Read the Revolution Speaker Series with Adam Jortner

Adam Jortner is coming to the Museum of the American Revolution on Tuesday, October 20, for a talk on religious freedom in the Revolutionary era. It's part of the Read the Revolution Speaker Series, which is now in its 10th season and brings authors and historians to the museum for discussions of their work. The series grew out of Read the Revolution, a free biweekly digital edition of excerpts from books about the American Revolution that museum staff have curated since 2013. Past guests have included Pulitzer Prize winners like Rick Atkinson, Gordon Wood, Maya Jasanoff, Alan Taylor, Nathaniel Philbrick, and Stacy Schiff.

Jortner's talk draws on his book A Promised Land: Jewish Patriots, the American Revolution, and the Birth of Religious Freedom (Oxford University Press, 2024). It also ties into the museum's exhibition The Declaration's Journey, which features artifacts like those of Jonas Phillips, a Philadelphia Jewish merchant whose 1776 correspondence was intercepted by the British. The evening is set up as an interview and live Q&A with Museum President & CEO Dr. R. Scott Stephenson, so you'll get to hear Jortner talk through his research and then ask your own questions.

The talk runs from 6:30 to 7:30 PM in Liberty Hall on the third floor, with doors opening at 6 PM. If you can't make it in person, there's a live Zoom broadcast. General admission onsite is $25, which includes access to The Declaration's Journey and a cash bar. Zoom tickets are $12 for general admission and $10 for members. Revolution Society members get in free onsite and can attend an exclusive author reception from 5:30 to 6 PM before the talk begins.