Date: Tuesday, December 16, 2025
Time: 7:00 pm (EDT) - 8:30 pm (EDT)
The American colonies were full of strangers—new arrivals born far away. Among the white population, those colonies teemed with immigrants from all across western Europe and elsewhere. Why did they come? Where did they settle? How did they live? To answer these questions, we’ll examine the demographic makeup of the British colonies in 1700 and then look at how things changed in the decades afterward. To do so, we’ll focus in on the immigration experiences of the English, the Scots, and the Germans, the three groups—along with enslaved Africans, of course—who took the lion’s share of places on board the ships that delivered immigrants in such massive numbers to British North America.
The Historic Annapolis 2025 Virtual Lecture Series is offered free of charge thanks to the generosity of an anonymous donor. If you enjoy this program, we hope you will consider becoming a member or making a donation today to support Historic Annapolis and our mission to connect all people with our shared history.
Cost: FREE
About the Presenter
Dr. Richard Bell is Associate Professor of History at the University of Maryland and author of the new book Stolen: Five Free Boys Kidnapped into Slavery and Their Astonishing Odyssey Home. He has won more than a dozen teaching awards, including the University System of Maryland Board of Regents Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching, the highest honor for teaching faculty in the Maryland state system. He has held major research fellowships at Yale, Cambridge, and the Library of Congress and is the recipient of the National Endowment of the Humanities Public Scholar award. He serves as a Trustee of the Maryland historical Society, as an elected member of the Massachusetts Historical Society, and as a fellow of the Royal Historical Society.
This lecture will be offered virtually by Zoom. Upon registration, you will be sent the link for the video conference to join on the evening of the lecture. If you do not receive your confirmation email after you register, please check your Spam folder, or email Cara Garside at cara.garside@annapolis.org. To learn more about Zoom and to download the app to your computer, visit the Zoom website.
Can’t watch live? All lectures will be recorded. Please register and you’ll receive the link to watch the recording after the event.
Time: 7:00 pm (ET) (pre-registration required; registration closes at 6:30 pm)