Open Violation of Honor: Concord, Lexington, and the Ethics of the Revolutionary War

Friday, October 05, 2018, 7PM - 8PM

“Open Violation of Honor”: Concord, Lexington, and the Ethics of the Revolutionary War with Craig Bruce Smith

Drawn from his new book, American Honor: The Creation of the Nation’s Ideals during the Revolutionary Era, Dr. Craig Bruce Smith will explore the changing ethical understandings of honor and virtue that allowed American patriots to break all bonds with the King and Parliament and commit to fighting a war based on maintaining moral supremacy. 

He will explore how the eruption of gunfire during the Battles of Lexington and Concord affirmed to the American patriots (in the words of Mercy Otis Warren) that the United Kingdom was “lost to that honour and compassionate dignity which had long been the boast of Britons.” To Americans, Concord’s “shot heard ‘round the world” and the resulting war were moral responses to Britain’s “open violation of honor.” In just over a year, the echoes of April 19, 1775 culminated in the Declaration of Independence and its pledge of “sacred honor.” Free.

This event will be held at Wright Tavern: 2 Lexington Road, Concord, MA 01742  and is part of the Concord Festival of Authors.