Events

Violence ignited by the American Revolution transformed millions of lives across the world. The eight-year War for Independence sparked when Anglo-American colonists rebelled against the British Empire expanded to include Native nations and European powers far beyond the United Colonies. The Revolution also brought increased imperial competition, urban riots, agrarian rebellions, economic dislocation, epidemic disease, Native-settler violence, and campaigns of repression against the enslaved that spanned decades and sprawled far beyond British North America. These conflicts shaped the revolutionary experiences not just for those who fought in them but also for their families and communities, encompassing men, women, and children across the Atlantic World. Many of those who participated, such as the thousands of Native and Black people who fought on all sides, had very different motives for taking up arms than either the revolutionaries or the British government, but their involvement had profound consequences for the post-revolutionary world. In addition to the tens of thousands of soldiers who died or suffered serious injury in battle, incessant warfare devastated farms and cities, divided families and communities, forced migrations, challenged ideas of gender relations, and exacerbated ethnic hatreds, especially between settlers and Natives. In addition to winning independence for the United States, these conflicts left lasting psychological traumas on individuals, triggered long-lasting economic shifts, and cemented racialized fear and hatred that lasted for centuries.

“Wartime Transformations” seeks to bring into conversation scholarly and public-facing research exploring the far-reaching effects of war during the American Revolution. The program committee invites proposals for panels, roundtables, workshops, and individual papers focusing on any aspect of conflict – broadly conceived – linked to the Revolution. The scope of the conference is not limited to North America nor the Anglophone Atlantic, and the organizers hope to assemble a program that represents the width and breadth of vast early America. The program committee especially encourages proposals that have the potential to spark conversations that can continue through next year’s “For 2026” conference, which will explore the early United States and the post-Revolutionary Atlantic World.

Those organizing panels, workshops, or roundtables should submit proposals via the OI website by April 15, 2025.

The program committee will also consider a limited number of individual paper submissions and reserves the right to alter session proposals in order to create a cohesive and inclusive program. Limited funds are available to those who do not have institutional funding to attend; participants who wish to be considered for such a travel subvention should email us directly at oieahc@wm.edu. Such requests will not be considered by the program committee when evaluating proposals and will be granted, when possible, by and at the discretion of the conference organizers.

The conference will take place October 23-25, 2025, at the William & Mary School of Education and at Colonial Williamsburg in Williamsburg, Virginia.

Conference committee co-chairs for the final two years of the series are Katherine Carté (Southern Methodist University), Christopher Hodson (Brigham Young University), and Donald Johnson (North Dakota State University).

The “For 2026” series is co-sponsored by the Omohundro Institute, the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, and William & Mary.