From Revolution to Relief: How America's Founding Built Modern Charity
Jeffrey speaks with Dr. Moniz from the Smithsonian about how the American Revolution shaped philanthropy in the United States. They discuss the Smithsonian's new 250th-anniversary exhibition In Pursuit: Life, Liberty, and Happiness, the surge of charitable institutions after independence, transatlantic philanthropic shifts, democratic sensibilities in early American giving, innovations in fundraising during the 19th century, Civil War-era coordination, and how historical turning points can inform modern philanthropy. Dr. Moniz explains why studying past responses to social change can help nonprofits, foundations, and donors rethink giving today. Visit the museum's Giving in America collection and the America 250 exhibition when you're in Washington, D.C.
Jeffrey Snyder, Broadcast Retirement Network
Dr. Moniz, it's so great to see you. Thanks for joining us in the program this morning.
Amanda Moniz, National Museum of American History
Thank you so much for having me.
Jeffrey Snyder, Broadcast Retirement Network
And look, I love history. I was telling you in the virtual green room, I love history. I love the Smithsonian, having grown up in the Mid-Atlantic in Maryland.
Before we get started on talking about, you know, the American Revolution and charitable giving, do you mind just sharing a little bit about the Smithsonian, what you're doing, all the great events and features that people that come to DC can check out?
Amanda Moniz, National Museum of American History
Oh, absolutely. Yes, we've just opened our big exhibition on the 250th, for the 250th anniversary. It's called In Pursuit, Life, Liberty and Happiness.
And it explores how Americans have pursued these ideals. It's 250 objects with 250 stories about our history.
Jeffrey Snyder, Broadcast Retirement Network
So definitely check it out. I mean, I'm sure people know that it's our two... Look, I'm old enough to remember the bicentennial, so I'll leave it at that.
But people should certainly check it out. And when I come to DC, I wanna see it as well. All right, let's go back.
I wanna go... What I love about this is we get to go back in time to the founding, to our independence. But Dr., that really helped shape...
Our travails really helped shape American philanthropy, did it not?
Amanda Moniz, National Museum of American History
That is absolutely correct. In fact, the American Revolution catalyzed really significant changes in philanthropic practices and ideas about who to give to as one of the impacts of the revolution.
Jeffrey Snyder, Broadcast Retirement Network
And so let's go back to England, not virtually, of course. Great country. We were kind of our...
They kind of had oversight, for lack of a better term, using a fiduciary term, but they had oversight of the colonies. How was philanthropy done in the UK, in England?
Amanda Moniz, National Museum of American History
So before the revolution, there were strong ties between Britain, England, and then Britain after England and Scotland joined together on an act of union in 1707, between Britain and the British American colonies. And it is important to understand that close connection before the revolution to understand what happened after the revolution. So before the revolution, Americans engaged in local charitable activity, for instance, through their church or through different ethnic aid societies, such as the Scott Society of Boston, established in 1657.
But they also participated in transatlantic philanthropic efforts and networks, often with the aim of strengthening the British empire. And that's what changes after the revolution.
Jeffrey Snyder, Broadcast Retirement Network
So let's fast forward, the revolution happens, we have the Declaration of Independence, we have all the great founders that many people know about, from Jefferson to Hancock, et cetera. How did this... Obviously, we were the rebels, we did things, or at least that's how we were defined by the British.
We did things very differently. How did... Or a different philosophical approach, we wanted independence.
How did this change? How did this evolve?
Amanda Moniz, National Museum of American History
In terms of philanthropy? So several... There are a number of things that happened.
One is that right after the revolution, there's a huge upsurge of Americans creating new charitable institutions, new philanthropic movements, everything from the anti-slavery movement, prison reform, new ways of giving poor relief, new charities to give poor relief, participating in a transatlantic anti-drown movement to rescue and resuscitate drowning victims, a whole range of charities. So that's one. This upsurge in founding new institutions.
Jeffrey Snyder, Broadcast Retirement Network
So new institutions kind of, instead of promoting the empire, I think was the... Paraphrasing what you said, now we're the founders, those that seeking independence or trying, or being independent, they were really looking for causes. Is that a correct statement that I made?
Amanda Moniz, National Museum of American History
So what's new... There are a couple of things going on. Several things going on.
One is that Americans are throwing themselves into founding these organizations as a way to build new bonds among citizens of the new nation to express their ideals and to care for members of their community. A second is that, and this is really important, as Americans and people in Britain were coming to terms with the American Revolution, with American independence, with the breakup of the world they had all known on both sides of the Atlantic, they're rethinking transatlantic philanthropic collaboration so that instead of collaborating to promote the good of the British empire, they start thinking about collaborating to promote a universal wellbeing, universal goodwill.
So they continue to collaborate and share ideas across the Atlantic, but they're now doing it on a new basis.
Jeffrey Snyder, Broadcast Retirement Network
So it fostered a sense of community. How does this kind of evolve? So we have kind of a new approach and evolution in philanthropy.
I'll call it the US version of philanthropy for lack of a better term. How did this continue to evolve? I know we're kind of going past the founding, but how did this continue to evolve say through the Industrial Revolution, the Civil War or Civil War, the Industrial Revolution and into kind of the modern era?
Amanda Moniz, National Museum of American History
So as the decades go on, Americans, like I said, continue to work with their British former colleagues, compatriots. There are a couple of things that are distinctive. One is that the way that Americans talked about charitable activity and the way they expressed gratitude in it was less hierarchical.
There was a more democratic sensibility about it. Although they continue to collaborate transatlantically, there's a different sensibility. And there is, you don't have the kind of aristocrats here in those early years who are, I mean, ever, you don't have true aristocrats dominating in charity.
And so people use a more democratic vocabulary and sensibility. Then as we move into the 19th century, into the 1820s and 30s, there's a huge upsurge in 40s of founding more new organizations during the Second Great Awakening and a period of Protestant revival. And Americans really innovate with publishing, communications, fundraising techniques.
And they really grow the ability to raise money and expand their reach. And so those are the developments in the early years. Once we get to the Civil War, you see, especially in the North, a huge amount of coordination, which is facilitated by the growth of the railroads and a new level of professionalism.
So let me stop there because we've just covered a great deal of ground. So you see a few questions before I continue on.
Jeffrey Snyder, Broadcast Retirement Network
Well, no, I mean, I think it's great. As America evolves, it seems like the charitable giving continues to evolve. Let me ask you, Doctor, in your opinion, I like to think of Americans as being very charitable today.
Maybe that is, and I wanna ask you, was that still the case? Have we continued the philosophy of being very charitable people, establishing organizations, trying to help others, both domestically and internationally? Have we continued that tradition that was founded during the founding?
Amanda Moniz, National Museum of American History
Well, I talk to people as I collect objects for the philanthropy collection here at the National Museum of American History and put objects on display in our exhibition, Giving in America. Yes, I would say that tradition remains strong. Of course, if you read the philanthropy press, commentators in the world of philanthropy, you'll see concerns about declining giving or declining volunteering.
I think we're really in a period of rethinking, re-imagining, trying new things, new ways to connect. And we see this at turning points like wars, like the American Revolution or the Civil War, World War I, and periods of great economic change. We've been in a period of realignment, I think, in the world over the past decades for a certain, and that often shakes out in philanthropy because people are rethinking who are part of their community, their understanding of who their community is.
They're thinking about new ways of doing things financially and in the economy. And all of these things have an impact on how people practice philanthropy.
Jeffrey Snyder, Broadcast Retirement Network
And lastly, Doctor, I could talk to you for many hours on this topic because I love history and I love philanthropy. And in fact, my mother was a director of major gifts for several local Baltimore not-for-profits, but that aside, are there lessons? So for our philanthropy friends that are watching the show that are working in foundations or small or large not-for-profits, should they go back to, I mean, certainly they should read your article, but should they go back to the founding to kind of re-energize their thinking about philanthropy and maybe how to tap back into the American psyche?
Amanda Moniz, National Museum of American History
I think it's always helpful to understand how people in other times of change have re-imagined their philanthropy or to understand the kind of challenges they faced and how they've met them. I don't think that we can typically draw a straightforward lesson, okay, they were facing this problem and they did this, let me try it in my community today because the context has changed too dramatically. But I think understanding, being able to sort of step back and see how people have met challenges at other times can be helpful for thinking about how to work through a challenge in philanthropy.
Jeffrey Snyder, Broadcast Retirement Network
Yeah, and look, I love that. I think you sometimes have to look backwards in order to move forward. And clearly, we had the internet, back then they had the telegraph or the printing press, right?
I mean, there was a lot of differences, but Americans are Americans. We evolve, we are leaders in the world. Dr. Moniz, it's great to see you. Thanks for sharing a little, giving me and the audience a history lesson. And look, congratulations on America 250. And look, everyone should go check it out.
Thanks for joining us and we look forward to having you back on the program again very soon.
Amanda Moniz, National Museum of American History
Thank you so much, Jeffrey.
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This story was originally published May 24, 2026 at 6:30 AM.