"Fire and Freedom: The American Revolution in New York" 2026 New York History conference keynote

The 2026 New York History conference keynote panel discussion, "Fire and Freedom: The American Revolution in New York," is now available on demand on HRVI's YouTube channel.

Panel description:

What started as a constitutional dispute about "home rule" and taxation became a transformative event that unleashed a host of unanticipated consequences. Showcasing New York's central role in the revolution, Fire and Freedom, also highlights the stories of people and events previously hidden from popular view, unveiling a new vision of this famous narrative. Many of the revolution's key moments can be traced to New York: city crowds rioted against colonial taxation and George Washington spent one-third of the war in and around the soon-to-be "Empire State." Beyond these well-known players and moments, however, lies a trove of new information on New York's hidden revolutionary stories and what that revolution meant to the many thousands who participated in it.

This panel discussion was comprised of contributing authors to Fire and Freedom.

Moderated by Thomas S. Wermuth, Dr. Frank T. Bumpus Chair in Hudson River Valley History, Marist University and Editor, Fire and Freedom: The American Revolution in New York

Benjamin L. Carp, Daniel M. Lyons Professor of American History at Brooklyn College and Professor of History at the Graduate Center of the City of New York

John Cording, St. Thomas Aquinas College

Elana Krischer, Independent Scholar

Christopher F. Minty, Digital Editor at the University of Virginia

Dillon L. Streifeneder, Assistant Professor of History at the United States Naval Academy

Fire and Freedom: The American Revolution in New York is available from Cornell University Press.