By Madelyn Stone, News Correspondent

Award-winning author and historian John Ferling began the first of this fall’s “Meet the Author” events at Northeastern Sept. 14 in Snell Library. He presented a detailed synopsis of his most recent publication, “Independence: The Struggle to Set America Free.”
Ferling’s new book was released June 21 and was met with positive reception among scholars of early American history. This book joins his repertoire of 10 other publications the Lifetime Achievement Award winning author has written over the past three decades, all of which provide perspectives on the Colonial and Revolutionary periods of America.
Poised at the lectern in the soft darkness of a basement classroom, Ferling began the presentation with a slide of John Adams, one of the many 18th century statesmen he has researched over his career. Ferling spoke about Adams in great detail to his 30 audience members before he went on to discuss major historical wars.
“It’s the founding of the United States, when everything begins,” Ferling said. “With any other era – the Civil War, for instance – it’s difficult to know when things actually start. With the Revolution we know when and where the first shots were fired; we can really see the founding of the United States.”
Throughout the presentation, Ferling focused on the idea of the struggle, emphasizing the truly indeterminate position of the 13 colonies in their effort to have a say in their government. His most recent book encompasses this idea of uncertainty, reminding readers of the many obstacles that could have prevented America’s assertion of independence, the many essential decisions made with a margin of a single vote.
The “Meet the Author” event was hosted by Northeastern University’s Libraries, University Bookstore, College Republicans, Department of Political Science and History Department.
“It was interesting to hear a different take on the Revolution, how it was not a unanimous decision and [how] we were so close to not declaring independence,” said Patrick O’Neil, a sophomore finance major and member of Northeastern University College Republicans. “We believe that US history is really important, and that it’s important to understand how the US was founded.”
The pivotal role of Boston in the events that sparked The Revolution became another theme in Ferling’s discussion, incorporating details of The Boston Massacre and the infamous
1773 Tea Party into his lecture.
“The [Revolutionary] War was really important to Boston, and it’s nice to get that perspective on our history here on campus,” said Sarah Linden, a Northeastern graduate student studying public history.
While a diverse group of students and faculty took advantage of the opportunity to interact with the renowned author, Linden said she had hoped for a larger audience.
With a half-dozen more “Meet the Author” events yet to come this semester, there are plenty upcoming opportunities to show support for some fascinating writers. The next event, Oct. 19, will feature Martin Henn speaking about his book, “Under the Color of Law: The Bush Administration’s Subversion of the U.S. Constitution and International Law in the War on Terror.”