Remembering the American Revolution with Michael D. Hattem

This program was part of our year-long celebration of “America 250,” the Semiquincentennial of our country’s founding. Darien Library welcomed Michael D. Hattem, author of The Memory of ’76, on March 12, 2026, as he explored the unique place of the American Revolution in the nation’s history and culture, examining how key events and figures from Connecticut had been remembered and woven into America’s origin story. About Michael D. Hattem Michael D. Hattem is an American historian with interests in early America, the American Revolution, and historical memory. He received his PhD in History from Yale University and has taught at The New School and Knox College. He is the author of The Memory of ’76: The Revolution in American History (Yale University Press, 2024), a finalist for the 2025 George Washington Prize, and Past and Prologue: Politics and Memory in the American Revolution (Yale University Press, 2020). His work has been featured in The New York Times, TIME, Smithsonian Magazine, and The Washington Post, among other publications. He has served as a historical consultant and contributor on a range of projects, curated exhibitions, appeared in television documentaries, and written catalogue essays for historical document auctions. He is currently the Associate Director of the Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute. The President's Series Welcome to the President's Series —an engaging collection of special events hosted by Darien Library in collaboration with the President of the Board and members of the Library Board of Trustees. On July 4, 2026, the United States celebrates the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. This act, which formally separated the 13 colonies from British rule, shook and reshaped the world. The “American experiment” rested on the revolutionary idea that legitimate government rests on the consent of the governed. Independence did not come easily or without grave cost. The American Revolution last seven long years, with tens of thousands of lives lost. Today, historians, philosophers, and people worldwide continue to study the Founding, the principles of democratic republicanism, and its evolution over the past 250 years. Darien Library joins museums, libraries, educational and cultural institutions nationwide in commemorating the semiquincentennial, known as “America 250,” through a series of public programs that celebrate American history and reflect on our nation’s continuing pursuit of a more perfect union.