What do French testimonies tell us about African-American and Native American involvement in the Revolutionary war effort in Newport and its surroundings? What do French records recall about women’s stories for this era? French primary sources are a wealth of information regarding minorities that are often left out of the story of the American Revolution. They not only highlight unknown details and stories, but also reflect the different French worldviews of the late 18th century.

The Newport Historical Society is pleased to host Dr. Iris de Rode for a second virtual lecture that explores these questions. The Stories of “Forced Revolutionaries” of Newport told by the French will take place on Thursday April 7, 2022 at 5pm. Attendance is free, but registration is required. To register, please click here or email esulock@newporthistorical.org.

Dr. Iris de Rode specializes in the French participation in the American Revolution, and more broadly the history of the Atlantic Revolutions. In particular, she studied the unpublished private papers of François-Jean de Chastellux, major general in the expeditionary army of Rochambeau. Iris earned her doctoral degree in November 2019 for her PhD dissertation entitled “François-Jean de Chastellux (1734-1788), un soldat-philosophe dans le monde atlantique à l’époque des Lumières” at the University of Paris 8. She has earned thirteen international fellowships and presented her research at more than 30 international conferences. Her dissertation will be published in French in March 2022 (Paris, Honoré Champion). Iris is currently working on the publication of an adaptation of this dissertation in English to be published in 2023 with the University of Virginia Press, entitled “Military Enlightenment on the ground, French-American cooperation during the American Revolution”, focusing on the Military Enlightenment during the American War of Independence, and on the specifics of the French American alliance based new source material.