Buffalo, NY – History majors at Canisius are working alongside municipal and academic historians across New York State to examine the legacy of the American Revolution ahead of the nation's 250th anniversary.
The six Canisius students— Devon Haynes '26, Claire Januchowski '24, Joe Manna '25, Ben McEwen '25, Kaitlin O’Meara '26 and Mitchell Popovski '25 —are all recipients of a Gardiner Foundation Semiquincentennial Student Fellowship. They are working with historians in Erie County, Ishua Valley, Java, and the towns of Nassau, Nelliston and Otto. Erie County Historian and Canisius history alumnus C. Douglas Kohler ’88, MSEd '90 is one of the cooperating municipal historians.
"This is an exciting opportunity for Canisius history students to receive hands-on experience in their major," says Thomas A. Chambers, PhD, dean of the College of Arts & Sciences. "The American Revolution means different things to different people and so students are collaborating with the archives of municipal historians and regional historical societies to better understand and uncover the larger story and legacies of the American Revolution."
According to Richard A. Bailey, PhD, chair of the Department of History, Canisius students are delving into manuscript sources, including letters and diaries from the Revolutionary War period, to examine the following questions throughout their fellowship:
• How have New Yorkers defined "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness," through the years since American Independence?
• What have New Yorkers meant when they say they believe that "all men are created equal," and how has that changed over time?
• How have New Yorkers remembered the American Revolution and its conflicting legacies since 1776?
Each community will benefit by learning more about their role during the Revolutionary War; in many cases the towns were settled by Continental Army veterans or witnessed battles during the Sullivan Campaign into Six Nations territory.
The Gardiner Foundation’s Semiquincentennial Student Fellowship is part of a statewide collaboration involving professors, historians and college students. Once complete, their findings will be compiled in an online exhibition and book. Canisius University is one of six higher education institutions invited to participate in the program.
Established in 1987, The Robert David Lion Gardiner Foundation primarily supports the study of New York State History. Robert David Lion Gardiner was, until his death in August 2004, the 16th Lord of the Manor of Gardiner’s Island, NY. The Gardiner family and their descendants have owned Gardiner’s Island since 1639, obtained as part of a royal grant from Kind Charles I of England. The Foundation is inspired by Robert David Lion Gardiner’s personal passion for New York History.
Canisius was founded in 1870 in Buffalo, NY, and is one of 27 Jesuit colleges and universities in the U.S. Consistently ranked among the top institutions in the Northeast, Canisius offers undergraduate, graduate and pre-professional programs distinguished by close student-faculty collaboration, mentoring and an emphasis on ethical, purpose-driven leadership.
