Center for Mason Legacies scholars discuss ‘Revolutionary Ideas’ at Fairfax event

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George Mason University faculty members and graduate students from the from the Department of History and Art History and the Center for Mason Legacies (CML) shared their expertise as speakers at the Fairfax 250 history day, a county event held as part of the statewide commemoration of the nation's semiquincentennial.

Distinguished University Professor Rosemarie Zagarri talked about politics in Revolutionary era Fairfax County. Photo by April Greer/Historical Society of Fairfax County

Sponsored by the Fairfax History Commission with help from the Historical Society of Fairfax County, the daylong "Revolutionary Ideas-Fairfax County's American Revolution" conference was co-chaired by CML director and history professor George Oberle and community historian Sue Kovach Shuman and presented at the Fairfax County Government Center in April with programming for all ages.

In a day full of guest lectures, hands-on activities, and research workshops, George Mason history professors Rosemarie Zagarri, Cynthia Kierner, and Oberle presented on "The Big Picture," addressing the American Revolution's effects on political expectations and shaping the right to vote. Zagarri talked about "Politics in Revolutionary Fairfax," Kierner discussed "Living the Revolution," and Oberle presented on "Slavery in Fairfax County in the Revolutionary Era."

Watch their presentations.

George Mason doctoral history students David G. Armstrong, Anne Champlin, and Allessandra DelDonna gave presentations in a session titled "Impacts of the Revolution."

• Armstrong, whose dissertation explores how generations of George Mason's family kept a grasp on political power as the United States expanded, spoke about a Mason family daughter-in-law's assertion of her property rights.
• Champlin, who studies colonial Caribbean, Danish, and American ties, presented insights on "revolutionary" tenant-landlord relations that can be traced between the lines of the Mason Family.
• DelDonna, a material culture specialist who entered the doctoral program straight from undergraduate studies, presented on what Mason household objects at Gunston Hall can tell us about the constructed role of the iconic "planter's wife."

Watch their presentations.

George Mason graduate student Andrew Snowman introduced participants to the Fairfax County Circuit Court Historic Records Center, where through CML, he has interned and conducted extensive research. Snowman, whose focus area is history of racial policing, works closely with archivist and George Mason alumna Georgia Brown, a longtime CML collaborator and current PhD student.

Hands-on exhiibits were designed to engage all ages throughout the day. Photo by April Greer/Historical Society of Fairfax County