Full Series Registration. Includes All Seven Lectures.
Coming Soon.
Back for its 57th year, Living Room Learning was started by Sweet Briar College alumnae. The series offers university-level lectures for lifelong learners who seek to expand their knowledge without having to take a final exam. Join us for this 7-week daytime lecture course.
True to its name, Living Room Learning was organized by a group of Atlanta women who had a passion for learning past their university years attending Sweet Briar College and held classes in the living rooms of their homes. Over the years, lecturers have included some of the greatest scholarly minds in Georgia discussing topics related to history, art, literature, and much more.
The series gradually expanded and became more popular, growing from 12 women to hundreds of people, necessitating the move outside of living rooms and to a formal lecture hall.
Atlanta History Center became the host venue in 2013, and now coordinates the series.
We hope you will join us for our next series which will continue our exploration of the American Revolution. In honor of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, lectures will focus on the conflict itself, its leaders, and the many complicated questions raised by the struggle for independence and founding a new country.
The series will begin on January 26, 2026 and will continue each Monday until March 9, 2026. All lectures will take place in McElreath Hall. Doors open at 1:30pm and lectures begin promptly at 2pm with a brief intermission. Parking is free. Series registration will be available beginning in September 2025.
Lecture Schedule
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“King George III and the British View of the American Revolution” — Week 1
January 26
Lecture by Patrick Allitt
In this lecture, we’ll see how the Revolution looked from the British point of view, including the experience of soldiers, politicians, writers, and common people on both sides of the Atlantic.
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“Pierce Butler and the Revolution in the American South” — Week 2
February 2
Lecture by Jeffrey Young
In this lecture, we’ll see how Pierce Butler’s family story illustrates the ways in which the American Revolution turned slavery into a moral problem that the Revolutionaries themselves struggled to resolve.
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“Why George Washington Matters Today” – Week 3
February 9
Lecture by Douglas Bradburn
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“Women in the American Revolution” — Week 4
February 16
Lecture by Melissa Blair
In this lecture, Dr. Blair will introduce the audience to a range of American women who helped shape the coming of the American Revolution and the course of the war.
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“A Founding Friendship and its Discontents: John Adams and Thomas Jefferson” — Week 5
February 23
Lecture by Jane Kamensky
In this lecture, Dr. Kamensky will show how Monticello is sharing their complex history. She will also explain how museums, historic sites, and other community learning partners can help revitalize the ties that bind Americans as a people.
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“A Raging Whirlwind”: The Revolutionary War and Native Americans” — Week 6
March 2
Lecture by David Preston
In this lecture, Preston will show how the destructive and brutal theater of the Revolutionary War that unfolded along America’s western frontier impacted Native Americans, as both the British and Americans competed for their alliance and military strength. The outcome of the Revolutionary War on the frontier shaped the future of North America for generations to follow.
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“The Constitution and the Federalist Papers” — Week 7
March 9
Lecture by Patrick Allitt
In this lecture, Allitt will tell how James Madison and Alexander Hamilton, with the full support of George Washington, drafted and defended the Constitution, then sent it to the states for ratification. Their Federalist articles aimed to persuade citizens of the states that the republic would be strong enough to defend them without becoming another alien imposition of the British type.
Explore. More.
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Programs & Events
Our Author Talks aim to connect writers with readers for thought-provoking discussions about life and literature.
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Buildings & Grounds
McElreath Hall houses many important components of Atlanta History Center, including Kenan Research Center and Woodruff Auditorium.
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