Historian Warren Roberts Finds Albany's Revolutionary Place in History

Albany, N.Y. (January 8, 2012) -- In 1998, after completing a book on the French Revolution, Warren Roberts took a bicycle ride into the heart of Albany, the city in which he had lived, and taught at the University, for thirty-five years.

Thus began a ten-year journey into the history of Albany for the SUNY Distinguished Teaching Professor in UAlbany's Department of History. Reading about the city's past, poring over old maps, and returning again and again to the city's historic sites with his camera, Roberts found the more he delved into Albany's history, the more he uncovered about the city's important role in three larger historical narratives: the American Revolution, the French Revolution, and the construction of the Erie Canal.

A Place in History: Albany in the Age of Revolution, 1775-1825, is not only about Albany's role in these historical narratives, but also about the men and women who were caught up in it, their public lives as well as their private intrigues, dalliances, and foibles. As Roberts shows, the history that unfolded along the Hudson River between 1775 and 1825 saved one revolution, caused another, transformed the City of Albany and the State of New York, and ultimately helped lay the foundations of a global economy.

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