By Nancy Spannaus
May 1, 2025—If you are free Thursday afternoon, May 8, at 2 pm, I urge you to join me at Rust Library in Leesburg[1] for a kickoff event to promote my latest book, From Subject to Citizen: What Americans Need to Know about Their Revolution. After an approximately half-hour presentation, there will be time for discussion and purchase of books, which retail for $15.
Think of this event as a refresher course in the American Revolution. The subject is doubly important in these days of political turmoil over the Constitutional powers of the various branches of government, as well as the upcoming 250th anniversary of our nation. (For more on the content of From Subject to Citizen, click here.)
During the month that the book has been available on Amazon and at various book fairs, it has become clear to me that there is tremendous interest in revisiting the origins and principles of our Republic. From Subject to Citizen delves into that history and shows that it often conflicts with what many Americans believe today. Thus, the book represents a challenge to Americans to move from a largely emotional outlook about U.S. history, to an informed view based on reason.
Interestingly, that is the same advice that Abraham Lincoln gave to his fellow citizens in the tumultuous days of 1838.
More Events to Come
The May 8th event is only the first of three which I will be presenting in May. Both of the following events have been recommended as part of the educational process endorsed by Virginia250, the statewide commission planning commemoration of the U.S.’s 250th birthday in 2026.
On Saturday May 10, at 2 pm, I will be speaking at Aldie Mill in Aldie, Virginia[2] on the topic of Charles Fenton Mercer and the Federalist Legacy in Loudoun County. Mercer was one of the most prominent fighters for government-backed infrastructure and public education in the state of Virginia, yet his actual accomplishments are hardly known throughout the Commonwealth. While not a devotee of Alexander Hamilton’s entire American System of Economics, Mercer is well worth recognition for what he did.
Then on Sunday, May 18, at 2 pm, I will be giving a talk at the Lovettsville Historical Society[3] on The Overlooked Legacy of Lafayette’s 1824-1825 American Tour. This event is part of the buildup toward the commemoration of Lafayette’s visit to Loudoun County in August of 2025. The backdrop of Lafayette’s tour was the contentious election of 1824, which I will discuss in depth, while including some fascinating, seldom-discussed elements of Lafayette’s influence on the politics of that era.
My books will be available at all three events. Hamilton Versus Wall Street: The Core Principles of the American System of Economics, and Defeating Slavery: Hamilton’s American System Showed the Way, will both be for sale at a discount.
To order From Subject to Citizen, you can use this QR code.
[1] Rust Library is located at 380 Old Waterford Rd NW, Leesburg, VA 20176
[2] Aldie Mill is located at Aldie Mill Historic Park, 39401 Little River Turnpike, Aldie, VA 20105
[3] The Lovettsville Historical Society lectures are held at the St. James Church of Christ, 10 East Broad Way, Lovettsville, VA 20180
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