Wednesday, January 20 at 7:00 pm

Zoom program, register via Eventbrite: https://robbinslibrarysupremecourt.eventbrite.com

Our judicial system is a central pillar of our democracy. Join us as Robert Allison, Professor of History at Suffolk University and history teacher at the Harvard Extension School shares the history of the highest court of our land, the Supreme Court.

What is the role of the Supreme Court? How has it changed over the course of our history? Professor Allison will discuss the Court as an institution, some of its most interesting personalities, and some of its most important cases. Register via Eventbrite to receive the link for this event the day of the program.

This program is funded by a grant from the Arlington Libraries Foundation in support of civic engagement programs.

Robert J. Allison is a professor of history at Suffolk University.  He chairs Revolution 250, a consortium of more than 60 historical organizations in New England planning commemorations of the American Revolution’s 250th anniversary.  He is also the president of the Colonial Society of Massachusetts, a Life Trustee of the USS CONSTITUTION Museum, a Fellow of the American Antiquarian Society and the Massachusetts Historical Society, and an honorary member of the Massachusetts Chapter of the Society of the Cincinnati. 

In addition to Stephen Decatur, American Naval Hero (2004) his books include A Very Short Introduction to the American Revolution (2015), A Short History of Cape Cod  (2011), A Short History of Boston (2004),  and The Crescent Obscured: The United States and the Muslim World 1776-1815 (2000). He also produced “Before 1776:  Life in the American Colonies” (2009) for The Teaching Company’s “Great Courses,” and “The Age of Benjamin Franklin” (2018). With Bernard Bailyn he edited The Essential Debate on the Constitution: Federalist and Antifederalist Speeches and Writings (2019) and he edited The Interesting Narrative of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, the African (3rd edition, 2016) as well as other books on American history. 

He earned his doctorate at Harvard (History of American Civilization) and his undergraduate degree at the Harvard Extension School, where he has taught since 1993.