In early February, Paul Andriscin, adjunct professor of History
at Castleton State College and the College of St. Joseph, gave
at PowerPoint presentation at Osher Lifelong Learning
Institute at the Gotnick Center on the causes of the American
Revolutionary War. He has a Master of Arts in American History from
Norwich, which may explain both the depth of his knowledge and
brevity of style. He covered contributing issues - the difficulty
in communication, relationships with the Indians and the failure of
British Parliament to understand the impact of the taxes they
imposed on colonial commerce.
What struck me most was the impact of the British Army.
Increasing costs from the Seven Years War (the first world war)
made taxing the colonists necessary. As the size of the British
Army increased to enforce these taxes they were quartered in
colonial homes. Their background and training determined whether
they would be good negotiators or further cause for conflict.
Who were these British soldiers? Recruited from the jails and
streets of English cities - they were murders, thieves and rapists;
brought with little or no training, into American homes. They were
not suitable for negotiating. Officers were as unsuitable as
their men. The third and fourth sons of British landholders,
without property themselves, joined the army, and were arrogant and
demanding, viewing colonists as the lowest level of society. They
were trained in military maneuvers but not in the management of
people or reduction of conflict.
The PowerPoint used in the presentation made a statement. The
professor's information and ideas were clearly understandable to
the audience. It was an efficient way to present the material,
particularly this historical material became the basis for
The audience at Ocher was very well informed, highly interested
in the topic and in search of new answers and understanding; but
unlike Andriscin's college students, not quite so quick with
PowerPoint. After the lecture members of the audience gathered
around the speaker and continued to explore some of his
conclusions. If you were able enough with a computer you could
follow clues given in the lecture and continue to explore. Clearly,
the audience's thinking on the subject had been stimulated.
Paul Andriscin's PowerPoint presentation of "Homefront:
World War II" will be rescheduled in the Commons at the
Gables when the room is available for use again.