Revolutionary Kinship: Sustaining Family Through Wartime Divisions

MHS Event

This is a hybrid event. FREE for MHS Members. $10 per person fee (in person). No charge for virtual attendees or Card to Culture participants (EBT, WIC, and ConnectorCare). The in-person reception starts at 5:00 and the program will begin at 6:00. 

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History is the story of families and kin, both biological and chosen. The American Revolution took place not only on battlefields and in state houses, but also within homes. Hear an enlightening discussion on how the Revolution profoundly impacted how everyday people lived, with some family structures dramatically altered and some especially durable. Our panelists will explore the many meanings of family during the Revolutionary era, revealing the surprising diversity of configurations that included stepfamilies and single parents, relationships across plantations, and ties beyond biological kin.

Disruptions in family arrangements came about as conflicting political beliefs caused familial rifts, and many lost friends and loved ones to battle and plunder. Enslaved people simultaneously broadened ideas about family in response to the violence of slavery and evaluated whether allying with American, British, or other colonial powers would offer their kin greater freedoms. The war also caused a renegotiation in gender roles as women ran businesses, handled material needs of war, and faced new childcare situations. Despite the many changes during this time period, some structures such as family law stayed the same. Join us on 16 June to explore these fascinating family dynamics and ideas that continue to resonate into the present.