By Will Ferguson, WSU News & Media Relations, WSU Insider
The American Revolution is often remembered as a triumph of liberty, a clean break from empire that gave rise to a new republic built on universal ideals. But according to historian Lawrence Hatter, that familiar story leaves out a harder truth: independence also carried with it imperial ambitions and consequences that are often left unexamined, a legacy worth revisiting as the nation approaches the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
As communities across the state prepare to mark that milestone, Hatter, an associate professor of history at Washington State University, is taking his scholarship on the road and inviting audiences to reflect on the uneasy aftermath of independence and the expansionist ambitions that followed.
Through the Humanities Washington Speakers Bureau, Hatter will spend the next two years traveling across Washington to deliver public lectures in communities large and small. His first two engagements, scheduled for May 2026, will take place at the Clark County Historical Society in Vancouver and the Moses Lake Museum & Art Center. For Hatter, the program reflects a growing commitment to public-facing scholarship and to the mission of a land-grant university. “There are a lot of communities in Washington that don’t have the cultural resources of bigger cities,” he said. “Bringing the humanities into those spaces is part of our responsibility.”
Rather than retelling the Revolution as a simple clash between freedom and tyranny, Hatter’s talk focuses on what happened after the fighting stopped. He argues that while American leaders rejected British colonial rule, many simultaneously pursued their own ambitions for land, power, and influence across the continent. “We tend to think of the Revolution as a rejection of empire,” Hatter said. “But in many ways, it was also about reinventing empire under a new banner.”
To illustrate that shift, Hatter draws on episodes that rarely appear in textbook summaries. One is the failed American invasion of Canada in 1775, an early attempt to extend the Revolution beyond the 13 colonies. Another is the Battle of Fallen Timbers in 1794, a decisive conflict between U.S. forces and a Native confederacy near present-day Ohio that helped clear the way for U.S. westward expansion. “If you’re trying to understand how the United States became a continental power so quickly,” Hatter said, “this is one of those moments that really matters.”
We tend to think of the Revolution as a rejection of empire. But in many ways, it was also about reinventing empire under a new banner.
Lawrence Hatter, associate professor
Washington State University
Although these events unfolded centuries ago and far from the Pacific Northwest, Hatter emphasizes their relevance to Washington state. The political frameworks established in the late 18th century shaped how regions like Washington were eventually incorporated into the United States, influencing borders, treaty rights, and long-running conflicts between Indigenous nations and the federal government.
The goal of Hatter’s talks is not to assign blame or offer easy answers, but to encourage reflection. Citizenship, he says, carries a responsibility to reckon honestly with history and to recognize the gap between America’s ideals and its lived realities. “The ideals we celebrate are real,” Hatter said, “but they’re also aspirations. The challenge is holding ourselves, and our country, accountable to them.”