From Enlightenment to Independence: How French Ideas Shaped the American Revolution

Tuesday, June 2, 2026 From 6:00 PM To 7:30 PM Add to Calendar 2026-06-02 18:00:00 2026-06-02 19:30:00 From Enlightenment to Independence: How French Ideas Shaped the American Revolution Join Robert Darnton for a conversation on how Enlightenment thought helped shape the American Revolution. The French Library, 53 Marlborough St, Boston, Massachusetts, United States America/New_York

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Join us for a thought-provoking conversation marking the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution, as leading scholar of the Enlightenment and Harvard Emeritus Professor of History Robert Darnton explores the intellectual and cultural forces that shaped the path from Enlightenment thought to American independence.

In dialogue with scholar Flora Amann, Darnton will draw on his groundbreaking work—including The Writer’s Lot and The Revolutionary Temper—to examine how writers, readers, and the circulation of ideas helped transform public opinion and lay the foundations for political change on both sides of the Atlantic.

From underground literature in eighteenth-century Paris to transatlantic networks of exchange, this conversation offers a fresh perspective on the origins of modern democracy.

Our author's talk will be followed by a Q&A session, with book signing and a reception.

Member

$18

Non-member

$25

About Robert Darnton

Robert Darnton is Carl H. Pforzheimer University Professor and University Librarian, Emeritus, at Harvard University. A leading historian of eighteenth-century France, he is the author of many acclaimed and widely translated works, including The Writer’s Lot, The Revolutionary Temper, and The Great Cat Massacre, which have received honors such as the National Book Critics Circle Award and the Los Angeles Times Book Prize.

A scholar of global stature, he is a Chevalier in the Légion d’honneur and winner of the National Humanities Medal. He lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

About the moderator

Flora Amann holds a PhD in French from La Sorbonne and the Université de Montréal. A specialist in Enlightenment literature and media history, she has taught at La Sorbonne, the Université de Montréal, and the University of British Columbia. She has also worked at the Bibliothèque nationale de France, where she curated cultural programs and exhibitions.

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