Keeler In The Community
“Britain and the American Dream” with Historian Peter Moore – Aug. 21 on Zoom
August 13, 2025
Join us on Thursday, August 21 at 7 p.m. on Zoom for "Britain and the American Dream" presented by Peter Moore - the first program of our speaker series "Declaration Deep Dive," an ongoing collaboration between Keeler Tavern Museum & History Center (KTM&HC) and Ridgefield Library to commemorate America 250.
KTM&HC and Ridgefield Library are proud to partner for America 250 in Ridgefield: A Deep Dive into the Declaration of Independence, a dual-track program series running from August 2025 through July 2026 that helps audiences learn about and explore what it has meant to be an American in the past and today. The series includes “America250 Community Conversations” - facilitated opportunities for community members to read and discuss the Declaration - and “Declaration Deep Dive,” a speaker series where scholars share insights about the document’s historical context, language, and impact.
As the first speaker in the "Declaration Deep Dive" series, British writer and historian Peter Moore will explore the trans-Atlantic origins of Thomas Jefferson's fabled phrase, "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness" - perhaps the most famous line of the 1776 Declaration of Independence. Approaching a distinctly American ideal from a definitively British perspective, Moore will discuss the contributions of signficant thinkers such as Samuel Johnson, Catharine Macaulay, John Wilkes, and Benjamin Franklin. This virtual program is free for all. Register at keelertavernmuseum.org/events.
Moore teaches creative writing at the University of Oxford. He is the Sunday Times Bestselling author of Endeavour and The Weather Experiment, the latter of which was a New York Times "Notable Book of the Year." His latest book, Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness: Britain and the American Dream 1740-1776, was published in 2023.
Support for KTM&HC and Ridgefield Library's America 250 in Ridgefield: A Deep Dive into the Declaration of Independence is provided by CT Humanities as part of its America 250 CT program. Additional promotional support provided by Ridgefield Commemorates America at 250.
The next program in this series will feature Dr. Akhil Amar, in conversation with Todd Brewster, at the Ridgefield Library on September 21 at 3:30 p.m. To register, and to see upcoming “Declaration Deep Dive” programs, go to our website at keelertavernmuseum.org.