Cultivating Legitimacy: Soldiers, Civilians, and Environment in the Revolutionary Hudson Valley

This is a hybrid event. The in-person reception will begin at 4:30 PM. Please visit here to register.

During the Revolutionary War, Hudson Valley farming families feared for the land’s long-term vitality. The Continental Army had destroyed forests, eradicated wild animals, and ruined numerous farmlands. Revolutionary leaders responded by both addressing civilian complaints and casting themselves as stewards of the countryside. Wartime environmental change was thus both a liability and a political opportunity. American rebels secured civilian support in this theater by mitigating environmental damage and presenting Continental soldiers as caring cultivators. The struggle for political legitimacy in the Hudson Valley ran directly through environmental relationships.