“What Think You of an American Fleet?”: The History of the Continental Navy

Called “the maddest idea in the world” by a cynical congressman, the Continental Navy’s story is an odyssey replete with heroics, failures, and intrigue that began in Philadelphia and ended off the coast of Cape Canaveral. The cast of characters includes captains (like Philadelphians John Barry, Nicholas Biddle, and the forgotten Gustavus Conyngham); politicians (John Adams and Benjamin Franklin among them); bold sailors (including Philadelphian John Kessler), and the women whose lives were intertwined with them (from Abigail Adams and Anne Hockley Conyngham to Phillis Wheatley).

• This event is being offered in a hybrid format. Both onsite and virtual tickets are available. All ticket reservations will include a Zoom link.

• Onsite attendees will have the opportunity to view the exhibit A light reception will follow the talk.

• We wish to provide complimentary tickets to current secondary, undergraduate, and graduate students. Please email us at cHJvZ3JhbXMgfCBoc3AgISBvcmc= and tell us where you are enrolled as a student and in what program.

Historical Society of Pennsylvania Members

Please register here.

Support for this exhibit and related programming comes from Hannah Lowell Henderson.

About the Speaker:

Tim McGrath is a recipient of the Samuel Eliot Morison Award for Naval Literature and a two-time winner of the Commodore John Barry Award for Maritime Literature, honoring John Barry: An American Hero in the Age of Sail and Give Me a Fast Ship: The Continental Navy and America’s Revolution at Sea. His latest book is James Monroe: A Life. His forthcoming book, Three Roads to Gettysburg, explores the decisions made by President Abraham Lincoln, General Robert E. Lee, and Major General George Gordon Meade before, during, and after the Battle of Gettysburg and their consequences.

An avid sailor, McGrath serves on the Board of Port Wardens at Independence Seaport Museum, Chair of the Ancillary Boards of New Courtland Eldercare, and previously served as a board member with Fort Mifflin on the Delaware.

The Historical Society of Pennsylvania, founded in 1824, is one of the nation’s largest archives of historical documents. We are proud to serve as Philadelphia’s Library of American History, with over 21 million manuscripts, books, and graphic images encompassing centuries of US history. Through educator workshops, research opportunities, public programs, and lectures throughout the year, we strive to make history relevant and exhilarating to all. For more information, visit hsp.org.

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