In honor of Women’s History Month, Sidney Zufall will discuss Mercy Otis Warren as part of the “Forgotten Founders” lecture series.

Zufall, a local American history enthusiast, will enlighten the audience about Warren’s contributions to the cause of independence when he delivers “Mercy Otis Warren: The Lady of Liberty” at 6 p.m. on Monday, March 16 inside Rodman Auditorium.

Registration is required on rodmanlibrary.com to attend the lecture, which is being held in conjunction with America250 and is sponsored by Rodman Public Library and the Alliance Historical Society.

Mercy Otis Warren was one of the most influential — and often overlooked — voices of the American Revolution. Long before independence was won, she used her sharp wit and pen to rally support for the patriot cause. Through satirical plays, poems, and political essays, Warren criticized British authority and encouraged colonial resistance, helping shape public opinion at a crucial moment in history.

She was closely connected to many Revolutionary leaders, including John and Abigail Adams, and her home became a gathering place for discussions about liberty and governance. After the war, Warren continued her civic engagement by writing History of the Rise, Progress and Termination of the American Revolution, one of the earliest histories of the conflict.

A passionate advocate for republican ideals and individual liberty, Mercy Otis Warren proved that words could be as powerful as weapons in the fight for independence.

She was the wife of James Warren, a prominent Massachusetts patriot who served as speaker of the Massachusetts House of Representatives and later as paymaster general of the Continental Army.

She was also the sister of James Otis Jr., a fiery lawyer and political thinker whose early arguments against British policies helped lay the intellectual groundwork for the Revolution, and the subject of Zufall’s April 13 “Forgotten Founders” lecture, titled “James Otis Jr.” The Forgotten Flame of American Liberty.”

Other subjects in the lecture series, presented by Zufall, include:

May 11 – “Joseph Warren: Doctor of Democracy”

June 15 – “John Hancock: The Signature of Liberty”

June 29 – “John Shreve and John Stark: Alliance’s Connection to the Revolutionary War,” which will be presented by Rodman Public Library Community Relations Manager Jack Weber, a member of the Alliance Historical Society’s board of trustees.