Step into a gripping dialogue with acclaimed prize-winning historical biographer Flora Fraser and Doug Bradburn, President and CEO of George Washington’s Mount Vernon, as they reexamine the American Revolution through a provocative lens. This conversation challenges the familiar narrative of unity and independence. It reveals a nation divided—neighbors, friends, even families torn apart by opposing allegiances. Was this truly a revolution, or America’s first civil war? Through vivid storytelling and historical insight, Fraser and Bradburn explore the deeply personal conflicts between those who risked everything for independence and those who remained steadfastly loyal to the British Crown.

As ESU Happy Hours continue to salute America’s 250th birthday, we turn to the great state of Connecticut. By the mid-to-late 1700’s, western Connecticut had developed as a quiet, agricultural “backwater,” landlocked and insulated from the politics and secessionist turmoil of the big colonial cities. Nevertheless, during the Revolutionary War, Connecticut earned the nickname “The Provisions State,” by supplying vast amounts of meat, grain, clothing, and weaponry to General George Washington’s Continental Army, and was second only to Massachusetts in the number of men serving in the war.