Thomas Jefferson, the Declaration, and American Freedom 

This talk will examine the life of Thomas Jefferson up to the writing of the Declaration, his writing of it, and its adoption on July 4, 1776. It will then highlight Jefferson’s major achievements after the American Revolution. In the final section, the talk will focus on the phrase, “American Freedom,” its omnipresence in American society today, the various interpretations of it at key points in American history, some of its fundamental attributes, and the fundamental questions it raises. Period music will be played at certain points in the lecture.

Fred Zilian, Ph.D., served as an infantry officer in the Army for 21 years before becoming an educator at Portsmouth Abbey School, where he taught history, ethics, and German from 1992 to 2015. He was an adjunct professor (history and politics) at Salve Regina University, 2016-2022. He now lectures on a wide variety of subjects and offers tours of Newport and Boston, and of the Battle of Rhode Island (1778). Fluent in German. Zilian holds a Ph.D. in international relations/strategic studies from Johns Hopkins University. He is the author of numerous articles, essays, and book reviews on a variety of subjects in numerous publications from the Wall Street Journal to the Newport Daily News. He has also published a book: "From Confrontation to Cooperation: The Takeover of the National People’s (East German) Army by the Bundeswehr."