The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford will welcome back alumnus and award-winning Civil War historian Dr. Christopher Mackowski for an Authors’ Series presentation at noon Wednesday in Mukaiyama University Room of Frame-Westerberg Commons.

Mackowski, a 1991 Pitt-Bradford graduate, will discuss his newest book, “Atlas of Independence: John Adams and the American Revolution,” which follows Adams from the early days of protest in Boston through his negotiation of the Treaty of Paris, which ended the Revolutionary War.

“The man to whom the country is most indebted for the great measure of independence is Mr. John Adams,” one of Adams’ colleagues wrote at the time. Mackowski has said he believes only George Washington played a larger role in securing American independence.

A prolific author who has written extensively about the Civil War, Mackowski said turning to Adams for his newest project came from a longtime fascination with the Founding Father.

“He’s so human compared to the other Founders, who were just as human as Adams except they were often trying to pose for history,” Mackowski said. “Adams hated that kind of nonsense. He wanted people to understand what really happened, not just the sanitized, romanticized version of events.”

Mackowski is a professor of communication and associate dean of undergraduate programs at St. Bonaventure University’s Jandoli School of Communication. He has authored nine books and edited five others, and he is managing editor and co-founder of the Emerging Civil War blog and book series. He was recently honored by the Kansas City Civil War Roundtable with its Harry S. Truman Award.

The event, sponsored by the Friends of Hanley Library, is free and open to the public. Beverages and desserts will be provided.