German Soldier, American Rebel: Christopher Ludwick’s Pursuits of Happiness in Revolutionary Pennsylvania

Hessian-born Christopher Ludwick was already a veteran of European warfare and an experienced mariner by the time he washed ashore in British Philadelphia in 1755. A skilled baker, he made that city his permanent home and, through private frugality and industriousness, realized great wealth and community status. When imperial politics thrust the British Empire into revolution, however, Ludwick became a dedicated supporter of America’s glorious cause. He ultimately dedicated the rest of his life to fighting oppression, as his crusade continued beyond Yorktown. Indeed, his efforts to help others continued posthumously, beyond even the crushing silence of the grave. Presenter Shawn David McGhee is a political historian of eighteenth-century British North America. Registration.

Eastern time zone | hybrid | English