The Disaffected in The Revolutionary City, A Conversation

The American Revolutionary war came to Philadelphia’s streets and homes in 1777, when the city was taken and occupied by the British army. During the nine month occupation, many of the city’s inhabitants were pursued, pressured, and at times persecuted, not because they chose the wrong side in the conflict, but because they tried not to choose a side at all. The British occupation and this problem of unfixed allegiances is the topic of historian Aaron Sullivan’s The Disaffected: Britain’s Occupation of Philadelphia During the American Revolution (Penn Press, 2019). It is also a major theme in the APS’s 2025 exhibition Philadelphia, The Revolutionary City.

Join us for a Lunch at the Library conversation with Aaron Sullivan and Caroline O’Connell, Curator of Philadelphia, The Revolutionary City, about how each of them grappled with how to tell the story of this pivotal moment in the history of the American Revolution.

This event will take place on Thursday, May 29, 2025 at 12:00 p.m. ET in Benjamin Franklin Hall and will also be livestreamed. This event is free to attend but registration is required.

Aaron Sullivan is an author and historian living near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with his amazing spouse, two inexhaustible children, and very neurotic dog. He serves as a professor of history at Rider University in Lawrenceville, NJ, and his book The Disaffected (Penn Press, 2019), received the Book of the Year Award from the American Revolutionary Roundtable of Philadelphia. Sullivan received his Doctorate in History from Temple University in Philadelphia in 2014 and his Bachelors in Computer Science from LeTourneau University in 2004. His wife has informed him that he's not allowed to get any more degrees.

Caroline O’Connell is the Exhibitions Curator at the American Philosophical Society. Her work explores the intersections between design and material culture, with an emphasis on questions of provenance, civics, and public memory. She has held Curatorial positions at Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, the Museum of the City of New York, and Waddesdon Manor, and has contributed to exhibitions and publications at various institutions. Caroline previously served as First Vice President of the Metropolitan Chapter of the Victorian Society in America (VSNY). She is an alum of the Attingham Summer School and holds an MA in Decorative Arts, Design History & Material Culture from Bard Graduate Center and a BA in Art History from Williams College.