Historical Celebration: 250 Years Since the American Revolution

The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at Berkshire Community College (BCC) is planning an 18-month project on the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution (April 2025 - December 2026.)  We will offer courses, workshops, lectures, OLLI Players performances, and special events with a focus on events that took place in the Berkshires and neighboring counties in New York, Vermont and Connecticut.  See a full list of programs in addition to what OLLI will be sponsoring at berkshires.org.

Past events include: Stacy Wallach, a longtime and popular OLLI instructor, kicked off the courses in the spring semester with a course focused on events in the Berkshires beginning in 1774.  On April 8, Sarah Vowell, a historian, author, and NPR contributor spoke on Lafayette, the 19-year-old Frenchman who helped bring France into the American Revolutionary War as a critical ally.   Lafayette’s influence will be more deeply examined in a curated course focused on Lafayette in June.  OLLI will partner with Berkshire County Historical Society to celebrate the 1824-25 return of Lafayette to the United States including a stop in Pittsfield which will be commemorated with multiple activities the week of June 9.  Courses on Thomas Paine and the Revolutionary War in the South will also be offered during the summer.

OLLI at BCC Summer 2025 Courses in this series:

While this anniversary is a time to celebrate the achievements of the founding generation, it is also a time to lift up the part of lesser-known participants in the founding of the Republic.  The contested values, policies, and institutions of the present, have their roots in the early years of the Revolution.  By critically reexamining the history of the American Revolution, we can learn about how divisions of the past were or were not resolved and how the compromises of the past continue to influence the choices of the present.

If you would like to teach, lecture, or lead a workshop related to Rev250, please contact the OLLI office at OLLI@berkshirecc.edu or call 413-236-2190.

Questions? olli@berkshirecc.edu or call 413-236-2190

These programs are designed and supported by many local organizations including but not limited to:



Events are added to calendar as they are confirmed:

Upcoming events

    • Monday, June 02, 2025
    • Thursday, August 28, 2025
    • Online and In-Person
    Register

    OLLI at Berkshire Community College

    Summer 2025 Term


    June 2 - Mid August

    Our summer term runs June 2 - mid August, 2025, and includes a mix of in-person, online, and hybrid (online and in-person) courses. All classes take place in Eastern Time.

    Summer 2025 course descriptions can be found here.

    Hiking classes are using a separate registration form. Register for hiking classes here.

    Course cost:
    $55 for one class
    $100 for 2 classes
    $125 for 3 classes
    $150 for 4 classes or more

    Registration opens on May 5 at 12:00 noon.

    To sign up for courses, you need to be an OLLI at BCC member. (Not a member yet? Join here.) Not sure which classes you want to take? Sign up for one or more Flexpasses, which allow you to attend six individual class sessions of your choice within a semester, as long as the class is not full. Click here to learn more about Flexpasses.

    Note that our online courses are recorded, unless otherwise noted. If you cannot attend live, or if you miss a session or two, you can access that course's Padlet for the recording link and watch it at your convenience.

    Watch this video to learn about summer programming at OLLI

    Questions? Contact us at olli@berkshirecc.edu or 413.236.2190. We look forward to hearing from you!

Past events

Tuesday, April 08, 2025 Sarah Vowell on her book Lafayette in the Somewhat United States
Monday, March 31, 2025 Spring 2025 OLLI Term


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OLLI: the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Berkshire Community College
Partners in education with Williams College, Bard College at Simon's Rock and the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts

1350 West Street | Pittsfield, MA 01201 | 413.236.2190 | olli@berkshirecc.edu

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