In 1745, New England colonists launched a successful expedition to conquer Louisbourg, a port in present-day Nova Scotia, which was then controlled by the French Empire. Reverend Adonijah Bidwell was witness to this battle as the Chaplain of the fleet and you can read about his experience in a series of Bidwell Lore posts from 2020. In this talk, Dr. Amy Watson will explain why New Englanders launched this invasion of a frigid Canadian port, why they were forced to return it, and what the Siege of Louisbourg can tell us about both British party politics and the origins of the American Revolution.
Amy Watson is an Assistant Professor of History at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Her first book Patriots Before Revolution: The Rise of Party Politics in the British Atlantic, 1714-1763 examines the British political origins of the Patriot party that inspired the American Revolution. The book will be published with Yale University Press in June 2025.
This lecture will be held via Zoom.
You can read all about Reverend Bidwell’s experience at the Battle of Louisbourg in a series of Bidwell Lore Posts in 2020. Click HERE to read that series.
