On September 18, 2026, Dr. Chris Magra, Director of the Center for the Study of Tennesseans and War and professor of early American history at the University of Tennessee, delivered a lecture to the Rotary Club of Farragut at the Farragut Community Center. Dr. Magra’s presentation examined the military history of the Declaration of Independence […]
On September 22, 2026, Dr. Chris Magra, Director of the Center for the Study of Tennesseans and War and professor of history at the University of Tennessee, spoke at the Farragut Town Hall’s History Hour program. Dr. Magra’s lecture explored the military history of the American Revolutionary War. Drawing on his recent research, he discussed […]
Dr. Chris Magra, Director of the Center for the Study of Tennesseans and War, recently conducted a new veteran oral history interview with Derrick Dale, a Tennessee veteran and former U.S. Navy Seabee. The interview is now available on the Center’s YouTube channel. Watch the interview on YouTube Born on a naval base in Pensacola, […]
Dr. Chris Magra, Director of the Center for the Study of Tennesseans and War, recently conducted a new veteran oral history interview with Lieutenant Colonel Logan Hickman, U.S. Army, retired. The interview is now available on the Center’s YouTube channel. Watch the interview on YouTube A 1980 graduate of the University of Tennessee, Hickman was […]
In preparation for Constitution Week, the Daughters of the American Revolution invited Dr. Chris Magra, Director of the Center for the Study of Tennesseans and War, to give a lecture on the history and enduring importance of the Bill of Rights. Dr. Magra discussed the origins of the first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution, […]
News & Announcements Director Dr. Chris Magra Publishes Three Essays on the American Revolutionary War Center for the Study of Tennesseans and War | University of Tennessee, Knoxville The Center for the Study of Tennesseans and War is pleased to announce that its Director, Dr. Chris Magra, has recently published three online essays exploring key […]
The Center for the Study of Tennesseans and War is pleased to share that its director, Dr. Chris Magra, was invited to give a talk on John Sevier at the East Tennessee History Center as part of its History Happy Hour series on July 21, 2026. This invitation reflects Dr. Magra’s standing as a leading scholar of […]
Michael Mlekodaj is the Curator of the Lenoir Museum at the Norris Dam State Park. He welcomed community members, history enthusiasts, and area readers on July 16, 2026 for a special book talk featuring Dr. Chris Magra. The event offered guests an engaging opportunity to hear directly from Dr. Magra about his new book on […]
The Center for the Study of Tennesseans and War is pleased to share that its director, Dr. Chris Magra, appeared on June 10, 2026 on the podcast Military Historians are People, Too! to discuss his career, his work as a historian, and his new book on the military history of the Declaration of Independence. During the conversation, […]
The Medal of Honor Center in Chattanooga TN hosted a special screening of the Ken Burns PBS documentary on the American Revolution on June 5, 2026. Medal of Honor recipient Dwight Birdwell, Pulitzer prize winning historian Alan Taylor, and our own Director Chris Magra discussed the importance of military service with an audience of teachers […]