About the Project

Nicholas Brown and the Roman Revolution revolves around a trove of the titular American diplomat’s recently rediscovered correspondence constituting one of the most important collections of original manuscripts linked to the Roman Revolution of 1848–1849 to be found outside of Italy. The presentation of fully searchable primary source material in translation alongside a newly commissioned set of interdisciplinary interpretive essays permits a deep understanding of the historical significance of the Nicholas Brown correspondence not only for specialists but also for the international scholarly and student community more broadly. While a selection of historical documents is featured across the six essays, readers can explore the complete digitized collection in the Brown Digital Repository, easily accessed via the featured documents or the direct links provided below:

Nicholas Brown Papers contains nearly 100 letters, poems, and autographs received by Nicholas Brown III (1792–1859) and his wife Caroline Matilda Clements Brown, primarily during Brown's term as U.S. Consul to Rome (1845–1849). Many of the letters relate to the First Italian War of Independence (1848–1849) and the larger Risorgimento movement in Italy.

Rush Hawkins Collection contains 135 documents relating both to the Roman Revolution and to Mazzini’s subsequent efforts to organize support for Italian unification. Rush Hawkins (1831–1920) was married to Annmary Brown (1837–1903), the daughter of Nicholas Brown III.

This publication is an archive of content that is retained exclusively for reference and research. It was created prior to May 11, 2026. Contact accessibility@brown.libanswers.com to request accessible content.

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Army in Piazza Barberina

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