Fischer to Speak on Liberty in Lexington

In my recent posts on the Battle of Lexington and Concord, I mentioned David Hackett Fischer's book Paul Revere's Ride more than once. It's by far the best recent study of that event. Fischer has written several other interesting books as well, including the scary Historians' Fallacies.

On Sunday, 16 October, Prof. Fischer will deliver the the 2006 Massachusetts History Lecture, titled "Liberty and Freedom: Many Ideas, One Tradition." This event is sponsored by the Massachusetts Foundation for the Humanities and the National Heritage Museum in Lexington, which is also hosting the traveling exhibition “American Visions of Liberty and Freedom”, based on Fischer’s book Liberty and Freedom: A Visual History of America’s Founding. (This is a big $50 book; the little image from Oxford University Press above doesn't do it justice.)

The material on this lecture says:

Liberty and freedom have long been central to American experience and identity. Fischer will explore the different meanings of "liberty" and "freedom" and discuss how these ideas have changed throughout the nation's history.

The lecture, which starts at 2:00, is free and open to the public. There are also guided tours of the exhibition at 1:00 and 3:30, but you need to register for those in advance (call 617-923-1678).