Book Talk & Signing with Tad Stoermer

Join us at the Old North Church for the release of public historian Tad Stoermer’s new book, A Resistance History of the United States. Tad will be joined by Prof. Vincent Brown of Harvard University and Sarah George, State's Attorney of Chittenden County, Vermont, for a panel discussion on resistance. Their conversation will re-examine resistance movements from U.S. history and consider the role that resistance continues to play in our country. Following the discussion, the panelists will answer questions from the audience, and Tad will be available to sign copies of his book.

Copies of A Resistance History of the United States will be available to purchase onsite. Doors will open at 6pm, and the talk will start at 6:30pm. We expect a full house, and parties of fewer than four should expect to share a box pew with other guests.

This event is free and open to the public. Please RSVP by selecting the "Get tickets" button. If you so wish, you can choose to make an entirely optional donation to Old North Illuminated, the nonprofit that preserves and interprets Old North Church Historic Site. Your generosity supports our education programs.

About Our Speakers

Tad Stoermer is a public historian, teacher, and author of the forthcoming book A Resistance History of the United States (Steerforth Press / Penguin Random House, 2026). His work dismantles the mythologies that pass for American history — exposing the curated nostalgia, moral evasions, and institutional silences that have long protected abusive power. He tells the truth without apology. Not to inspire. To instruct.

With more than 450,000 followers across TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and Substack, Tad is one of the most widely followed public historians in the world. His content reaches millions each month and has become a trusted source for people looking to cut through misinformation and confront the real history that shapes American power.

He is a Visiting Scholar at the University of Southern Denmark’s Center for American Studies and a Lecturer in Cultural Heritage and Museum Studies at Johns Hopkins University. He previously taught public history at Harvard, served as a historian at Colonial Williamsburg, and was advisor for history content at C-SPAN.

Vincent Brown is Charles Warren Professor of American History and Professor of African and African American Studies at Harvard University. He teaches courses in Atlantic history, African diaspora studies, and the history of slavery in the Americas. Brown is the author of The Reaper's Garden: Death and Power in the World of Atlantic Slavery (Harvard University Press, 2008) and Tacky's Revolt: The Story of an Atlantic Slave War (Belknap Press, 2020), and he is producer of Herskovits at the Heart of Blackness (2009), an audiovisual documentary broadcast on the PBS series Independent Lens, and the short video series The Bigger Picture (2022) for PBS Digital Studios.

Sarah George is the Chittenden County State’s Attorney, located in Burlington, Vermont. She has a Bachelor's Degree in Criminal Justice and Psychology from the University of Connecticut, a Master's Degree in Forensic Psychology from Castleton State College, and a Law Degree from Vermont Law School. For over six years, Sarah was a Deputy State's Attorney in the Chittenden County State's Attorney's Office and became the elected State's Attorney in 2017 and was re-elected in November 2022.

Since becoming State’s Attorney, Sarah has focused on ways to overhaul the criminal justice system by finding innovative ways to serve her community. From significantly reducing the number of cases charged and increasing diversion eligibility, to eliminating requests for cash bail and decreasing supervision and incarcerative sentences, Sarah is dedicated to providing opportunity, intervention, and holistic support to victims, families, and people who commit crimes. She believes in holding individuals accountable and implementing smart strategies and innovations that promote safe, healthy, and strong communities. Learn more on her website.

About the Book

Revisit the Salem Witch Trials, the Underground Railroad, and other resistance movements of American history to get a bold new understanding of how resistance shaped our past — and how its principles can change our future.

The United States was shaped by resistance — but not in the way we’ve been taught. The Revolution did not secure liberty; it opened the door to either liberty or oppression, where only white men enjoyed all of the benefits and protections of citizenship.

In A Resistance History of the United States, public historian Tad Stoermer shows how from the very beginning, that tension — between the ideals of resistance and the realities of power — has defined America more than the Enlightenment ideals enshrined in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.

Utilizing powerful storytelling to focus on key — and often lesser-known — moments in American history, this book reveals the truth of how resistance movements from Colonial times have opposed the powers that be. Stoermer covers an impressive roster of pivotal movements, with each chapter identifying a key resistance movement and principle meant to inspire contemporary readers, including:

• Bacon’s Rebellion/Metacomet’s War (1676)
• Salem Witch Trials (1692)
• The Black Loyalists (1783)
• The Underground Railroad (1850)

Through these and many more examples, Stoermer dismantles the mythologies that pass for American history — exposing the curated nostalgia, moral evasions, and institutional silences that have long protected abusive power. What emerges is an essential look at how we can take lessons from the past to understand, and effectively respond to, the injustices we face today.