Historian Kathleen Hulser will talk about how World War I plunged small towns across the country into global affairs and how Greenwich, with its art colony connections in France, its captains of industry and its immigrant communities, was uniquely poised to be caught up in the march. In Greenwich, America's early declaration of neutrality did not translate to inaction but manifested itself in vigorous debate, establishment of humanitarian enterprises and military preparedness initiatives. When America officially joined the conflict, government propaganda and the resulting suspicion of aliens became counterpoints to pep rallies and bond drives. Hulser will explore how, through the crucible of the Great War, Greenwich residents in all walks of life came to see themselves as playing a greater role in a new national and world order.
Kathleen Hulser was public historian at the New York Historical Society from 1999 to 2011. Her current exhibition is The Volunteers: Americans Join World War I, 1914-1919, opening in October 2014 at the National World War I Museum. She teaches history and American Studies at The New School and at Pace University in New York and creates public history and digital humanities projects. Hulser attended McGill University in Montreal, Canada, where she studied philosophy and political science, and the Université de Strasbourg in France. After attaining her BA, she earned an MA in American history at New York University.
Greenwich Historical Society, Vanderbilt Education Center
39 Strickland Road, Cos Cob, CT 06807
7:00 - 8:00 pm followed by short Q&A session
Members: $10; Nonmembers: $15
To purchase tickets visit www.greenwichhistory.org or call 203-869-6899, Ext. 10.