John Foster

Our resident historian Dr. John Foster is discussing the origins of the US Constitution during a special year-long lecture series from the library. In his most recent talk, he discussed the Constitutional Convention of 1787. Ostensibly, the convention was called to revise the ineffective Articles of Confederation. However, many delegates had more ambitious plans. Discover how a nation was forged during those four sweltering months in Philadelphia.

The first program in Foster’s series was on the influence of the English Civil War on our founding fathers. You can watch that talk in its entirety on our YouTube channel.

His next talk in the series will tackle The Federalist Papers and ratification. It will be 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 11, at our Main branch.

In addition to being a reference librarian, Foster has a doctorate degree in history. He has taught history at both high school and college levels. Previously, he has led series on the Battles of World War II, the Cold War, the American Revolution, The Vietnam Wars, and US Presidents of the 20^th Century at the library.

Our resident historian Dr. John Foster will explore the origins of the US Constitution and its Bill of Rights during a series of lectures this year. He begins by discussing how ideas from the English Civil War (1642-1649) influenced America more than a century later. See how the thoughts of Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, and Levelers like Richard Rumbold affected our Founding Fathers like Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton, and more!

The next lecture in his series will be Thursday, June 9, at our Main Branch. The subject will be the Convention of 1787.

In addition to being a reference librarian, Foster has a doctorate degree in history. He has taught history at both high school and college levels. Previously, he has led series on the Battles of World War II, the Cold War, the American Revolution, The Vietnam Wars, and US Presidents of the 20^th Century at the library.