The Oakland Public Library and Oakland Historical Society Present
The Complete American Revolution: Part 3—After the Revolutionary War (1783–1812)
Sunday, May 31st @ 1:30 pm
Oakland Public Library, Oakland, New Jersey (ADA accessible)
Free Admission, All Are Welcome!
Sponsored by the Oakland Public Library; Organized by the Oakland Historical Society, Inc.
RSVP Required (for Seating Planning) at https://bccls.libcal.com/event/16382729
Join us as we welcome lecturer and former US Army officer and Washington's Headquarters National Park Service volunteer docent Joel Farkas as he presents the third lecture of a three part lecture series called THE COMPLETE AMERICAN REVOLUTION.
In Part 3—After the Revolutionary War (1783–1812), Joel will open with the Treaty of Paris and Washington’s farewell and bring us through the struggles of inventing a new nation, culminating with a White House in flames.
In “Let Our Country Begin” we’ll explore some names and faces we know and the ideals they emboldened, continuing rebellions in the Colonies (now “States”), and a duel on a quiet morning in Weehawken. “From the American Revolution to the French Revolution” we’ll look into the underlying stresses caused by supporting the Americans that led France from Monarchy to Republic to Emperor in roughly ten years. Finally, in “The War of 1812” Joel will explore the rematch with Great Britain that helped define the United States and what it is to be an “American.”
Free admission, all ages welcome. This is an in-person event and will not be recorded. Please RSVP (for space-planning purposes) at https://bccls.libcal.com/event/16382729.
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Our Speaker: Joel Farkas
Joel Farkas served as a National Park Service volunteer docent at Washington’s Headquarters in Morristown, New Jersey; is a graduate of The Ohio State University (GO BUCKS!); and served as an officer in the United States Army. Joel is a lecturer at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Rutgers University, Florham Institute for Lifelong Learning at Fairleigh Dickinson University, and Florham Institute For Lifelong Learning and is an in-demand speaker at historical society events. Joel is a recipient of the National Park Service Centennial Volunteer Challenge Award and a collector of original historical autographs. revolutionarywarlectures.com
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Oakland Public Library
The Oakland Public Library is a cultural center facilitating timely access to information, ideas and forms of creative expression. The mission of the Oakland Public Library is to provide library resources and services to meet the evolving educational, cultural, recreational and informational needs of the community and to encourage lifelong learning. Explore more events at oaklandnjlibrary.org
Oakland Historical Society
This event has been organized by the Oakland Historical Society as part of The Borough of Oakland’s America250 series sponsored by the Oakland Public Library. Founded in 1966, the Society is dedicated to collecting, interpreting, and preserving Oakland’s history and the stories of those who have called Oakland home and holds monthly open houses at the historic Van Allen House (See website for details). Throughout 2026, the Society will be presenting a series of programs celebrating America’s 250th birthday, including this series; holding special events welcoming Revolutionary War reenactors and craftspeople; and hosting America250 Pop-Up Exhibits featuring special displays of armaments and Colonial currency, as well as period artifacts and manuscripts from the Society’s collection. In 2027, the Society will celebrate the 250th anniversary of Washington’s stay at the Van Allen House and organize special events celebrating Oakland’s history for the Borough’s 125th anniversary. OaklandHistory.org