This Week @ MHS

It is a holiday-shortened week for the staff here at the Society, but we still have five days of programs to take in. Please note that the library is closed on Monday, 10 October, for Columbus Day, and will re-open on Tuesday, 11 October. Here is what is on tap this week:

- Monday, 10 October, 10:00AM : The MHS again participates in the Opening Our Doors program hosted by the Fenway Alliance. Stop by, 10:00AM-3:00PM to explore our Turning Points exhibition, which explores 15 decisive moments when everything changes or a process began that would change what followed. For more information about Opening Our Doors, please visit http://fenwayculture.org/programming/opening-our-doors/ 

- Tuesday, 11 October, 5:15PM : "Adapting Capitalism to Climates: Entrepreneurs, Stock, and Transcontinental Telegraphy in the United States, 1844-1861," is part of the Environmental History Seminar series and features Edmund Russell of Boston University. This essay focuses on the models of capital accumulation employed in building the telegraph and on the financial models and environments that made regional telegraph networks with different features. Merritt Roe Smith of MIT provides comments. Seminars are free and open to the public; RSVP required. Subscribe to receive advance copies of the seminar papers.

- Wednesday, 12 October, 12:00PM : "Henry Cabot Lodge and the Decline of the Eastern Establishment" is the research project of Luke A. Nichter of Texas A&M University. In this Brown Bag talk, Nichter discusses his research into the life of this senator, statesman, presidential advisor, and presidentail candidate by popular demand, whose political career stretched from the 1930s to the 1970s, and who, up to now, has escaped biographical treatment. This talk is free and open to the public. 

- Wednesday, 12 October, 6:00PM : When it comes to transportation, Boston has a history of innovative, amibitious thinking and groundbreaking projects, yet today, Boston's public transportation is facing serious challenges. "Getting the MBTA Back-on-Track" is a panel discussion which will explore the history of the MBTA, how the current situation came to be, and what we can expect in the future. This program is open to the public for a fee of $20 (no charge for MHS Members and Fellows), and registration is required. A pre-talk reception begins at 5:30PM, followed by the program at 6:00PM. 

- Friday, 14 October, 2:00PM : Stop by Friday afternoon for a gallery talk with Peter Drummey, Stephen T. Riley Librarian of the MHS. "Turning Point: Ether as an Anesthetic" looks at the innovation that led to the its first use in surgery and the revolution it produced. This talk is free and open to the public. 

- Saturday, 15 October, 10:00AM : The History and Collections of the Massachusetts Historical Society Tour is a 90-minute docent-led walk through our public rooms. The tour is free, open to the public, with no need for reservations. If you would like to bring a larger party (8 or more), please contact Curator of Art Anne Bentley at 617-646-0508 or abentley@masshist.org.

While you're here you will also have the opportunity to view our current exhibition: Turning Points in American History.

This Week @ MHS

Our program schedule is ramping-up as we enter October. Here's a quick look at all of the events on offer in the week ahead:

- Monday, 3 October, 6:00PM : The first program of the week is an author talk with James Traub. Join us for a talk about his new book, John Quincy Adams: Militant Spirit, which tells the story of a brillian, flinty, and unyielding man whose life exemplified political courage. This talk is open to the public and registration is required at a price of $10 (no charge for MHS Members or Fellows). A pre-talk reception begins at 5:30PM with the program starting at 6:00PM.

- Tuesday, 4 October, 5:15PM : "Reconsidering Slavery and Slave Law in Early Massachusetts" is the next installment in the Society's Early American History series. Largely considered unexceptional in its attitude towards slavery - even culpable for laying a foundation for slavery - in this paper, Holly Brewer of the University of Maryland offers a nuanced reading fo the MAssachusetts policy debates of the 1640s to emphasize considerable resistance to the ideas of forced labor. Comment provided by Annette Gordon-Reed of Harvard Law School. Seminars are free and open to the public; RSVP required. Subscribe to receive advance copies of the seminar papers.

- Wednesday, 5 October, 12:00PM : "Reading Textiles as Text: An Examination of Pre-1750s Survivals at MHS" is a Brown Bag talk with Kimberly Alexander of the University of New Hampshire. The project sets the experience of fashion, consumerism, and consumption within a cosmopolitan Atlantic world, with particular attention paid to the textiles associated with the Byles and Hancock families in Boston. This talk is free and open to the public. 

- Friday, 7 October, 12:00PM : The second Brown Bag talk of the week is titled "A Muss Among the Flunkies: Unruly Choristers and Instrumentalists in the Antebellum Opera." Presented by Rachel Miller of University of Michigan, this project traces how the haphazard strikes of anonymous choristers and instrumentalists - "a muss among the flunkies" - grew into the nation's first performers' unions and protective associations, which in turn continue to shape our contemporary ideas and practices of creative work. This talk is free and open to the public.

- Friday, 7 October, 2:00PM : "Turning Point: The U.S. Constitution" features Kyle Jenks, a James Madison reenactor, who will discuss Elbridge Gerry's criticism of the Constitution. This event is free and open to the public. 

- Saturday, 8 October, 10:00AM : The History and Collections of the MHS is a 90-minute docent-led walk through our public rooms. The tour is free, open to the public, with no need for reservations. If you would like to bring a larger party (8 or more), please contact Curator of Art Anne Bentley at 617-646-0508 orabentley@masshist.org.

While you're here you will also have the opportunity to view our current exhibition: Turning Points in American History.

This Week @ MHS

As September draws to a close, seminar season kicks into gear and with it comes a slew of public programs in the weeks ahead. Here's what's on tap this week:

- Tuesday, September 27, 8:00AM : Local innovators, investors, and influencers share their insights and perspectives on the history and future of innovation in the Boston region, a locale known for breakthroughs and firsts. The History and Future of Mass Innovation addresses such questions as: Why has Boston been the key center of social and technological change? What can community and business leaders and local governments do to nurture the factors that promote innovation? This talk is free and open to the public, though registraiton is required. This program will be held at the Stratton Student Center at MIT - 84 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139.

- Tuesday, September 27, 5:15PM : The first seminar of the fall is part of the newly named Modern American Society and Culture series. Donna Murch of Rutgers University presents "The Color of War: Race, Neoliberalism, and Punishment in Late 20th Century Los Angeles."  Drawing on the recent history of urban rebellions and punishment campaigns stemming from the late 1960s, this presentation will place our current movement for black lives in historical context. Andrew Darien of Salem State University provides comment. Seminars are free and open to the public; RSVP required. Subscribe to receive advance copies of the seminar papers.

- Wednesday, September 28, 12:00PM : "A Hero of Two Worlds" is a Brown Bag talk presented by Sam Allis which explores a recently published work of historical fiction set in Rome in the early 1860s, when the great fight to unify Italy into a country was raging. The work features a protagonist who hails from Bangor, Maine, as well as a group of Boston expatriates. This event is free and open to the public. 

- Thursday, September 29, 5:30PM : The second seminar of the week is part of the History of Women and Gender series. "Developing Women: Global Poverty, U.S. Foreign Aid, and the Politics of Productivity in the 1970s" emerges from a chapter of a book-in-progress on US involvement campaigns to end global poverty in the 1970s and 1980s. Joanne Meyerowitz of Yale University leads the program with Priya Lal of Boston College providing comment. Seminars are free and open to the public; RSVP required. Subscribe to receive advance copies of the seminar papers. This event takes place at the Schlesinger Library at Harvard University

- Saturday, October 1, 10:00AM : The History and Collections of the MHS is a 90-minute, docent-led walk through the public spaces at the Society's home on Boylston St. The tour is free and open to the public with no need for reservations for individuals or small groups. Larger parties (8 or more) should contact Curator of Art Anne Bentley in advance at 617-646-0508 or abentley@masshist.org. While you're here you will also have the opportunity to view our current exhibition: Turning Points in American History.

- Saturday, October 1, 1:00PM : Join us for a public discussion of Puritan writings to discover just how fervently they loved in marriage and in faith, contrary to popular belief. "Sweet Talk - The Passion of Puritans in LEtters, Diaries, and Sermons" is part of the Begin at the Beginning series sponsored by the Partnership of Historic Bostons. Lori Stokes and Sarah Stewart guide the conversation. This program is open to the public free of charge, though registration is required. 

This Week @ MHS

Summer officially ends this week. With its demise comes a rise in programs here at the Society. Here is what's on tap this week:

- Wednesday, 21 September, 6:00PM : With a major election looming, you might wonder what the young vote can do to alter the outcome. First, get some historical perspective. Join us for a public author talk featuring Jon Grinspan of the Smithsonian as he talks about his new book, The Virgin Vote: How Young Americans Made Democracy Social, Politics Personal, and Voting Popular in the Nineteenth Century. Registration is requried for this event with a fee of $10 (no charge for MHS Members or Fellows). A pre-talk reception starts at 5:30PM and the program begins at 6:00PM. 

- Thursday, 22 September, 6:00PM : Calling all graduate students and faculty! Please join us on for our seventh annual Graduate Student Reception for students in history, American Studies, and related fields. Enjoy drinks and hors d’oeuvres as you meet colleagues from other universities working in your field. Take a behind-the scenes tour and learn about the resources the MHS offers to support your scholarship, from research fellowships to our seminar series.

- Saturday, 24 September, 10:00AM : Come on in for a free tour of the Society's home at 1154 Boylston St. The History and Collections of the MHS is a 90-minute, docent-led tour of the public spaces at the MHS. The tour is free and open to the public with no need for individuals or small groups to set reservations. Larger parties (8 or more) should contact Curator of Art Anne Bentley in advance at 617-646-0508 or abentley@masshist.org.