc. to celebrate the signing of the United States Constitution on September 17, 1787, featuring a lecture on the formation and implementation of the United States Constitution by Tom Hand, author of An American Triumph: America’s Founding Era through the Lives of Ben Franklin, George Washington, and John Adams, an honorable mention for the 2024 Fraunces Tavern Museum Book Award. Hand is also the creator of the website Americana Corner that shares informative stories of the momentous events, significant documents and influential leaders that helped create and shape our country.* This lecture was recorded on Monday, September 16, 2024. *The views of the speakers are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Sons of the Revolution℠ in the State of New York, Inc. or its Fraunces Tavern® Museum.

In this lecture, Tyson Reeder traces early America's rocky beginnings, when foreign interference and political conflict threatened to undermine its aspirations and ideals, even its very existence. Spanning the period from the Revolution to the War of 1812, and focusing particularly on the career of James Madison, it reveals a nation adjusting to rancorous partisan politics, aggravated by the untested and imperfect new tools of governance and the growing power of media.* Thanks to The Society of the Second War with Great Britain in the State of New York and The State of New York Society, United States Daughters of 1812 for co-sponsoring this event. This lecture was recorded as part of Fraunces Tavern Museum's Evening Lecture series on Monday, August 12, 2024. *The views of the speakers are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Sons of the Revolution℠ in the State of New York, Inc. or its Fraunces Tavern® Museum.

We don't always consider the powerful impact that the War of Independence had on the physical landscape of 18th century America – much less how those impacts might still be seen and felt today. Join Professor David C. Hsiung for fascinating insights into the lasting legacies of the Revolution on the natural world, including deforestation at Valley Forge, raids that seized animals but also produced some surprisingly "positive" effects, and lead musket balls left on battlefields that may only now be poisoning the land.* Thanks to the Paul Revere House for collaboration and promotion. This lecture was recorded as part of Fraunces Tavern Museum's Evening Lecture series on Monday, July 15, 2024. *The views of the speakers are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Sons of the Revolution℠ in the State of New York, Inc. or its Fraunces Tavern® Museum.

It is a truism that Lower Manhattan has been America's town square since its founding in 1524, even though its history is much deeper. Virtually every aspect of global, local and national significance can be in some manner traced to this Downtown stage. Some have been forgotten and some have been transformative in our culture and many have fallen between. This is both a project in urban archaeology and a way of describing the city over time. It Happened Here captures the multiple and overlapping stories that are woven throughout our city's life. It embraces America's history as the museums, monuments and memorials that dot its streetscape do. It highlights many of the concerns, events, and places that the people who lived, fought, worked and visited here thought were important at their moment in time. The July 4, 2024 program at Fraunces Tavern Museum was the fifth prequel event leading up to the United States’ upcoming 250th birthday and a 4-day It Happened Here celebration the weekend of July 4, 2025. This year's event included speakers on the following topics: Lower Manhattan: The Most Historic Spot in the Unites States; Upcoming Anniversaries: United States's 250th and New York's 400th; Fraunces Tavern: Its Revolutionary Story; The Promise of Liberty: An Authentic Originalism; Lafayette: A Hero's Return - Commemorating the 200th Anniversary of Marquis de Lafayette's Grand Tour of the United States in 1824; First Reading of the Declaration of Independence in New York and the Destruction of the Statue of King George III. *The views of the speakers are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Sons of the Revolution℠ in the State of New York, Inc. or its Fraunces Tavern® Museum.

Perhaps no single day in US history was as threatening to the survival of the nation as August 24, 1814, when British forces captured Washington. This unique moment might have significantly altered the nation's path forward, but the event and the reasons why it happened are often forgotten. In this lecture, Dr. Robert Watson explores the British campaign and American missteps that led to the fall of the capital city, but also tells the redeeming stories of the courageous young clerks and the bold first lady who risked their lives to save priceless documents from the flames, including the Constitution. Join Dr. Watson for the shocking, behind-the-scenes story of the British attack on Washington and the rebuilding of the capital and nation.* Thanks to The Society of the Second War with Great Britain in the State of New York and The State of New York Society, United States Daughters of 1812 for co-sponsoring this event. This lecture was recorded as part of Fraunces Tavern Museum's Evening Lecture series on Monday, July 8, 2024. *The views of the speakers are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Sons of the Revolution℠ in the State of New York, Inc. or its Fraunces Tavern® Museum.