Robert J. Allison

Robert J. Allison is a professor of history at Suffolk University. His books include The Crescent Obscured: The United States and the Muslim World, a biography of American naval hero Stephen Decatur, and short books on the history of Boston, the American Revolution, and an edition of The Interesting Narrative of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, the African. Two of his classes, “Before 1776: Life in Colonial America,” and “The Age of Benjamin Franklin” are available from The Great Courses. As chair of Revolution 250, a consortium of organizations planning Revolutionary commemorations in Massachusetts, he hosts its weekly podcast (https://www.buzzsprout.com/1336051) featuring conversations on the Revolution with historians and interpreters. He received his Ph.D. in the History of American Civilization at Harvard, the first American studies doctoral program. He is President of the Colonial Society of Massachusetts (https://www.colonialsociety.org/), a scholarly organization focused on early American history, and a life-trustee of the USS CONSTITUTION Museum.

Particular Fields of Study: American Revolution, Revolutionary Boston, Henry Knox

Publications: 

American Revolution: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford, 2015)

The Boston Massacre (Commonwealth Editions, 2007)

A Short History of Boston (Commonwealth Editions, 2004)

A Short History of Cape Cod (Commonwealth Editions, 2009)

Personal Webpage: https://www.robertallisonhistory.com/