OCTOBER CALENDAR
2021
Our mission is to promote understanding of the history of Massachusetts and the nation by collecting and communicating materials and resources that foster historical knowledge.
LOCATION 1154 Boylston Street Boston, MA 02215 CONTACT Tel: 617.536.1608 Fax: 617.859.0074 VISITOR INFORMATION The MHS galleries are currently closed to the public in an effort to help stop the spread of COVID-19. Learn more about our online offerings and latest updates at www.masshist.org. The library is now open to the public Monday through Friday, from 10:00 AM to 4:45 PM. Research is by appointment only. Learn more about our library policies and how to make an appointment at www.masshist.org/library/visit.
SOCIAL AND WEB
@MHS1791 @MassachusettsHistoricalSociety
www.masshist.org 2
Cover Image: Engraving by Paul Revere. Certificate of attendance at Dr. John Warren’s course of anatomical lectures, March 28, 1782.
FALL PROGRAMS
The MHS offers an engaging roster of events, author talks, panel discussions, brown-bag lunches, and seminars. For a complete schedule, visit www.masshist.org/events.
RSVP Information
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October Programs at a Glance
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Program Descriptions
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A Look Ahead: November and December Programs
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Generous support provided by
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RSVP Information
Past Programs
Visit www.masshist.org/events for additional event information, updates, cancellations, and registration.
If you missed a program, would like to revisit the material presented, or are interested in viewing past programs, visit www.masshist.org/video. A selection of past programs is just a click away.
EVENTS, AUTHOR TALKS, AND SERIES For more information or to register visit www.masshist.org/events. WORKSHOPS Visit www.masshist.org/teaching-history for more information. Register online at www.masshist.org/events. BROWN-BAG LUNCH PROGRAMS Brown-bags provide an informal opportunity for visiting researchers to discuss their work, field questions, and receive new ideas. Please visit www.masshist.org/events for more information or to register for an online brown-bag. SEMINARS Seminars bring together a diverse group of scholars and members of the public to workshop a pre-circulated paper. After brief remarks from the author and an assigned commentator, the discussion is opened to the floor. There is a subscription fee for advance access to supporting materials. For more information, please visit www.masshist.org/research/seminars; register online at www.masshist.org/events.
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Become a Member The MHS welcomes Members from near and far to join its community of history lovers. Members enjoy invitations to enhanced Memberonly events; free or discounted admission to special programs; and access to publications such as our calendar of events, newsletter, and Annual Report. Join today or give the gift of membership to the history enthusiast, amateur historian, or history professional in your life. Join at www.masshist.org/support.
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Please check the website for updates and, once registered, your e-mail before attending the program.
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THURSDAY |
5:30 |
VIRTUAL PROGRAM
An Introduction to Disability History Beth Linker, University of Pennsylvania; Kim E. Nielson, University of Toledo; and Rabia Belt, Stanford Law School Moderated by Naomi Rogers, Yale School of Medicine
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SATURDAY |
11:00 & 2:00 | WALKING TOUR
Opening Our Doors Walking Tour of the Fenway Neighborhood 2:00 PM tour is sold out.
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TUESDAY |
5:15 | VIRTUAL SEMINAR
Developmental Disorder, Racial Dissolution: Racial Typologies of Developmental Normalcy in Early Childhood Medicine, 1830–1870 Kelsey Henry, Yale University Comment by Evelyn Hammonds, Harvard University
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WEDNESDAY |
5:30 | VIRTUAL PROGRAM
Disability and the History of Medicine Deirdre Cooper Owens, University of Nebraska-Lincoln; Jaipreet Virdi, University of Delaware; and Michael Rembis, University at Buffalo
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SATURDAY |
1:00 | HYBRID SEMINAR
Her Socialist Smile: A Film Screening John Gianvito, Emerson College; Carolyn Forché, Georgetown University Moderated by Megan Marshall, Emerson College
MONDAY |
5:30 | VIRTUAL CONVERSATION
Disability in Early America Sari Altschuler, Northeastern University; Nicole Belolan, Rutgers University; and Laurel Daen, University of Notre Dame Moderated by Kanisorn Wongsrichanalai, MHS
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TUESDAY |
5:15 | VIRTUAL SEMINAR
Her Yet Unwritten History: Black Women and the Education of Students of Color with Disabilities in the New South Jenifer Barclay, University at Buffalo Comment by David Connor, CUNY
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SATURDAY |
3:00 | HYBRID CONVERSATION
The American Revolution from Two Perspectives: A Debate Gordon Wood, Brown University; Woody Holton, University of South Carolina Moderated by Catherine Allgor, MHS There is a $20 per person fee (no charge for MHS Members and Fellows as well as EBT or ConnectorCare card holders.)
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WEDNESDAY |
5:30 | VIRTUAL CONVERSATION
Disability Activism: A Historical Perspective from Some of the Leading Activists in Massachusetts Heather Watkins; Charlie Kerr; Keith Jones; John Chappell; Fred Pelka Moderated by Malia Lazu
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THURSDAY |
5:15 | VIRTUAL SEMINAR
“The Virus of Slavery and Injustice”: Analogy and Disabled Life in African American Writings, 1856–1892 Vivian Delchamps, University of California, Los Angeles
OCTOBER PROGRAMS AT A GLANCE
October
Comment by Sari Altschuler, Northeastern University
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Launching October 4!
MHS’s new interview-style podcast that takes you on a behind-the-scenes tour of fragile documents, unusual artifacts, and intriguing artworks that connect us to the past. Join hosts Katy Morris and Kanisorn Wongsrichanalai as they chat with staff and outside scholars and interact with artifacts from the MHS collection to gain a richer understanding of the history behind them. Listen to the trailer now at www.masshist.org/podcast. The first 6 episodes will be available on October 4. You can listen on our website or wherever you get your podcasts.
masshist.org/podcast
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OCTOBER
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THURSDAY |
5:30 | VIRTUAL PROGRAM
An Introduction to Disability History Beth Linker, University of Pennsylvania; Kim E. Nielsen, University of Toledo; and Rabia Belt, Stanford Law School
Moderated by Naomi Rogers, Yale School of Medicine
This conversation will aim to orient us in the field of disability history and serve to lay the groundwork for subsequent conversations in this series. How is disability used as an analytical tool in historical inquiry? Why is it important to center disability as a defining social category, like race, class, gender, and sexuality? How have definitions of disability varied through history, and what have been the social and cultural impacts of this shifting understanding? This conversation will present a brief history of the field and examine the foundational and emerging scholarship through a moderated, roundtable discussion with our panelists. Throughout October, we will host a series of programs, seminars, and workshops exploring the field of disability history. Learn more at www.masshist.org/disability. Note on accessibility: All virtual programs in this series will be in English and will have closed captioning enabled through Zoom. Most of the programs will be recorded and will be available on YouTube and our website at a later time. If you have questions, please contact programs@masshist.org. To reserve: This is an online program. Please register at www.masshist.org/events.
OCTOBER
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SATURDAY |
11:00 & 2:00 | WALKING TOUR
OCTOBER PROGRAM DESCRIPTIONS
Founded in 1791, the MHS is an invaluable resource for American history, life, and culture. Our extraordinary collections tell the story of America through millions of rare and unique documents, artifacts, and irreplaceable national treasures. Please check the website for updates and, once registered, your e-mail before attending the program.
Opening Our Doors The MHS will join its neighboring cultural institutions for a day of free history, art, music, and cultural happenings in the Fenway neighborhood. With over 20 different museums, venues, colleges, and organizations participating, there will be something for everyone. At 11:00 AM and again at 2:00 PM MHS staff members will lead a walking tour of the Fenway neighborhood. Tours will last approximately 90 minutes. Registration is required. Participants should meet at the front door of the MHS (1154 Boylston Street, Boston 02215). The 2:00 PM tour is sold out. To reserve: Please register at www.masshist.org/events. 7
VIRTUAL EXHIBITION
Our Favorite Things Objects that Fascinate, Interest & Inspire
Explore the virtual exhibition at
www.masshist.org/ourfavoritethings 8
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TUESDAY |
5:15 | VIRTUAL SEMINAR
History of Women, Gender & Sexuality Seminar
Developmental Disorder, Racial Dissolution: Racial Typologies of Developmental Normalcy in Early Childhood Medicine, 1830–1870 Kelsey Henry, Yale University
Comment by Evelyn Hammonds, Harvard University
This paper investigates “developmental asynchrony,” the mismatch between a sexually overdeveloped body and an underdeveloped mind, as a sign of racial degeneration fueled by sexual disorder in early child medicine. While developmental asynchrony was considered a hallmark characteristic of the Black race, similar developmental timing and patterning in white children inspired professional panic about developmental disorder and the dissolution of racial types. This paper proposes that medical theories of developmental normalcy and aberrancy are integral to telling stories about the co-constitution of race, gender, and sexuality and their conceptual and material entanglements in the antebellum U.S. To reserve: This is an online program. Please register at www.masshist.org/events.
OCTOBER
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WEDNESDAY |
5:30 | VIRTUAL CONVERSATION
Disability and the History of Medicine Deirdre Cooper Owens, University of Nebraska-Lincoln; Jaipreet Virdi, University of Delaware; and Michael Rembis, University at Buffalo
Medicine and technology impact the lived experiences of disabled people in many ways. Advances improve people’s lives, however many of these have come at the cost of invasive diagnostic technologies, the medicalization of human conditions, and endless quests for cures. Doctors have performed experiments on the poor and disempowered, especially enslaved Black and institutionalized people who had a limited public voice. Writing medical history must include disabled people and use their experiences as analytical lenses for understanding historical events. Taking inspiration from the disability rights movement and the interdisciplinary field of disability studies, our discussion will delve into what has been written as traditional medical history and how we can tell a more complete story.
OCTOBER PROGRAM DESCRIPTIONS
OCTOBER
To reserve: This is an online program. Please register at www.masshist.org/events.
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OCTOBER
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SATURDAY |
1:00 | VIRTUAL SEMINAR
Biography Seminar
Her Socialist Smile: A Film Screening John Gianvito, Emerson College; Carolyn Forché, Georgetown University Moderated by Megan Marshall, Emerson College
In his new film, John Gianvito, known for passion projects of expansive shape and political ambition, meditates on a particular moment in early 20th-century history: when Helen Keller began speaking out on behalf of progressive causes. Beginning in 1913 when, at age 32, Keller gave her first public talk before a general audience, Her Socialist Smile is constructed of onscreen text taken from Keller’s speeches, impressionistic images of nature, and a newly recorded voiceover by poet Carolyn Forché. The film is a rousing reminder that Keller’s undaunted activism for labor rights, pacifism, and women’s suffrage was inseparable from her battles for the rights of the disabled. The film screening will be followed by a panel discussion and a reception. To reserve: This is an online program. Please register at www.masshist.org/events.
OCTOBER
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MONDAY |
5:30 | VIRTUAL CONVERSATION
Disability in Early America Sari Altschuler, Northeastern University; Nicole Belolan, Rutgers University; and Laurel Daen, University of Notre Dame
Moderated by Kanisorn Wongsrichanalai, MHS
Our panel will explore how disability functioned in early America from personal, political, and cultural perspectives. What did disability mean in the early United States and how does it differ from our ideas about disability today? How did disability operate as a political and legal category in the colonial period, and how did it change in the early republic? What can material culture tell us about the lived experience of persons with disabilities in the era? This conversation will situate disability as a framework through which we can better understand the early lives of Americans and their often contested national and cultural identity. To reserve: This is an online program. Please register at www.masshist.org/events.
OCTOBER
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TUESDAY |
5:15 | VIRTUAL SEMINAR
Her Yet Unwritten History: Black Women and the Education of Students of Color with Disabilities in the New South Jenifer Barclay, University at Buffalo
Comment by David Connor, CUNY
Historians have recognized the role of Black women educators in schools throughout the 10
Underrepresented Voices of the American Revolution
OCTOBER PROGRAM DESCRIPTIONS
Conrad E. Wright Research Conference
Save the date!
July 14 and 15, 2022 Visit www.masshist.org/conferences for more info. 11
South, work associated today with well-known figures like Mary McLeod Bethune, Nannie Helen Burroughs, and Mary Church Terrell. Little has been written, however, about lesserknown Black women educators like Susan Lowe, Amanda Johnson, and Effie Whitaker, who made essential contributions to the early education of children of color with disabilities in the South. This essay will consider the critical work of these women who represent just a handful of the many Black women who recognized the overlapping effects of racism and ableism in the lives of disabled students of color. To reserve: This is an online program. Please register at www.masshist.org/events.
OCTOBER
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SATURDAY |
9:00–3:00 | VIRTUAL TEACHER WORKSHOP
Re-examining Dorothea Dix and 19th-Century Disability Reform Nineteenth-century Massachusetts reformer Dorothea Dix is renowned for her efforts to improve the horrendous treatment of people with mental disabilities in local jails, almshouses, and asylums. Her investigations and activism led to major changes in the mental health field, including shifting care from local to state control. However, Dix’s views and actions were not representative of individuals with cognitive and psychiatric disabilities, and the voices of these individuals are often marginalized when the history of these reforms is told. In partnership with Emerging America and the Disability History Museum, the MHS offers an educator workshop that will provide a deeper context for teaching Dix’s legacy and the history of asylum reforms in the 19th century. Educators will engage with rich primary sources that center the voices of people with mental disabilities and will be equipped with strategies for bringing these important stories into the classroom. This program has a $25 non-refundble fee per person and is open to all who work with K-12 students. Teachers can earn either 22.5 PDPs or 1 graduate credit with Worcester State University (for an additional fee). ASL translation available upon request. To reserve: Please register at www.masshist.org/events. OCTOBER
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SATURDAY |
3:00 | HYBRID CONVERSATION
The American Revolution from Two Perspectives: A Debate Gordon Wood, Brown University; Woody Holton, University of South Carolina Moderated by Catherine Allgor, MHS
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Gordon Wood and Woody Holton are both distinguished scholars of the American Revolution. However, they approach the founding in different ways, as you can see from their newly published books. In Power and Liberty, Wood illuminates critical events in the nation’s founding and discusses slavery and constitutionalism, the emergence of the judiciary as one of the major tripartite institutions of government, the demarcation between public and private, and the formation of states’ rights. In Liberty Is Sweet, Holton explores connections between the patriots of 1776 and other Americans whose passion for freedom brought
Please note, this is a hybrid event which may be attended either in person at the MHS or virtually on the video conference platform Zoom. Registrants will receive a confirmation message with attendance information. To reserve: There is a $20.00 per person fee (no charge for Members and Fellows as well as EBT or ConnectorCare cardholders). Register at www.masshist.org/events.
OCTOBER
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TUESDAY |
5:30 | VIRTUAL CONVERSATION
Disability Activism: A Historical Perspective from Some of the Leading Activists in Massachusetts
Heather Watkins; Charlie Carr; Keith Jones; John Chappell; and Fred Pelka
Moderated by Malia Lazu
The disabilities rights movement, like many rights movements, has been complex, coming from a variety of different perspectives, but at its heart, it has been a movement for justice, equal opportunities, and reasonable accommodations. Massachusetts has played a unique role in this struggle and this conversation will aim to introduce the story of disability activism in Massachusetts. Our panel includes current activists and historians of this movement. Through a moderated, roundtable discussion, our panelists will explore their experiences, their inspirations, the history of the movement and what they hope to see in the future of disability activism. To reserve: This is an online program. Please register at www.masshist.org/events.
OCTOBER
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THURSDAY |
5:15 | VIRTUAL SEMINAR
“The Virus of Slavery and Injustice”: Analogy and Disabled Life in African American Writings, 1865-1892 Dina G. Malgeri Modern American Society & Culture Seminar
Vivian Delchamps, University of California, Los Angeles
Comment by Sari Altschuler, Northeastern University
OCTOBER PROGRAM DESCRIPTIONS
them into conflict with the founders. Looking at the origins and crucial battles of the Revolution, he focuses on marginalized peoples and overlooked factors such as weather, geography, misperception, attempts to manipulate public opinion, and disease.
Engaging Todd Carmody’s invitation to consider how “race might have been ‘like’ disability in the late nineteenth century,” this essay explores texts by African American authors Charlotte L. Forten, Martin Robison Delany, and Frances E.W. Harper. Harper’s novel Iola Leroy renders slavery a “virus,” “deadly cancer,” and “wound,” necessitating a cure; simultaneously, the novel depicts lived realities of disability, disrupts diagnostic reading practices, and takes a care-based, rather than curative, approach to disability itself. The essay thus reads literature as a generative site for asserting ableism’s centrality to the legacy of racial violence, and explores the value of using diagnostic-like narrative methods to target systemic sources of mass debilitation. To reserve: This is an online program. Please register at www.masshist.org/events.
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Take a look at our upcoming slate of online author talks, panel discussions, workshops, seminars, and brown-bag lunch programs. Please visit www.masshist.org/events for updates and to register. November Monday, November 1, at 5:30 PM: Stephen A. Swails: Black Freedom Fighter with Gordon Rhea in conversation with Kevin Levin. Thursday, November 4, at 5:15 PM: Environmental History Seminar, The “Science” of Dry-Farming: The Emergence of a Concept in Global Perspective with Elizabeth Williams, University of Massachusetts, Lowell. Saturday, November 6, at 2:00 PM: Looking Back at the Centennial & the Sesquicentennial: How Far Has Research on the 15th and 19th Amendments Come? with Alison M. Parker, University of Delaware; Lisa Tetrault, Carnegie Mellon University; and moderated by Alex Keyssar, Harvard University. Tuesday, November 9, at 5:15 PM: Pauline Maier Early American History Seminar, Conversion in Confinement with Justin Clark, Nanyang Technological University; Daniel Bottino, Rutgers University; Hanna Peterson, Independent Scholar; and comment by Douglas Winiarski, University of Richmond. Wednesday, November 10, at 5:30 PM: Wilson & Lodge with Patricia O’Toole. Wednesday, November 17, at 5:30 PM: Introducing The Object of History with Peter Drummey, MHS; Anne Bentley, MHS; Kanisorn Wongsrichanalai, MHS; and Katy Morris, MHS. Thursday, November 18, at 6:00 PM: Literary Distinction in Historical Writing 2021: An Evening with the Society of American Historians Prize Winners with Afia Atakora, Novelist; Brianna Nofil, College of William & Mary; Christopher Tomlins, Berkeley Law; and moderated by Megan Marshall, Emerson College, SAH past president. Tuesday, November 23, at 5:30 PM: I Believe I’ll Go Back Home: Roots & Revival in New England Folk Music with Thomas Curren. Tuesday, November 30, at 5:15 PM: Malgeri Modern American Society & Culture Seminar, The Reinvention of Tradition: Conformist Nationalism in the United States, 1923–1931 with Kelly Lyons, Boston College; and comment by Jonathan Hassen, Harvard University.
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Wednesday, December 1, at 5:30 PM: Four Centuries of Christmas in New England with Ken Turino, Historic New England. Thursday, December 2, at 5:15 PM: African American History Seminar, “Challenge or Be Challenged”: the Par-Links Black Women’s Golf Club in East Bay, CA with Paula C. Austin, Boston University; and comment by Louis Moore, Grand Valley State University. Monday, December 6, at 5:30 PM: Urban Archipelago: Environmental History of the Boston Harbor Islands with Pavla Šimková. Tuesday, December 7, at 5:15 PM: Pauline Maier Early American History Seminar, Crisis: 1774–1775 with Sarah Beth Gable, Brandeis University; and comment by Donald Johnson, North Dakota State University. Wednesday, December 8, at 5:30 PM: Grand Duke Alexis in Boston with Lee Farrow, Auburn University. Thursday, December 9, at 5:15 PM: Digital History Seminar, Digitizing Early Massachusetts Court Records with Sally Hadden, University of Western Michigan. Monday, December 13, at 5:30 PM: The Transcendentalists and Their World with Robert Gross, University of Connecticut. Tuesday, December 14, at 5:15 PM: History of Women, Gender & Sexuality Seminar, “The Kind of Death, Natural or Violent”: Fetal Death & the Male Midwife in 19th-Century Boston with Hannah Smith, University of Minnesota; and comment by Nora Doyle, Salem College. Thursday, December 16, at 5:15 PM: Environmental History Seminar, Local Food Before Locavores: Growing Vegetables in the Boston Market Garden District, 1870–1930 with Sally McMurry, Pennsylvania State University; and comment by Andrew Robichaud, Boston University.
A LOOK AHEAD FALL PROGRAMS
December
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