EMSI Annual Conference: American Revolution International

The USC-Huntington Early Modern Studies Institute will host its Annual Conference on November 6–7, 2026, at The Huntington.

The American Revolution was an international event. Its causes, origins, consequences, and trajectory all had roots in places beyond the thirteen colonies, from neighboring Indigenous nations to Asian cities thousands of miles away. Over the last few decades, there has been increasing scholarly attention to the United States in the world and an enlarged geography for early America. Yet, beyond works specifically on international diplomacy and war, the American Revolution has been largely resistant to such treatment, remaining sturdily provincial especially in popular understandings.

This conference will consider the challenges and advantages of making the American Revolution international in ways that move beyond simply European high politics and diplomacy. The Revolution was at the center of a number of global processes, from colonialism to Enlightenment. The interplay of these dynamics and the specific American trajectory furnishes an excellent avenue of approach to re-invigorate and widen perspectives on older stories about colonial resistance, unity, and war.

This EMSI Annual Conference, marking the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, will include a range of panels devoted to various aspects of the American Revolution International.

Register to attend by October 30. All EMSI events are free and open to the public.