Washington Crossing Historic Park is pleased to partner with the David Center for the American Revolution at the American Philosophical Society to host a lecture by historian Travis Glasson on his new book, Nobody Men: Neutrality, Loyalties, and Family in the American Revolution (Yale University Press, 2025).

While the American Revolution is often told as a struggle between Patriots and Loyalists, at least one-third of the colonial population remained neutral. In this lecture, Glasson explores the experiences of the Cruger family, a transatlantic merchant family whose members navigated the war by prioritizing peace and personal survival over political allegiance. Their story reveals the complex choices faced by those who lived “in the middle” during a violent civil war and sheds new light on how revolutionary societies were shaped.

Drawing on extensive research in the United States and Britain, Nobody Men offers a powerful and human portrait of neutrality, family loyalty, and political uncertainty during the founding of the nation.

This lecture will be offered in a hybrid format, with both in-person and virtual attendance options available. Pre-registration is required for all participants.

About the Speaker

Travis Glasson is Associate Professor of History at Temple University and an Affiliated Faculty member of Temple’s Global Studies Program. He received his MA and PhD from Columbia University and his BA from the College of the Holy Cross.

His previous book, Mastering Christianity: Missionary Anglicanism and Slavery in the Atlantic World (Oxford University Press, 2012), examined the role of Anglican missionaries in shaping debates over slavery and human difference in the Atlantic world. His work has appeared in journals including the William and Mary Quarterly and the Journal of British Studies. He is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society and has received fellowships from institutions including the John Carter Brown Library, the Huntington Library, and the University of Cambridge.