American Eden – Lecture by Victoria Johnson (Distance Learning)

This illustrated, virtual lecture by historian Victoria Johnson features her latest book, American Eden.  When Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr met on a dueling ground in July 1804, they chose the same attending physician: David Hosack, who, in 1801, on twenty acres of Manhattan farmland, founded the first public botanical garden in the new nation, amassing a spectacular collection of medicinal, agricultural, and ornamental plants that brought him worldwide praise from the likes of Thomas Jefferson, Sir Joseph Banks, and Alexander von Humboldt.  In an age of rampant epidemics and dangerous treatments, Hosack used his pioneering institution to train the next generation of American doctors and naturalists and to conduct some of the first pharmacological research in the United States.  In this talk, Victoria Johnson takes us back to old New York, when the nation’s founders strolled the city sidewalks and most of Manhattan was a green island.

Speaker:  Victoria Johnson is Professor of Urban Policy and Planning at Hunter College of the City University of New York, where she teaches on philanthropy, nonprofits, and the history of New York City.

This is a virtual lecture; a weblink and instructions will be sent after registration closes.  If you do not receive the email, contact [email protected].

Fee: $10 ($9, Garden members)

Registration