Loving Greece in America: Philhellenism, Philanthropy, and the Greek Revolution

In celebration of the bicentennial of the Greek Revolution, the Classics and Mediterranean Studies Department at the University of Illinois Chicago, under the auspices of the Embassy of Greece in the USA and in collaboration with HALC, the Metropolis of Chicago, the Consulate General of Greece in Chicago and the Foundation for Hellenic Studies-Illinois, presents “Philhellenism through the Ages,” a two-part series that will explore the impress and influence of Hellenic culture from antiquity to the present.
In part one we will host four online conversations with scholars and lay an intellectual and historical foundation for the very idea of Philhellenism and its varied expressions in the past, and use this as a springboard to think about how this played a key role in the formation of the modern Greek state.
In the fourth and final conversation, “Loving Greece in America: Philhellenism, Philanthropy, and the Greek Revolution”, Professor Young Richard Kim will discuss with Maureen Connors Santelli, Associate Professor of History at Northern Virginia Community College, the development of American Philhellenism and its impact on the Greek Revolution. They will also explore how its ideals translated into organization and action but also how popular support for the Revolution conflicted with the political and economic goals of the US government. Finally, they will consider how American Philhellenism contributed to other movements, including abolition and the struggle for women’s rights.