About Harvard in 1776

In 1776, Boston was the heart of America’s independence movement, and Harvard University was caught in the political, social, and cultural whirlwind. Off campus, eight alumni signed the Declaration of Independence. On campus, students established a militia and debated each other about revolutionary political theories. In the lead up to the intensification of armed conflict in 1775, Continental Army soldiers descended on the town of Cambridge and Harvard’s campus to transform buildings into military barracks. 

Harvard’s History Department established the Harvard in 1776 public history project to commemorate America's 250th by exploring, studying, and sharing, this local, place-based history of the Revolutionary War. This website will highlight the project’s work and local and campus events related to the American Revolution. We welcome inquiries or event submissions to history@fas.harvard.edu.

The Harvard in 1776 planning committee includes faculty & staff members Tiya Miles, Annette Gordon-Reed, Taylor Maurice, and Dan Smail (ex officio) and graduate students Riley Sutherland and Saffron Sener.