America at War

Lebanon Library kicked off a new reading and discussion series entitled America at War Sunday, February 3 at 3 pm. This series will focus on the wars that America fought in the 18th and 19th centuries.

Why did we commit to war?

Did the war change the country?

These are some of the questions we will consider--as relevant and important today as they were in 1775. We will consider colonial wars and the Revolution, the War of 1812, the Mexican War, the Spanish American war and the Indian wars.

This first week we will just get acquainted and select our first book to read. But don't be put off by the prospect of reading a lot of books; you are welcome to view documentaries and explore the online Center of Military History. [No quizzes on what you read, so if you don't quite finish the book, there's no penalty!]

It's unique because each person will read a different book on each war. That should give us something to talk about, since each of us will have a different perspective on each war, based on what we read--and what we already knew.

We will have a couple of history professors to answer any questions and 'fact-check' any of our theories and ideas. Check out the webpage we've developed to accompany the series; it has the dates we are meeting and all the questions we will consider.

Join us and spend a few Sunday afternoons pondering the past and the future.