The Library Director at the American Revolution institute of the society of cincinnati. It is my pleasure to be the one to introduce t. Cole jones, who will speak to us about his new book captives of liberty prisoners of war and the politics of vengeance in the American Revolution, which has just come out from the university of pennsylvania press. We have known professor jones, cole, since 2010, when he received a society of cincinnati scholars grant to conduct research in our library in support of his doctoral dissertation on the administration of enemy prisoners of war in revolutionary america. We have since followed his career and accomplishments with great interest and admiration. He received his phd from john hopkins in 2014. , went on to hold postdoctoral fellowships at the New York Historical society. Since 2015, he has been assistant professor of history at purdue university. Captives of liberty is an important and thoughtprovoking book that examines how the founding generation
Old dominion home. I want to take just a couple of seconds to thank two specific groups. Long story short, i was invited to speak at a church in Washington County in july of 2016. The church was celebrating their 150th anniversary, and they invited me to come up and talk about what it mightve been like trying to start a church in the immediate aftermath of the american civil war. My wife and i drove up and we walked into the back of the sanctuary, and there was one lady sitting in the sanctuary, and she jumps up, runs to the back, shakes my hand, and says my family and i have something we think you may have an interest in. Would you come out to the car after the program . I said sure. I go out of the car, she opens the trunk and tells me to hold my arms out. And she empties out the truck, and the stack is growing taller and taller. And i say, what do we have here . And she says, these are my grandfathers seven volumes of handwritten journals of his service in the first virginia cavalry
Professor green absolutely, i agree. And what is interesting about that statement, it was made at the time when speakers had a lot fewer responsibilities and duties than today. If anything, it is even more so it is the most difficult job in washington. Susan unlike the senate majority, this position is named in the constitution, without a lot of detail beyond that. I am wondering, when the framers created the position, they were look into the english model, what are they have in mind . Professor green they were thing about a model of the speakership where it was a position that had parliamentary responsibilities. So the job was to preside over the chamber and make sure the rules were being followed fairly. But they also understood the position could take on other responsibilities. I think it is telling it is only mentioned once in the constitution, and says only, the speaker,ll choose the and leaves the rest up to the house itself to determine what the speakers responsibilities should