This Week @ MHS

It feels as if spring is finally here to stay. Why not take advantage of the warming and stop by the Society for some public programs?

On Tuesday, 5 May, there is an Early American History seminar beginning at 5:15PM. "'All Manner of Slavery Servitude Labor Service Bondage and Hire': Varieties of Indian and African Unfreedom in Colonial New England and Jamaica" is presented by Linford Fisher of Brown University, with Jennifer Anderson of SUNY - Stonybrook providing comment. Seminars are free and open to the public, RSVP required. Subscribe to receive advance copies of the seminar papers. 

Come by on Wednesday, 6 May, for a Brown Bag lunch talk featuring Charlotte Carrington-Farmer of Roger Williams University. Her talk, "Slave Horse: The Narragansett Pacer," examines the connections among people, colonnies, and nations in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, using horses and the horse trade as a lens. 

And on Saturday, 9 May, stop by at 10:00AM for the History and Collections of the Massachusetts Historical Society. This 90-minute docent-led walk through the public rooms at the Society touches on the art, collections, history, and architecture of the MHS. The tour is free and open to the public with no need for reservations for individuals or small groups. Larger parties (8 or more), please contact Curator of Art Anne Bentley at 617-646-0508 or abentley@masshist.org. While you are here you will also have the opportunity to view our current exhibition, "God Save the People! From the Stamp Act to Bunker Hill."

This Week @ MHS

On Tuesday, 28 April, we have an Immigration and Urban History seminar. "Due Credit: Chinese Workers and the Central Pacific Railroad" is presented by Manu Vimalassery of Barnard College, with Hidetaka Hirota of Columbia University providing comment. The talk begins at 5:15PM and is free and open to the public, RSVP required. 

And closing out the month on Wednesday, 29 April, there is an author talk with Jasmine Nicole Cobb, Assistant Professor of Communication Studies at Northwestern University. "Picture Freedom" explores the earliest illustrations of free Blacks and reveals the compliated route through visual culture toward a vision of African American citizenship. The talk begins at 6:00PM and is open to the public with a fee of $10 (no charge for Fellows and Members). There is a reception preceding the talk at 5:30PM. Registration is required, so please RSVP.  

Entering the new month, there are two events on Saturday, 2 May. First up, beginning at 10:00AM is the History and Collections of the MHS. This 90-minute docent-led tour explores all of the public spaces in the Society's home on Boylston Street and is free and open to the public. Larger parties (8 or more), please contact Curator of Art Anne Bentley at 617-646-0508 or abentley@masshist.org in advance. 

Also on 2 May is a rare Saturday evening event. May Day Mayday! is a conversation among three eminent historians - William Fowler, Nathaniel Philbrick, and Michael Tougias - sharing stories of catastrophes at sea. This program is open to the public and registration is required with a fee of $20 (no charge for Fellows and Members). Please RSVP here. There is a reception preceding the talk at 5:30PM with the event starting at 6:00PM. 

This Week @ MHS

The Society is closed on Monday, 20 April, in observance of Patriot's Day. Good luck to the marathon runners!

On Tuesday, 21 April, there are three events taking place that all focus on comics and history. First, beginning at 2:00PM, is "Comic History: Making Your Own Comic History." This Family Day program for young historians, parents, and grandparents features historian John L. Bell telling the story of the riots that followed the passage of the Stamp Act in 1765 from a child's point of view. Follwoing the talk, local comic book artists will help the young historians create their own historical comics. Finished products will be part of a temporary display. Registration is required at no cost; please RSVP. 

Then, at 6:00PM, join us for "Colonial Comics." Editor Jason Rodriguez, Fulcrum Publishing, will speak about the process of putting together a collection of twenty stories focusing on the colonial period from 1620 to 1750. Registration is required at no cost; please RSVP. A reception will precede the talk starting at 5:30PM. Following the event, at 7:30PM, MHS Associate Members (age 40 and under) are invited to join Mr. Rodriguez for Colonial Comics Happy Hour, a chance to continue the discussion about historical events as subject matter for comic books and graphic novels. The event will take place at a nearby restaurant. Registration required at no cost. Please call 617-646-0543 for more information. 

On Thursday, 23 April, join us for a History of Women and Gender seminar discussion. "Mildred Jefferson and the Right to Life Revolution of 1976" is presented by Jennifer Donnally of Hollins University with Sara L. Dubow, Williams College, providing comment. Seminars are free and open to the public; RSVP required. Subscribe to receive advance copies of the seminar papers. 

Finally, on Saturday, 25 April, there is a special event taking place at the Society starting at 9:00AM. "Massachusetts History Lab" is a program designed for students in grades 5-8 to learn more about the behind-the-scenes activities at one of the country's oldest organizations devoted to our nation's history. Registration is required at no cost; please RSVP. Students must register with an adult chaperone. For more information, contact the Education department at education@masshist.org or 617-646-0557. 

This Week @ MHS

On Tuesday, 14 April, there is an Environmental History seminar taking place at 5:15PM. Join us as Joel Tarr of Carnegie Mellon University presents "Legacy Pollution Issues in Energy Development: The Cases of Manufactured Gas and Natural Gas." Patrick Malong, Brown University, provides comment. Seminars are free and open to the public, though RSVP is required. You can also subscribe to receive advance copies of the seminar papers. 

And on Wednesday, 15 April, there is a Brown Bag talk, starting at noon, in which Mary Draper of the University of Virginia presents "The Urban World of the Early Modern British Caribbean." Draper's project examines the history fo the early modern British Caribbean through its cities and urban residents. This event is free and open to the public. 

Also on Wednesday is the fourth installment of the Lincoln & the Legacy of Conflict series which features John Stauffer, Professor of English and African American Studies at Harvard University. "Mourning Lincoln & Racial Equality" explores the responses of Frederick Douglass and other black and white abolitionists to Lincoln's assassination and the degree to which it prompted Northerners to consider and accept full black citizenship. Registration is required for this event with a fee of $20 (no charge for Fellows and Members). Please RSVP. There will be a short reception beginning at 5:30PM with the program beginning at 6:00PM. 

Finally, on Saturday, 18 April, stop by the Society for a free tour. The History and Collections of the MHS is a 90-minute docent-led tour that explores all of the public spaces in the Society's building on Boylston Street, touching on the history, art, architecture, and collections of the MHS. The tour begins at 10:00AM and is open to the public with no need for reservations for individuals or small groups. If would like to bring a larger group (8 or more) please contact Curator of Art Anne Bentley at 617-646-0508 or abentley@masshist.org. While you are here you will also have the opportunity to view our current exhibition, "God Save the People! From the Stamp Act to Bunker Hill." 

Please note that the Society is closed on Monday, 20 April, in observance of Patriot's Day.