Professor To Teach Four-Week History Course Via Summit Library

SUMMIT, NJ — Dr. Philip Papas, a senior professor who teaches U.S. history at Union County College, will launch a four-week course starting this Friday: Extraordinary Lives in Revolutionary Times.

The course will teach about the American Revolution and the founding of the country.

"The American Revolution was a war of independence as well as a civil war that spanned from 1775 to 1783," says the course description. "The class will examine the meaning of the American Revolution and explore the complexity and depth of the struggle to create a new nation from the perspective of the lived experiences of the American people. There were many individuals who played essential roles in the winning of independence and the founding of the nation."

The class runs for four Fridays, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., via Zoom.

"Dr. Papas will address the role of leaders such as Washington, Hamilton, Franklin, Jefferson, and John Adams, but will also highlight the important contributions to the fight for independence and the creation of a new nation by participants who are not as well known."

The format of the class will be both lecture and discussion, giving participants an opportunity to discuss and ask questions.

The class breaks out as follows:

Week 1: The Sons and Daughters of Liberty: The class will explore the causes of the American Revolution as well as the colonial resistance to the tightening of British imperial policies.
Week 2: Declaring Independence: The Promise of Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness: Participants will examine the movement from colonial resistance to independence.
Week 3: Winning the War: The class will examine the key military turning points of the American Revolution and explore some of the debates over military strategy and how they related to nation building.
Week 4: Building a Nation: The course will wrap up by exploring the leadership of George Washington and the different visions for American’s future promoted by Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson.

There will be supplemental readings that registered participants can opt to read if they want to get a deeper understanding of the Revolutionary War.

The final class will be held on Friday, July 30.

All are welcome to sign up for the program. Go to the Events tab on the library’s website: www.summitlibrary.org or call the library at 908-273-0350, option 3 to register.

This program is made possible through funding from the Manley Winser Foundation.

The Summit Free Public Library offers books, DVDs, eBooks, databases, and a wide variety of services and programming to promote learning and literacy.

The Summit Free Public Library is located at 75 Maple St. in Summit, NJ. The website is www.summitlibrary.org.

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