“Without history, we are adrift in an endless sea of everywhen.”

Some classes are in person, some remote. All registrants will be sent directions to the classroom and/or a zoom link within 24 hours of the class. (All classes are from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. with a fee of $20.)

For more information or if you have any questions please email us at coned@manor.edu or call (215) 884-2218.

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Stealing the Bones – The Story of George Washington’s Tomb (zoom only)

Thousands of people visit the home of George and Martha Washington at Mount Vernon every year, but few know the story behind his final resting place located in the burial tomb on the Mount Vernon grounds. In 1830, an attempt was made to steal the skull from the remains of American president George Washington, which resided in a tomb on the property. Instead, the thief mistakenly removed the skull from the remains of one of Judge Bushrod, an in-law of the President. The desecration of the burial site prompted a new, more secure, burial vault to be constructed. Join historical lecturer, reenactor and tour guide, Michael Jesberger for a presentation on this strange, macabre tale of George Washington, his final hours and his burial at Mount Vernon.

Date: Wednesday, February 26, 2025
Instructor: Mike Jesberger
Time: 6:30 – 8:30 pm
Fee: $20.00
Register: Click here

Women of the Irish Rebellion (zoom only)

The Irish Rebellion of April 1916 was a turning point in Ireland’s struggle for freedom. The event was described by writer W.B. Yeats as “A Terrible Beauty is Born.” Leading up to this rebellion, the Irish Citizen Army under the leadership of James Connolly, admitted women to its ranks and afforded them equal status. A few of those women ended up in various leadership positions, and some fought. Many women came from the ranks of the Irish Women Workers’ Union, Inghinidhe na hÉireann (Daughters of Ireland), and Cumann na mBan (Irish Women’s Council). which was organized to advance the cause of Irish liberty, teach its members first aid, drill, signaling, and rifle practice to aid the men of Ireland.

This class will cover the Easter Rising of 1916, the War of Independence (1919-1921) and the Irish Civil War (1922-1923). The focus will be on many of the extraordinary women who sacrificed in many ways to fight for freedom. Some died, many were wounded, and many imprisoned for their involvement. A few went on later to become political leaders throughout the country, including the first female mayor of Dublin, first female member of parliament, first female Minister for Labor, and other “firsts” for the women of Ireland. Join us as we honor those women who helped shape the modern history of Ireland.

Date: Thursday, March 13
Instructor: Walt Lafty
Time: 6:30 – 8:30 pm
Fee: $20.00
Register: Click here

Bohdan Khmel’nyts’ky and the Cossack State (1648-1663) (in person on campus)

At a critical juncture in Ukraine’s history, surrounded by Empires that sought dominion over her lands, the Cossack Hetman, Bohdan Khmel’nyts’ky created an independent Cossack state which attempted to keep its independence despite three Empires’’ attempts to subjugate it. Ultimately, Khmel’nyts’ky signed an agreement that would change the course of western civilization and give birth to one of the greatest “What if?” questions in European history. Join us as Roman Dubenko explores this pivot period with due consideration of not just what was but what could have been.

Date: Wednesday, March 19
Instructor: Roman Dubenko, MA
Time: 6:30 – 8:30 pm
Fee: $20.00
Register: Click here

A History of Military Recruiting Posters (zoom only)

This program discusses the Patriotism and Propaganda behind the recruiting posters used during the American Revolutionary War, American Civil War, WWI, and & WWII.

Slogans and recruiting posters, have long been used by Armies since the earliest days to help fill their ranks. Once Congress voted to create the Continental Army on June 14, 1775, posters, also referred to as broadsides, were used to build up enthusiasm and a willingness to serve for one’s country. During the American Revolutionary War and the War of 1812, recruiting posters were typically just printed words on parchment but with the outbreak of the American Civil War, they became more elaborate works of art and were also instrumental in recruiting ethnic groups into the armed forces.

Shortly after America’s entry into World War I in 1917, a large number of patriotic and colorful recruiting posters emerged and evolved even more as we entered World War II. Join Historical lecturer, reenactor and tour guide, Mike Jesberger for a discussion on military recruiting posters.

Date: Wednesday, April 9
Instructor: Mike Jesberger
Time: 6:30 – 8:30 pm
Fee: $20.00
Register: Click here

The Battle for Independence – “Vyzvol’ni Zmahannia” (1917-1921) (in person on campus)

The Ukrainian War of Independence, sometimes referred to as the Ukrainian-Soviet War, was a crucible through which the modern Ukrainian Republic came to be. With sundry armed forces from numerous opposing factions roaming the Ukrainian lands, governments would rise and fall in an effort to bring stability to lands immersed in chaos as Ukrainians sought to take control of their destinies, and powerful outside forces sought to deny them their fundamental right to exist as a sovereign people.

Date: Wednesday, April 16
Instructor: Roman Dubenko, MA
Time: 6:30 – 8:30 pm
Fee: $20.00
Register: Click here

George McClellan: The Young Napoleon from Philadelphia (zoom only)

In 1861 Philadelphia native George McClellan had a meteoric rise to be Commander of the U. S. Army. McClellan’s tenure in Command was not a success. Many of the most important questions of strategy & war policy came up between the general and the government. Vital decisions were made, many of which McClellan would disagree with. He haunted the Army of the Potomac even after he left it. He was and is a most controversial figure.

Date: April 30, 2025
Instructor: Tom Donnelly
Time: 6:30 – 8:30 pm
Fee: $20.00
Register: Click here

The Seven Day Battle; Lee Takes Command (zoom only)

With the Union Army at the gates of Richmond, the Confederate Commander, Joe Johnston is badly wounded. Confederate President Jefferson Davis appointed General Lee to take command. Up until that point, Lee had had a disappointing war. In the next 3 months, he will transfer the scene of the war from near Richmond to western Maryland. We will see how he accomplished this and how, in the end, his victory destroyed the Old South.

Date: May 7, 2025
Instructor: Tom Donnelly
Time: 6:30 – 8:30 pm
Fee: $20.00
Register: Click here

“Ukrainization” and its (unintended) consequences (1922-1928) (in person on campus)

Due to the calamitous consequences of Leon Trotsky’s “War Communism” policy, compounded with the Bolshevik’s Russification approach, the socio-economic realities of the infant Soviet Union were so horrendous that Vladimir Lenin had to reverse course and introduced the New Economic Policy that restored a level of private enterprise and promoted an “indigenization” program that recognized the value of fostering native languages, cultures and traditions of non-Russian peoples. A renaissance of Ukrainian literature and culture emerged with national communists and Ukrainian Bolsheviks finding a foothold in the halls of power. These gains, however, did not go unnoticed by Joseph Stalin and the General Secretariat of the Communist Party who felt that a revived Ukraine was not beneficial to his vision and took drastic steps to destroy her lands and exterminate her people.

Date: Wednesday, May 21
Instructor: Roman Dubenko, MA
Time: 6:30 – 8:30 pm
Fee: $20.00
Register: Click here