Beacon College kicks off its eighth season of the Salon Speaker Series with noted historian Dr. David Head discussing a conspiracy theory involving George Washington and a rumored rebellion that threatened the Revolution on Aug. 28 at 7 p.m. at the Venetian Center (1 Dozier Circle, Leesburg).

In March 1783, as negotiations to end the Revolution were well underway, an anonymous letter circulated through the Continental Army’s camp near Newburgh, New York. It called for the officers to meet — outside the chain of command — and act boldly to strong arm Congress to deliver on their long overdue pay and desperately needed pensions. Challenged to preserve civilian supremacy over the military, Washington rose to occasion, but he never shook his suspicion that someone plotted to use the army as a pawn in a political game. Head shares how the episode, now known as the Newburgh Conspiracy, reveals the danger of conspiracy thinking — in Washington’s time and in ours.

Tickets are free, and registration is required at https://secure.qgiv.com/for/beaconsalonseries2024-2025/event/davidhead/

About the Beacon Salon Speaker Series

In its eighth year, the Beacon Salon Speaker Series at Beacon College is the school’s flagship community education outreach program. The Speaker Series brings in speakers, educators, authors, and entertainers from Florida and around the country to educate, edify, and entertain by exploring Florida history, waxing poetic, delving into popular culture, and clenching the political third rail. Channeling its ethos from the Parisian salons of the Enlightenment, the Speaker Series honors the college’s sacrosanct duty as an institution of higher learning to uplift the community in which it operates, spark engagement, and sow seeds of conversation and discovery.