Introduction that my wife and i are coming out with a book called founders advice. I know this has been done before. Secretary bennett did a number of years ago. The way he did it was considerably different than what were trying to do. I have a background was a historian but im married to a woman who was in business. She was in washington d. C. Working for a defense contractor and had the opportunity to go to seattle to work for a small start up company that had not yet gone public, microsoft. When she started with mike cros, when she started it was such a Small Company they could have employee meetings that small auditorium. A lunch time. She had an opportunity to listen to this man time and time again named bill gates who didnt talk about making good products or capturing market share but he talked about changing the world. I think for her that was such a heady experience and the experience of being in a company like that at that point in time was so remarkable that she began to real
Documentaries on the history channel, a number of radio programs including the bbc and npr, lectures at the Smithsonian Library of congress, the Treasury Department and colonial williamsburg. So its no wonder that joanne was ranked as one of the top young historians. In conclusion, i quote words from 212 years ago. Its my duty to exhibit things as they are, not as they ought to be. Thats very good advice for a historian and Joanne Freeman explains history not as it ought to be, but as it was. And who said those words . Of course, Alexander Hamilton. Its my pleasure to introduce our keynote speaker, Joanne Freeman. [ applause ] thank you. Thank you very much for that very gracious introduction. I have to say im really pleased and honored to be here speaking to you today particularly at the end of what was an eventfilled weekend celebrating and commemorating Alexander Hamiltons life and accomplishments and to be speaking here at the church where hamilton was raid to rest 210 years ago to
The war. It was what they experienced. Marshal was a virginian. He was a bit of a backwoods virginian, but he fought in a number of the battles in new jersey. But he became part of something that was a lot bigger than virginia. And he got to know people from many different states, many different backgrounds, and it changed, it changed him and he began to think of the United States as his country. Not virginia. And he became to think of the government as the government of the United States, not the government of virginia. And of course, this gets revisited in the american civil war. This is exactly whats happening. The secession begins. These states are asserting the rights that they retained when they voluntarily became a part of the federal union. The view of lincoln was thats not true. You cant leave. Youre in it, you stay in it. But its primarily over the belief of the Southern States that they were the primary unit. They had given certain things to the federal government, but they
25 years ago, john herzog approached this young woman who had already curated an exhibit on hamilton. That became one of our earliest exhibits. That was joanne freeman. Her history with hamilton is extensive. We have many hamiltonians in the audience. How many of you have read all 27 volumes of the papers of Alexander Hamilton, and several times . Joanne started early reading them as a teenager. Her Extensive Research took her to the hamilton grange in scotland as well as to st. Croix. She immersed herself in the culture by living there for several weeks. She has so much experienced hamilton that she went and fired a black powder dueling pistol. She did this at a gun range. Calling it oddly satisfying, not much of a kick, but a nice full pop and dramatic puff of smoke soon after. We have an historian tried to capture the mood and moment of what it was like several hundred years ago. Her phd work was done at the university of virginia, of all places. A hamiltonian in jefferson country,
Duels with aaron burr, which ultimately killed him. The alexander Awareness Society hosted this event. It is about half an hour. I have the pleasure of introducing joanne freeman. History with the museum and even longer one with Alexander Hamilton. 25 years ago, john herzog approached this young woman who had already curated an exhibit on hamilton. That became one of our earliest exhibits. That was joanne freeman. Her history with hamilton is extensive. We have many hamiltonians in the audience. How many of you have read all 27 volumes of the papers of Alexander Hamilton, and several times . Joanne started early reading them as a teenager. Her Extensive Research took her to the hamilton grange in scotland as well as to st. Croix. She immersed herself in the culture by living there for several weeks. She has so much experienced hamilton that she went and fired a black powder dueling pistol. She did this at a gun range. Calling it oddly satisfying, not much of a kick, but a nice full pop