Brooklyn: Battles of the American Revolution with Benjamin Rubin

Less than a month after declaring independence, the fledgling American nation faced one of the greatest tests of its survival of the entire eight-year war for independence when New York city was invaded by the largest army ever assembled in the western hemisphere to that point.

This conversation will look at the heroic but ultimately doomed attempt to defend the city, the dramatic and improbable retreat that saved the war, and the booming metropolis that grew up on top of the war's largest battlefield.

Led by an expert on the American Revolution, Ben Rubin, this interactive seminar will explore one of the Revolution's darkest hours. Designed to inform curiosity as well as future travels, participants will come away with an increased understanding of the tenacity and ingenuity necessary for American independence to ultimately prevail.

Ben Rubin holds a bachelor's degree from Hanover College, a Master's from Western Carolina University, and is completing his Ph.D. at Drew University. He is also a graduate of the Cornell School of Criticism and Theory at Cornell University. His work has been published in the Journal of Backcountry Studies and in Southern Campaigns of the American Revolution. In addition to academic experience, Ben worked as a docent at the Biltmore House in Asheville, and as a whitewater raft guide on the Nantahala River.

This conversation is suitable for all ages

90 minutes, including a 30 minute Q&A.