This engaging online lecture explores the powerful role of propaganda in shaping the course of the American Revolution. Ink and Independence examines how colonial leaders, printers, and everyday citizens used pamphlets, newspapers, political cartoons, and broadsides to influence public opinion and mobilize support for the cause of independence.

Beyond the colonies, the program also investigates how American propagandists sought to gain sympathy and support overseas, particularly among potential European allies. Through carefully crafted narratives of liberty, tyranny, and natural rights, colonial advocates were able to position their struggle as part of a broader fight for universal principles, helping to secure crucial international backing.

 

Through vivid examples and thoughtful analysis, Ink and Independence reveals how the written word and visual imagery became as vital to the Revolution as any battlefield victory.
Michelle Seddon is the Community Engagement Coordinator and Historian at Patrick Henry’s Red Hill.  She graduated from Southern New Hampshire University with a B.A. in American History and an M.A. in Public History.  She was a Park Ranger-Historian with the National Park Service, stationed at the James A. Garfield National Historic Site in Ohio, before coming to Patrick Henry’s Red Hill. Her work experience has covered multiple disciplines related to the profession of public history, land conservation, historic preservation, and museum-collection care and management.