Dr. Adam Jortner to Recount Religious Freedom in the Revolutionary Era in First 2026-2027 Read the Revolution Speaker Series Event, Oct. 20

Lecture on 2024 book to explore how Jewish Revolutionaries furthered the fight for religious independence

The Museum will kick off its 2026-2027 Read the Revolution Speaker Series with a program featuring Acadia University historian Dr. Adam Jortner on Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026 at 6:30 p.m. The hybrid lecture and discussion will highlight American religious freedom as defined and forged by Jewish faith leaders and communities during the Revolutionary era, informed by Jortner’s 2024 book, A Promised Land: Jewish Patriots, the American Revolution, and the Birth of Religious Freedom (Oxford University Press, 2024).  

A Promised Land, according to the publisher’s website, tells the story of how “the Founders, Jewish patriots, and their allies, sought and achieved the broadest possible definition of religious liberty, and the separation of church and state.” The discussion will highlight ties to the Museum’s current special exhibition, The Declaration’s Journey, including the story of Jonas Phillips, a Philadelphia Jewish merchant who attempted to send a Dunlap broadside of the Declaration of Independence and letter written in Yiddish to his relative and business partner in Amsterdam. However, both were intercepted by the British and are back in Philadelphia for the first time since 1776, on view in the Museum’s special exhibition.  

This public program, in partnership with Pennsylvania, The Great American Getaway, will be held in the Museum’s Liberty Hall and will be broadcast live online for ticketed guests. Following the presentation, Museum President and CEO Dr. R. Scott Stephenson will join Jortner in an interview conversation and facilitate a live Q&A with both onsite and online audiences.   

Doors open at 6 p.m. for onsite guests to see a featured artifact from the Museum collection, enjoy refreshments at a cash bar, and purchase signed copies of the featured book. Guests with onsite tickets are invited to arrive early to view The Declaration’s Journey from 5:15 p.m. to 6 p.m. Tickets can be purchased here.   

For each event, guests with onsite tickets are invited to arrive early to view The Declaration’s Journey from 5:15 p.m. to 6 p.m. Doors open at 6 p.m. for onsite guests to see a featured artifact from the Museum collection, enjoy refreshments at a cash bar, and purchase signed copies of the featured book.   

The Museum’s Read the Revolution Speaker Series brings celebrated authors and historians to the Museum for lively discussions of their work. Now in its 10th season, the Read the Revolution Speaker Series is based on the Museum’s national Read the Revolution bi-monthly e-newsletters, which feature excerpts from thought-provoking books to inspire learning about the American Revolution.  

About Adam Jortner
Adam Jortner is a historian at Acadia University and the former Goodwin-Philpott Professor of History at Auburn University, where he taught for fifteen years. He is the author of four books on American religious history and the history of religious liberty, including A Promised Land: Jewish Patriots, the American Revolution, and the Birth of Religious Freedom.  

His other works include The Gods of Prophetstown, No Place for Saints: Mobs & Mormons in Jacksonian America, and Blood from the Sky: Miracles and Politics in the Early American Republic. His essays have appeared in The Washington Post, The Current, and The Conversation. In June, The Great Courses released his lecture course Years that Mattered: 1776, a global history of 1776.  

Jortner has written and performed three lecture series exclusively for Audible: American Monsters, Faith and the Founding Fathers, and The Hidden History of the Boston Tea Party. Written for the 250th anniversary of the Boston Tea Party, Hidden History was a top-ten nonfiction download for January 2024. He previously worked on the script team for the children’s television show Where in Time is Carmen Sandiego?

About Museum of the American Revolution 
The Museum of the American Revolution uncovers and shares compelling stories about the diverse people and complex events that sparked America’s ongoing experiment in liberty, equality, and self-government. Through the Museum’s unmatched collection, immersive galleries, powerful theater experiences, and interactive elements, visitors gain a deeper appreciation for how this nation came to be and feel inspired to consider their role in ensuring that the promise of the American Revolution endures. Located just steps away from Independence Hall, the Museum serves as a portal to the region’s many Revolutionary sites, sparking interest, providing context, and encouraging exploration. The Museum, which opened on April 19, 2017, is an independent, non-profit, and non-partisan organization. For more information, visit www.AmRevMuseum.org or call 877.740.1776.