The Center for American Studies kicks off series to celebrate Americas 250th anniversary

ROME- “Imagine the Death Star coming towards your embattled insurgent cause,” said David Armitage, Professor of History at Harvard University. He was speaking at the Center for the series, “Writing America: The United States 250.”

 He was referencing the time in 1776 when the largest expeditionary force ever in the history of the world was assembled off the coast of Long Island, New York while the American Declaration of Independence was being written.

 The Center started a series of six sessions on American history running from May 11-14. The program is organized in collaboration with The Italian Association of North American Studies (AISNA) and the American Embassy. The sessions will be taught by American and Italian professors.

 “The 250^th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence is an opportunity not only commemorate our history but also a moment to reflect on what we often call the American experiment”, David Connel from the US Embassy said, as he gave a quick introduction before the series. He mentioned the strong cultural and intellectual connections between Italy and the United States. He continued, “17 million Americans have ancestry from Italy, Italy is the number one destination for Americans to study abroad, and there are over six million Americans who visit Italy every year.”

 Professor Armitage, the keynote speaker, brought up several interesting points in his lecture that was focused on the American Revolutionary War. He introduced the Declaration of Independence as the “birth certificate” for the United States. “This is the first official document where the name ‘United States of America’ appeared.”  He then spoke about the 1772 breakup of Poland as a major historical influence before the war, and he referenced the four-year war between Russia and Ukraine as a modern comparison.

 Another major point he referenced was the official rebuttal to the Declaration of Independence written by John Lind, a British barrister. The 132-page document was published in London and was entitled, “An Answer to the Declaration of the American Congress.” The document argued against American independence and all of the charges against the crown.

 The Professor also discussed the historical idea that the war was seen as a British civil war rather than a war of independence at the time. He concluded with Adam Smith’s argument in his book, “The Wealth of Nations,” where he suggested that if colonies were not profitable, they should be set free.

 The first series concluded with a panel of four professors including Heike Paul of Friedrich Alexander University, Fanonne Jeffers of the University of Oklahoma, Daniele Fiorentino of University Roma Tre and Lorenzo Costaguta of the University of Bristol.

 The Center for American Studies is a nonprofit cultural and independent institution located in Rome. The institution promotes American culture and dialogue through initiative and projects between the United States and Europe. mlp