JANUARY CALENDAR
2022
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 MHS galleries are open Monday through Friday, from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM. Learn more about our virtual and in-person offerings at www.masshist.org/visit. The library is open by appointment only Monday through Friday, from 10:00 AM to 4:45 PM. Learn more about our library policies and how to make an appointment at www.masshist.org/use-the-library.
SOCIAL AND WEB
@MHS1791 @MassachusettsHistoricalSociety
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Cover Image: Winter Street Scene in a Town with Automobiles, Pedestrians, and a Horse-Drawn Cart on the Road, lantern slide possibly taken by Arthur A. Shurcliff, undated.
RSVP Information
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January Programs at a Glance
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Program Descriptions
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A Look Ahead: February and March Programs
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WINTER 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.
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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.
Hybrid programs and seminars will occur in person and virtually, so be sure to register how you will attend. Please note that events listed as “hybrid program” will have a reception that begins at the time posted and the program will start 30 minutes later. To attend events in person, the MHS requires proof of vaccination to be presented at time of entry. Face masks are required inside the building. 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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Join with a Gift Join the community of history lovers with a gift to the MHS. Enjoy invitations to enhanced events, free or discounted admission to special programs, and access to publications. Give today or give in the name of a history enthusiast, amateur historian, or history professional in your life. Give 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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TUESDAY |
5:15 |
VIRTUAL SEMINAR
Seceding from the Sachemship: Coercion, Ethnology, and Colonial Failure in Early Historic New England Peter Jakob Olsen-Harbich, Author of The New American Antiquarian Comment: Linford Fisher, Brown University
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WEDNESDAY |
5:30 | VIRTUAL PROGRAM
Useful Objects: Museums, Science, and Literature in 19th-Century America Reed Gochberg, Harvard University Moderator: Katy Morris, Assistant Director of Research and Executive Producer, MHS
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THURSDAY |
6:00 | VIRTUAL EVENT
Film Club: Glory Kanisorn Wongsrichanalai and Kevin Levin
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TUESDAY |
5:15 | VIRTUAL SEMINAR
The Emergence of the Marriage Market Lindsay Keiter, Pennsylvania State University–Altoona Comment: Ellen Hartigan-O’Connor, University of California–Davis
WEDNESDAY |
5:30 | VIRTUAL PROGRAM
Exploring American Healthcare through 50 Historic Treasures Tegan Kehoe, Russell Museum of Medical History and Innovation at MGH
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TUESDAY |
5:15 | VIRTUARL SEMINAR
Earthquakes in New England, 1600–1800: Extraordinary Natural Events and Timekeeping Practices in Early America Katrina Kleeman, German Maritime Museum–Leibniz Institute for Maritime History Comment: Lukas Rieppel, Brown University
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WEDNESDAY |
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THURSDAY |
5:30 | VIRTUAL PROGRAM
Lost on the Freedom Trail: The National Park Service and Urban Renewal in Postwar Boston Seth Bruggeman, Temple University, joined by other experts, TBA
5:15 | VIRTUAL SEMINAR
In the Shadow of World War: Revisiting W.E.B. Du Bois’s Black Reconstruction Chad Williams, Brandeis University Comment: Adriane Letz-Smith, Duke University
JANAURY PROGRAMS AT A GLANCE
January
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New Film Club
Announcing the
MHS Film Club! The MHS will feature a movie every month and then invite experts on the topic to lead a discussion on the film. Topics could include historical accuracy, connections to the MHS or Massachusetts, or the impact of the film on popular understanding of history. Participants are encouraged to watch the movie at their leisure and then join us for the discussion. The films selected will be widely available through streaming services. This will be a participatory program and audience members are encouraged to share their thoughts and bring questions.
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10 February
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March
JANUARY
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TUESDAY |
5:15 | VIRTUAL SEMINAR
Pauline Maier Early American History Seminar
Seceding From the Sachemship: Coercion, Ethnology, and Colonial Failure in Early Historic New England Peter Jakob Olsen-Harbich, Author of The New American Antiquarian Comment by Linford Fisher, Brown University This paper considers coercive political practices among early historic southern New England Algonquians and their function in the success of early English colonies. In the spring of 1623, the Wessagusset settlement, a rag-tag band of starving would-be fur traders perched on the precarious northern edge of England’s nascent American empire, collapsed in a bloody struggle with its Indigenous neighbors, the Massachusett. This paper asserts that the failure of Wessagusset occurred partially because its inhabitants, unlike those residing in Plymouth Colony, neglected to observe, understand, and diplomatically engage with the coercive political practices of the Algonquian sachemship they abutted. The majority of this paper serves to explain this coercive characterization of Algonquian politics through a reexamination of early historical evidence of corporal and capital punishment practices. To reserve: This is an online program. Please register at www.masshist.org/events.
JANUARY
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WEDNESDAY |
5:30 | VIRTUAL PROGRAM
Useful Objects: Museums, Science, and Literature in 19th-Century America Reed Gochberg, Harvard University
JANUARY 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.
Useful Objects examines the history of American museums during the 19th century through the eyes of visitors, writers, and collectors. Museums of this period held a wide range of objects, from botanical and zoological specimens to antiquarian artifacts and technological models. Intended to promote “useful knowledge,” these collections generated broader discussions about how objects were selected, preserved, and classified as well as who gets to decide their value. Their reflections shaped broader debates about the scope and purpose of museums in American culture that continue to resonate today. 7
To reserve: This is an online program. Please register at www.masshist.org/events.
JANUARY
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THURSDAY |
6:00 | VIRTUAL EVENT
Film Club: Glory Kanisorn Wongsrichanalai and Kevin Levin Join Civil War experts Kanisorn Wongsrichanalai and Kevin Levin as they discuss 1989’s Glory. Starring Denzel Washington, Morgan Freeman, and Matthew Broderick, this film follows the story of the 54th Regiment and Col. Robert Gould Shaw. Watch the film at home and then join us online for an interactive conversation. Glory is currently available through Hulu, Amazon Video, Google Video, Starz, HBO Max, and other streaming sites. To reserve: This is an online program. Please register at www.masshist.org/events.
JANUARY
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TUESDAY |
5:15 | VIRTUAL SEMINAR
History of Women, Gender & Sexuality Seminar
The Emergence of the Marriage Market Lindsay Keiter, Pennsylvania State University–Altoona Comment by Ellen Hartigan-O’Connor, University of California–Davis When did Americans begin using the term “the marriage market,” and what does it tell us about society at the time? This article-in-progress traces the emergence of the concept of marriage as a market subject to supply and demand during the early 19th century. Yet even as they referred to the marriage market, with its impersonal implications, many Americans resisted its complete commercialization. Marriage brokers—professional matchmakers—and matrimonial advertising attracted both clients and controversy. The metaphor of the marriage market reflected the entanglement of the sentimental home created by marriage and the competitive chaos of the expanding antebellum economy. To reserve: This is an online program. Please register at www.masshist.org/events.
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Objects that Fascinate, Interest & Inspire
JANUARY PROGRAM DESCRIPTIONS
Our Favorite Things
Visit in Person Monday through Friday, from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM
Explore the virtual exhibition at
www.masshist.org/ourfavoritethings 9
JANUARY
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WEDNESDAY |
5:30 | VIRTUAL PROGRAM
Exploring American Healthcare through 50 Historic Treasures Tegan Kehoe, Russell Museum of Medical History and Innovation at MGH Exploring American Healthcare through 50 Historic Treasures presents a history of health and medicine in the United States, tracing paradigm shifts such as the introduction of anesthesia, the adoption of germ theory, and advances in public health. The book showcases littleknown objects that illustrate our complex relationship with health and highlights objects related to famous moments in medicine, ranging from “vitamin D beer” to the discovery of penicillin. Each artifact illuminates some piece of the social, cultural, and technological influences on how people approach fundamental questions about health. The program will look at a selection of these artifacts, with an emphasis on Massachusetts stories. To reserve: This is an online program. Please register at www.masshist.org/events.
JANUARY
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WEDNESDAY |
5:15 | VIRTUAL SEMINAR
Environmental History Seminar
Earthquakes in New England, 1600–1800: Extraordinary Natural Events and Timekeeping Practices in Early America Katrin Kleeman, German Maritime Museum–Leibniz Institute for Maritime History Comment by Lukas Rieppel, Brown University New England is more seismically active than most would expect. Several notable earthquakes shook the northeast in the past, including those in 1638, 1663, 1727, 1755, and 1783. In early America, earthquakes were rare enough to be perceived as unusual events that contemporaries remarked upon them in their diaries, almanacks, sermons, and newspapers. Although clocks were rare in the 17th and 18th centuries, diarists often gave a precise time when an earthquake struck. However, these times often varied—sometimes drastically—from one observer to another. This allows for questions on how reliably time was kept. To reserve: This is an online program. Please register at www.masshist.org/events.
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M AY 2 , 2 0 2 2 featuring
HEATHER COX RICHARDSON in conversation with
JARED BOWEN, GBH honorary chairs Gover nor Charlie Baker & First Lady Lauren Baker H e n r y L o u i s G a t e s J r. Attorney General Maura Healey R e n é F. J o n e s & B r i g i d D o h e r t y
JANUARY PROGRAM DESCRIPTIONS
RESCHEDULED!
John Codman Ropes Award p r e s e n t e d b y D i a n e & D e va l Pa t r i c k Hon. Levin H. Campbell Huber t E. Jones musical tribute Boston Children’s Chorus attend
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JANUARY
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WEDNESDAY |
5:30 | VIRTUAL PROGRAM
Lost on the Freedom Trail: The National Park Service and Urban Renewal in Postwar Boston Seth Bruggeman, Temple University, joined by other experts, TBA Boston National Historical Park is one of America’s most popular heritage destinations, drawing in millions of visitors annually. Tourists flock to see the site of the Boston Massacre, to relive Paul Revere’s midnight ride, and to board Old Ironsides—all of these bound together by the iconic Freedom Trail, which traces the city’s revolutionary saga. Seth C. Bruggeman will discuss the Freedom Trail’s role in tourism, how it was devised to lure affluent white Americans into downtown revival schemes, and how its success hinged on a narrow vision of the city’s history run through with old stories about heroic white men. When Congress pressured the National Park Service to create this historical park for the nation’s bicentennial celebration in 1976, these ideas seeped into its organizational logic, precluding the possibility that history might prevail over gentrification and profit. Professor Bruggeman will present his book and then be joined by experts with knowledge of the Freedom Trail today and from the past. To reserve: This is an online program. Please register at www.masshist.org/events.
JANUARY
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THURSDAY |
5:15 | VIRTUAL SEMINAR
African American History Seminar
In the Shadow of the World War: Revisiting W.E.B. Du Bois’s Black Reconstruction Chad Williams, Brandeis University Comment by Adriane Letz-Smith, Duke University
Black Reconstruction by W. E. B. Du Bois stands as one of the most groundbreaking books in American history. Scholars have acknowledged how the book, published in 1935, and Du Bois’s arguments in it, pioneered the study of Reconstruction today. This paper explores the genesis and conceptual roots of Black Reconstruction by placing them in conversation with Du Bois’s connection to World War I. The full meaning of Black Reconstruction is incomplete without an understanding of the impact of World War I on Du Bois’s political evolution and approach to history. To reserve: This is an online program. Please register at www.masshist.org/events.
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Thursday, March 10, at 6:00 PM: Reflecting on Repercussions of Covid-19: Front Line Workers, with Dr. John Santiago, Boston Medical Center ER Physician and State Representative; Jasmine Laietmark, Funeral Director at Stanetsky Memorial Chapels; and Emily Donahue, K-12 Educator. Wednesday, March 30, at 5:30 PM: Reflecting on Repercussions of Covid-19: Policy Makers and Policy Advisors, with Marylou Sudders, Massachusetts Secretary of Health and Human Services; Dr. Paul Biddinger, Director of the Center for Disaster Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital, advisor to Governor Charlie Baker, and leader of the Vaccine Advisory Board; and Dr. Sandra Bliss Nelson, doctor in the Infectious Disease department at Massachusetts General Hospital, and lead doctor on Governor Charlie Baker’s school reopening panel.
JANUARY PROGRAM DESCRIPTIONS
Reflecting on Repercussions of Covid-19
Date and time TBD: Reflecting on Repercussions of Covid-19: Cultural Institutions, with Vikki Spruill, CEO of New England Aquarium, Catherine Allgor, MHS President, and Matthew Teitelbaum, Director of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. 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. February Tuesday, February 1, at 5:15 PM: Pauline Maier Early American History Seminar, The American Funding, with Katie Moore, University of California, Santa Barbara; Ann Daly, Mississippi State University; comment by Simon Middleton, The College of William & Mary. Monday, February 7, at 5:30 PM: Peter J. Gomes Memorial Book Prize Ceremony, with Abram Van Engen, Washington State University—St. Louis, and Adrian Weimer, Providence College. Tuesday, February 8, at 5:30: Poor Richard’s Women: Deborah Read Franklin and the Other Women Behind the Founding Father, with Nancy Stewart. Wednesday, February 9, at 5:30 PM: Challenging Assumptions in Telling Underrepresented History, with Cynthia Cowan, Historic Newton; Stacen Goldman, Framingham History Center; Barbara Brown, Hidden Brookline; and Kyera Singleton, Royall House & Slave Quarters. Thursday, February 10, at 6:00 PM: Film Club: Amistad, with Sara Martin, current Editor in Chief of the Adams Papers, MHS; and Jim Taylor, former Editor in Chief of the Adams Papers, MHS. Thursday, February 17, at 5:30 PM: “’Twas Not Long Since I Left My Native Shore”: Phillis Wheatley’s Celestial Cartography, with William Decker, Oklahoma State University. Tuesday, February 22, at 5:15 PM: Dina G. Malgeri Modern American Society & Culture Seminar, Back on the Clock: Labor Control in the Cold War Military’s New Workforce, with A. Junn Murphy, Brandeis University, and comment TBA. Wednesday, February 23, at 5:30 PM: The Combat Zone: Murder, Race, and Boston’s Struggle for Justice, with Jan Brogan. Thursday, February 24, at 5:15 PM: New England Biography Series, Talking Headstones: What Biographers Learn from Visiting Their Subject’s Graves, with Julie Dubrow, Tufts University; Natalie Dykstra, Hope College; and Megan Marshall, Emerson College. Monday, February 28, at 5:30 PM: The First Kennedys: The Humble Roots of an American Dynasty, with Neal Thompson.
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Thursday, March 3, at 5:15 PM: African American History Seminar, Let Me Be Somebody: Fabian Bridges & Quarantine Proposals During the HIV & AIDS Crisis in America, with Andrew Pope, Harvard University, and comment TBA. Tuesday, March 8, at 5:15 PM: Environtmental History Seminar, Targeting Reform: Cercla, Industri-Plex, and Pollution Remediation in the United States, with Johnathan Williams, Boston University, and comment TBA. Wednesday, March 9, at 5:30 PM: Lincoln and His Cabinet on the Financing of the Civil War, with Roger Lowenstein. Thursday, March 10, at 6:00 PM: Reflecting on Repercussions of Covid-19: Front Line Workers, with Dr. John Santiago, Boston Medical Center ER Physician and State Representative; Jasmine Laietmark, Funeral Director at Stanetsky Memorial Chapels; and Emily Donahue, K-12 Educator. Tuesday, March 15, at 5:15 PM: History of Women, Gender & Sexuality, The Translations of Our Bodies, Ourselves: Comparing Feminist Self-Help Handbooks in the 1970s West Germany and the United States, with Claudia Roesch, German Historical Institute, and comment by Jennifer Nelson, University of Redlands. Tuesday, March 22, at 5:15 PM: Digital History Seminar, Playing in Peoria: Patterns of Mass Culture in Progressive America, with Samuel Backer, Johns Hopkins University, and comment TBA. Thursday, March 24, at 6:00 PM: George Washington’s Hair, with Keith Beutler. Tuesday, March 29, at 5:15 PM: Malgeri Modern American Society & Culture Seminar, Medical Racism and Political Death: The Case of Juliette Derricotte, with Chana Lee, Harvard University, and comment by Kate Clifford Larson, Brandeis University WSRC Scholar. Wednesday, March 30, at 5:30 PM: Reflecting on Repercussions of Covid-19: Policy akers and Policy Advisors, with Marylou Sudders, Massachusetts Secretary of Health and Human Services; Dr. Paul Biddinger, Director of the Center for Disaster Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital, advisor to Governor Charlie Baker, and leader of the Vaccine Advisory Board; and Dr. Sandra Bliss Nelson, doctor in the Infectious Disease department at Massachusetts General Hospital, and lead doctor on Governor Charlie Baker’s school reopening panel.
A LOOK AHEAD WINTER PROGRAMS
March
Date and time TBA: Film Club: Little Women, with Jan Turnquist, Executive Director of Louisa May Alcott’s Orchard House.
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