Revolutionary Ideas Symposium
Join SC250 Charleston and the Charleston Literary Festival for Revolutionary Ideas: Origins, Contexts, and Legacies of American Independence, a two-day symposium at the historic Dock Street Theatre.
Join SC250 Charleston and the Charleston Literary Festival for Revolutionary Ideas: Origins, Contexts, and Legacies of American Independence, a two-day symposium at the historic Dock Street Theatre. Leading scholars and historians will explore the American Revolution from multiple perspectives, including its political roots, Atlantic-world context, British and loyalist viewpoints, religious influence, intellectual legacy, and continued relevance today. Presented in collaboration with IAAM, Charleston Library Society, South Carolina Historical Society, and the Ditchley Foundation, the symposium invites audiences to reconsider what made the Revolution possible and why its ideas still endure.
Two-Day VIP Admission Pass
- Priority access to all 10 symposium sessions
- Access to all speaker book signings
- Access to the Revolutionary Ideas Lounge between sessions
- Preferred seating in Dock Street Theatre
- Invitation to a private VIP cocktail party on June 24 with symposium speakers, featuring special remarks by Jon Meacham
Two-Day General Admission Pass
- Priority access to all 10 symposium sessions
- Access to all speaker book signings
- Access to the Revolutionary Ideas Lounge between sessions
Wednesday, June 24, 2026
8:30 AM — What Makes A Revolution?
Peter Mancall
10:30 AM — Revolution and Empire: The BritishPerspective
Andrew O’Shaughnessy
12:30 PM — Slave Trade, the Caribbean, and SouthCarolina
Vincent Brown with Malika Pryor
2:30 PM — Panel: Where It All Began—The Origins ofthe American Revolution
Andrew O’Shaughnessy, Peter Mancall, and Vincent Brown; moderated by John M.McCardell Jr.
4:30 PM — Loyalism in the American Revolution
Maya Jasanoff with Ben Zeigler
6:00-7:30 PM- VIP Reception with Jon Meacham
at the Charleston Library Society, limited to VIP two-day pass holders
Thursday, June 25, 2026
8:30 AM — Religion and the American Revolution
Katharine Carté
10:30 AM — Panel: The World of Ideas Informing theAmerican Revolution
Katherine Carté and Maya Jasanoff; moderated by Elizabeth Chew
12:30 PM — American Struggle: Democracy, Dissent,and the Pursuit of a More Perfect Union
Jon Meacham
2:30 PM — Friends Until the End: The IntellectualLegacies of American Independence
James Grant
4:30 PM — Legacies of AmericanIndependence—Presented with The Ditchley Foundation UK
Sir Michael Fallon, Jon Meacham, and Christy Coleman; chaired by James Arroyo
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