Paradise Regained

Today is the first day that I feel I have enough perspective to start writing about one of the most challenging and invigorating weeks I have ever experienced. My week at Brown was more then I could ever have expected.

Our surroundings were truly conducive to the study of colonial history. Many of the buildings and memorials at Brown commemorate our early history as the University was chartered in 1764 and moved to Providence in 1770. In addition to our daily lecturers, we were treated to tours of Providence that included stops at the Brown House (prominent family that made money in several business ventures including the slave trade and the China trade,photo on the left ), the Stephen Hopkins home (photo on the right), a signer of the Declaration of Independence, and the Roger Williams Memorial.

There were about twenty-five participants for the seminar and they came from many states and one foreign city, Rome. In addition to teachers we also had a national park ranger from Philadelphia and two museum education directors. While the group was diverse, the one thing all of us had in common, was our passion for the early days of our country. Our down time was dominated by discussions of the numerous books that have recently been published on this time period, including “1776,” “His Excellency George Washington,” and “The Americanization of Benjamin Franklin.” Discussions became so heated that participants started ranking the Founders…George Washington was clearly number one but the group quickly divided over the next in line…Adams…Franklin…Jefferson…they all had defenders.

My recollections of this week will continue.