(LINCROFT, NJ) -- Monmouth County Clerk Christine Giordano Hanlon has announced that Jonathan Mercantini, Ph.D. of Kean University will be the keynote speaker at the County Clerk's 30th annual Archives & History Day. The event takes place Saturday, October 11, 2025 from 9:00am to 1:30pm at the Robert J. Collins Arena of Brookdale Community College in Lincroft. Mercantini will speak about the important role New Jersey played in the American Revolution.
“Jonathan Mercantini’s presentation is especially relevant for this year’s Archives and History Day theme, which celebrates the 250th birthday of our nation’s founding as well as the significant role that Monmouth County played during the war,” said Clerk Hanlon. “We are thrilled that Professor Mercantini will be the event’s keynote speaker to discuss one of the most critically important events in our nation’s history.”
All are invited to attend the free event. Speaker presentations are scheduled to begin at 10:15am.
Mercantini is Acting Associate Provost for Special Projects and Professor in Kean University’s Department of History, where he has taught since 2007. Prior to his appointment at Kean, he taught at the University of Miami and Canisius College as well as Princeton University. He earned his Ph.D. in American History from Emory University.
He is also an accomplished published author. Among his major publications are Who Shall Rule at Home: The Evolution of South Carolina’s Political Culture, 1748-1776 (Univ. South Carolina Press, 2007); The Stamp Act of 1765, Broadview Sources Series (Broadview Press, 2017), and essays on slavery in South Carolina and New Jersey. His current research projects include, “Make History@Kean: William Livingston’s World – an Exploration of the 18th Century Atlantic World,” funded by a Humanities Initiatives Grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Mercantini is a member of the MonmouthNJ 250 advisory board comprised of prominent historians formed to assist with historical accuracy and insight in the planning of Monmouth County’s celebration of America’s Semiquincentennial. Prior to this, he played a key role in the New Jersey Historical Commission’s planning of the state’s 350th anniversary in 2014.
He received Emmy nominations from the New York Region and the Mid-Atlantic Region for his work on, “It Happened Here – New Jersey,” a weekly series on New Jersey History topics featured on New Jersey Public TV and online. Mercantini has received external grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities and other agencies to support his research on the history of New Jersey and of South Carolina in the 18th– and 19th-ccnturies.
In addition to Professor Mercantini’s keynote speech, this year’s Archives and History Day event will feature a Revolutionary War exhibit and catalog titled, “Conflicting Allegiances: Loyalists & Patriots in Revolutionary Monmouth County.” The event will also feature period reenactors, fife and drum music, displays from 50+ local and state historical organizations, awards presentations and activities for children.
