Chillicothe — With this month’s “America 250” events coming up on Saturday and Sunday, here’s a look back at an Ohio University Chillicothe seminar that contributed to the local revolutionary commemoration.
John O’Keefe, Associate Professor of History in Ohio University, gave the Kennedy Lecture on March 3rd, 2026: “1775 and the American Revolution from Different Perspectives: A History of People’s Choices and Actions 250 Years Ago.”
I had a long chat with O’Keefe after his lecture. He said he focused on 1775, a buildup to the famous bicentennial year of 1776. He said most histories focus on the experience of the elite, but he wanted to give a broad swath and so discussed the experience of the enslaved, tenant farmers, wives, American Indians, immigrants – and even British mercenaries.
Interesting points:
- The British offered freedom to slaves, but trusting the British and getting to British lines was problematic.
- Tenant farmers were affected by a decrease in tobacco exports, and many went on a “rent strike.”
- How did a woman deal with her husband going off to fight, on either side?
- Most American Indians tried to stay neutral because they saw little benefit to take sides, but that depended on how close they were to the frontier.
- There was a big immigration spike just before the Revolution, and the Continental Army increasingly relied on them.
- The British paid for mercenaries like the Hessians – often drafted by their princes – which the Patriots then tried to win over.
- The Hessians were not the first choice as mercenaries: Britain first asked Russia, but they were coming out of a war with the Ottoman Empire.
- The Revolution turned into a European conflict with Spain and France versus Britain, and the various German states chosing their own side.
O’Keefe said the Revolution was very much a civil war, and many were unsure if it rose to the level of revolution. Some were not ready to publicly denounce the king, even in in the face of “lawless mobs.”
Hear us in our own words in the below video interview.
The lecture was shared live online, but was not recorded. O’Keefe said he was working on a similar lecture about 1776 that he might present this fall, and he also welcomes anyone wanting to host him.
Also learn about the local America 250 effort, along with other tourism events and the upcoming new visitors center from the leader of the Ross-Chillicothe Convention & Visitors Bureau.
Two “America 250 Ross County” events are in Chillicothe this weekend:
“Ohio Moves: Transportation” (part of the First Capital Lecture Series of the Ross County Historical Society) starting at 2pm Saturday at 125 West Water Street.
And a new version of “Notable Souls of Grandview Cemetery” from 1 to 4pm Sunday at the end of Brookside Drive.
