The Concord Museum, the David Center for the American Revolution at the American Philosophical Society, and the Massachusetts Historical Society will hold a conference on April 10-11, 2025 on the theme “1775”. The conference will be convened at the Concord Museum and marks the 250th anniversary of the battles of Lexington and Concord. There will be opportunities for attendees to visit historic sites and view objects and collections significant to the Revolution.

What challenges did New England society face in this moment, and how did they impact the outbreak of fighting in 1775? The conference organizers seek proposals from scholars across fields whose perspectives may bear new insight into British American society, culture and economy on the brink of its collapse; the origins of the American Revolution; and the outbreak of military conflict.

Topics may include, but are not limited to:

The political and social origins of the military crisis;
The impact of the British military on Boston and New England society from the end of the Seven Years War in 1763 and the outbreak of fighting in 1775;
Visual, material, and print culture connected to the outbreak of the war;
Native American and Indigenous perspectives on these events and their legacy;
The impact of the crisis and military mobilization on gender and family norms;
The experiences of women and children;
The role of slavery and experiences of enslaved people;
Religious belief, the pulpit, and the revolutionary crisis;
The battles of Lexington and Concord, and the siege of Boston;
The memory and legacy of the battles of Lexington and Concord, including objects, museums, monuments, and their role in national political history and mythology.

Presenters are asked to submit a proposal of no more than 250 words along with a cover letter and a short cv by October 15, 2024. Proposals should be sent via email to Cassandra Cloutier, Assistant Director of Research, Massachusetts Historical Society at ccloutier@masshist.org

Selected presenters will have travel expenses covered, and the David Center may commission a volume of papers drawn from the conference. Conference organizers will compose panels, and we are not accepting panel proposals.