Rick Atkinson returns to Louisville as GPB speaker
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The Filson Historical Society will host the Gertrude Polk Brown Lecture Series on Monday, June 16, featuring “New York Times” bestselling author Rick Atkinson and his latest book, “The Fate of the Day: The War for America, Fort Ticonderoga to Charleston, 1777-1780.” The second volume of the landmark American Revolution trilogy, “The Fate of the Day” discusses the middle years of the Revolutionary War when Washington’s army was fighting on the knife edge between victory and defeat.
“The American Revolution lets us see who we have been and who we are becoming,” said Patrick Lewis. “The Filson Historical Society has spurred our region to think deeply about our past and future for over 140 years. Rick Atkinson’s latest work helps us see both the international diplomatic and philosophical underpinnings of the Revolution as well as how it impacted communities torn by conflict and visited by the stress of war.”
Prize-winning historian Rick Atkinson provides a riveting narrative covering the middle years of the Revolution. Stationed in Paris, Benjamin Franklin woos the French; in Pennsylvania, George Washington pleads with Congress to deliver the money, men, and materiel he needs to continue the fight. In New York, General William Howe, the commander of the greatest army the British have ever sent overseas, plans a new campaign against the Americans—even as he is no longer certain that he can win this searing, bloody war. The months and years that follow bring epic battles at Brandywine, Saratoga, Monmouth, and Charleston, a winter of misery at Valley Forge, and yet more appeals for sacrifice by every American committed to the struggle for freedom.
Timed to coincide with the 250th anniversary of the beginning of the Revolution, Atkinson’s brilliant account of the lethal conflict between the Americans and the British offers not only deeply researched and spectacularly dramatic history, but also a new perspective on the demands that a democracy makes on its citizens.
Rick Atkinson is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of seven previous works of history, including “The Long Gray Line,” the Liberation Trilogy (“An Army at Dawn,” “The Day of Battle,” and “The Guns at Last Light”), and “The British Are Coming,” the first volume of the Revolution Trilogy. He has won numerous awards, including Pulitzer Prizes for history and journalism.
“The Filson is honored to welcome Rick to Louisville once again. As a leading expert in the founding principles of our Republic, Rick’s visit sets the stage for thoughtful discourse around the 250th anniversary of America’s founding,” said Lewis. “More than ever, it is vital that our citizenry study and contemplate the role of the individual in preserving and protecting our democracy. The Filson is proud to be Louisville’s penultimate motivator and convener of this important study and discussion.”
The Gertrude Polk Brown Lecture Series will be held on Monday, June 16 at 6:00 p.m. at the Brown Theatre, 315 W. Broadway, Louisville. Tickets are free for Filson members and $27.50 for the public (taxes and fees included). This lecture is offered both in person and virtually. Parking fees are separate. Tickets for this event must be purchased from The Kentucky Center Ticket Service. Please call (502) 584-7777 or visit kentuckyperformingarts.org for tickets.
Initiated in 1993 as a memorial to the life of Gertrude Polk Brown and made possible by the generous support of her children and grandchildren: Dace Brown Stubbs, Marshall Farrer, Dace Polk Brown, Laura Lee Brown, Garvin Deters, Polk Deters, Laura Lee Gastis, Garvin Brown IV, and Campbell Brown. The Gertrude Polk Brown Lecture Series has brought both nationally and internationally recognized historians and journalists to Louisville, many of them Pulitzer Prize winners. Speakers are selected based on their overall excellence in research, writing, and speaking and are not restricted to historians. The Filson hosts up to three lectures per year in this series.