Two hundred and fifty years ago this July, Americans declared independence from Great Britain. Before that could take hold, however, they had to secure it on the battlefield against the strongest military power in the world. Success hardly seemed likely — yet America prevailed.

St. Bonaventure University’s “America’s 250 Series” continues later this month with a program that examines that unlikely victory.

On Monday, April 13, historians from the nationally acclaimed digital history platform Emerging Revolutionary War will present an interactive panel discussion titled “Winning the War: Why American Victory was So Remarkable” at 7 p.m. in 201 Plassmann Hall. (Please note the different location from other programs in the series.) The event is free and open to the public, and light refreshments will be served.

American victory in the Revolution seems inevitable to us now, but at the time and on the battlefields, victory seemed anything but assured. How did America overcome the odds, particularly after several decisive defeats? Historians from Emerging Revolutionary War (ERW) will examine key military moments that kept the dream of independence alive.

Panelists include:

• Phill Greenwalt, author of “The Winter that Won the War: The Winter Encampment at Valley Forge,” co-author of “A Single Blow: The Battles of Lexington and Concord,” and co-author of the forthcoming “A Hard-Bought Victory: The Battle of Bunker Hill”
• Mark Maloy, author of “Victory or Death: The Battles of Trenton and Princeton,” “To the Last Extremity: The Battles for Charleston,” and a forthcoming book on the battles for New York City
• Rob Orrison, co-author of “All That Can Be Expected: The Battle of Camden” and “A Single Blow: The Battles of Lexington and Concord”
  

Greenwalt and Maloy are both historians with the National Park Service, and Orrison serves as ERW’s chief historian.

Other events in the university’s “America’s 250 Series” include:

• Monday, April 20: “Why Boston? A New Economic Interpretation of the American Revolution,” Dr. Stephen Pitt
  
• Monday, April 27: “The Revolution Today,” an open panel discussion
  

St. Bonaventure University’s “America’s 250 Series” is sponsored by the History Department, the Jandoli School of Communication, and Emerging Revolutionary War. For more information about the series, contact Dr. Phillip Payne at ppayne@sbu.edu.

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About the University: The nation’s first Franciscan university, St. Bonaventure is a community committed to transforming the lives of its students inside and outside the classroom, inspiring in them a commitment to academic excellence and lifelong civic engagement. Out of 167 regional universities in the North, St. Bonaventure was ranked #8 for value and #19 overall by U.S. News and World Report (2025).