Friends of PUL: Revolutionary Returns: A Curatorial Encore to "Nursery of Rebellion"
On Wednesday, June 3, the Friends of Princeton University Library are delighted to present “Revolutionary Returns: A Curatorial Encore to “Nursery of Rebellion” with Michael Blaakman and Gabriel Swift.
Three years in the making, “Nursery of Rebellion”: Princeton & the American Revolution commemorates the 250th anniversaries of U.S. Independence and the battles of Princeton & Trenton. Drawn from a comprehensive survey of Princeton University Library’s deep archival holdings, the exhibition explores a wide diversity of revolutionary experiences—from the major figures and landmark events that blazed a path toward a new nation to the lived realities of everyday citizens in the midst of war.
While the exhibition is comprehensive in scope, Princeton’s holdings far surpass the physical constraints of the Milberg Gallery. Join co-curators Michael Blaakman, Associate Professor of History and Gabriel Swift, Librarian for Early American Collections as they highlight additional PUL documents that broaden the discussion, reveal archival discoveries made along the way, and present recent acquisitions informed by the exhibition’s historical documents.
Program timeline:
5:00pm-5:30pm - Lecture (available by Zoom)
5:45pm-6:15pm - Object showcase
6:15pm-6:45pm - Reception
Please note that only the lecture (30 minutes) will be available by Zoom. We will share a PDF with images of the objects discussed and on display.
There is limited seating and only current Friends of PUL members are invited to attend in person.
Registration is required. Please select the appropriate registration type below. Membership status for in-person attendees will be checked by PUL staff.
- Date:
- Wednesday, June 3, 2026
- Time:
- 5:00pm - 6:45pm
- Audience:
- Friends of Princeton University Library Member of the Public Princeton Faculty/Researcher Princeton Staff Princeton Student Student Friends of Princeton University Library
- Categories:
- Events Friends of the Princeton University Library Event
Image: Vue de la Distruction de New York. Franz Xaver Habermann. Graphic Arts Collection, Princeton University Library.
About the Presenters
Michael Blaakman
A historian of revolutionary America and the early republic, Michael Blaakman is an associate professor in Princeton’s Department of History. He is the author of “Speculation Nation: Land Mania in the Revolutionary American Republic” (2023), which received the Frederick Jackson Turner Award for best first book in American history and was named a finalist for the George Washington Prize. Blaakman completed his undergraduate studies at the College of William & Mary, and he earned a Ph.D. in history from Yale University in 2016. He was a postdoctoral fellow at the Library Company of Philadelphia and an assistant professor of history at the University of St. Thomas in Saint Paul, Minn., before joining the Princeton faculty in 2018.
Gabriel Swift
Gabriel Swift is the Librarian for Early American Collections in Princeton University Library’s Special Collections. Prior to joining Princeton in 2010, he was a Reference Associate in the Public Services Department of the Lilly Library, Indiana University. He holds an MLS with a Rare Books and Manuscripts Librarianship Specialization from the School of Library and Information Science, Indiana University and a BA in English, Indiana University. His research interests include American Book History, Western Americana, and reference resources for rare books.
This event is part of the Friends of the Princeton University Library Small Talks Series.
View recordings of previous events.
Join the Friends of the Princeton University Library. Friends receive a newsletter, two issues of the Princeton University Library Chronicle, and are invited to participate in a variety of activities and events, including exhibition openings, lectures and talks, gala dinners, workshops on topics such as preservation, bookbinding, and print collecting.
To request disability-related accommodations for this event, please contact pulcomm@princeton.edu at least 3 working days in advance.