Read the Revolution Speaker Series with Linda Colley
May 20, 2021 from 6-7:30 p.m.- May 20, 2021 from 6-7:30 p.m.
- Online
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Ticket Pricing:
General Admission - $7
Students, Teachers, & Museum Professionals - $5
Members - FREE
Read the Revolution is sponsored by The Haverford Trust Company.

The Gun, the Ship, and the Pen: Warfare, Constitutions, and the Making of the Modern World (Liveright, 2021)
An incandescent, paradigm-shifting new book.Jill Lepore in The New Yorker
Bringing to life stories of struggle and the ideas of lawmakers, committed rebels and ambitious monarchs and generals, Linda Colley reshapes our understanding of the modern world through the evolution and spread of written constitutions.
“An incandescent, paradigm-shifting new book” (Jill Lepore in The New Yorker), Colley's book, The Gun, the Ship, and the Pen: Warfare, Constitutions, and the Making of the Modern World (Liveright, released March 30, 2021) traces the global history of written constitutions from the 1750s to the 20th century, modifying accepted narratives and uncovering the close and frequent connections between the making of constitutions and the making of war. Through meticulous research, Colley shows how constitutions crossed continents, at times aiding the rise of empires and monarchies as well as the emergence of new nations and republics.
In this virtual presentation on May 20, broadcast live from the Museum, Colley will offer a global perspective on American state and federal constitutions as the Museum prepares for the opening of its summer exhibition, Flags and Founding Documents, 1776-Today, which will include a display of historic early state constitutions. Museum President & CEO Dr. R. Scott Stephenson will join the discussion to explore how the rise and spread of written constitutions evolved in tandem with warfare before facilitating a live Q&A with the virtual audience.
"A book of stupendous range and originality, The Gun, The Ship, and the Pen delivers an ambitious new account of the making of the modern world. Linda Colley has an unparalleled ability to bring together the histories of ideas, politics, and people, and to distill prodigious learning into a narrative that is at once incisively argued and an immense pleasure to read. Rippling with fresh interpretations, startling connections, and remarkable stories, this is a masterpiece of global history by one of the greatest historians working today." ― Maya Jasanoff, Harvard University
About Linda Colley

The Shelby M.C. Davis 1958 Professor of History at Princeton University, Linda Colley is the author of seven books including Britons: Forging the Nation 1707-1837, winner of the Wolfson Prize, and The Ordeal of Elizabeth Marsh, a New York Times “Top 10” Book-of-the-Year. She lives in Princeton, New Jersey.
Read the Revolution is sponsored by The Haverford Trust Company.
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The Gun, the Ship, and the Pen

Flags and Founding Documents, 1776-Today
June 12 - September 6, 2021