MARCH 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/library.
SOCIAL AND WEB @MHS1791 @MassachusettsHistoricalSociety www.masshist.org 2
Cover Image: “Autumn” Point of Rocks, West Medford, Mass., by George Loring Brown, 1864.
RSVP Information
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March Programs at a Glance
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Program Descriptions
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A Look Ahead: April and May 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 and up-to-date information, 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 thirty minutes prior to the program start time. 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. Please visit www.masshist.org/COVID-protocols to find the most up-to-date information. 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 precirculated 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 The MHS Fund is your gateway to Membership at the MHS with its vast intellectual and social opportunities. Join the community of history lovers to enjoy free or discounted admission to public programs, exclusive invitations to special events, an annual Members Week, popup perks, and more! Give now to help tell the stories at www.masshist.org/support.
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WEDNESDAY |
Please check the website for updates and, once registered, your e-mail before attending the program.
MHS Film Club: Little Women Jan Turnquist, Louisa May Alcott’s Orchard House, and Heather Rockwood, MHS
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MONDAY |
THURSDAY |
5:15 |
VIRTUAL SEMINAR
Let Me Be Somebody: Fabian Bridges & Quarantine Proposals During the HIV & AIDS Crisis in America Andrew Pope, Harvard University
6:00 | VIRTUAL PROGRAM
6:00 | HYBRID PROGRAM
George Washington’s Hair: How Early Americans Remembered the Founders Keith Beutler
Comment: Wesley Phelps, University of North Texas
In person: $10 per person fee (reception begins at 5:30). Virtual: No charge. No charge for MHS Members or EBT cardholders.
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TUESDAY |
5:15 | VIRTUAL SEMINAR
Targeting Reform: CERCLA, Industri-Plex & Pollution Remediation in the United States Johnathan Williams, Boston University Comment: Elizabeth Grennan Browning, Indiana University
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TUESDAY |
5:15 | VIRTUAL SEMINAR
Playing in Peoria: Patterns of Mass Culture in Progressive America Samuel Backer, Johns Hopkins University Comment: Derek Miller, Harvard University
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THURSDAY |
6:00 | HYBRID SERIES
Ways & Means: Lincoln & His Cabinet on the Financing of the Civil War Roger Lowenstein
Reflecting on Repercussions of COVID-19: Cultural Institutions Vikki Spruill, New England Aquarium; Catherine Allgor, MHS; and Matthew Teitelbaum, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
In person: $10 per person fee (reception begins at 5:30). Virtual: No charge. No charge for MHS Members or EBT cardholders.
In person: $10 per person fee (reception begins at 5:30). Virtual: $5 per person fee. No charge for MHS Members or EBT cardholders.
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WEDNESDAY |
THURSDAY |
6:00 | HYBRID
PROGRAM
6:00 | HYBRID SERIES
Reflecting on Repercussions of COVID-19: Frontline Workers John Santiago, Boston Medical Center and State Representative; Jasmine Laietmark, Stanetsky Memorial Chapels; and Emily Donahue, K-12 Educator In person: $10 per person fee (reception begins at 5:30). Virtual: $5 per person fee. No charge for MHS Members or EBT cardholders.
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TUESDAY |
5:15 | VIRTUAL SEMINAR
The Translations of Our Bodies, Ourselves: Comparing Feminist Self-help Handbooks in the 1970s West Germany & the United States Claudia Roesch, German Historical Institute Comment: Jennifer Nelson, University of Redlands
TUESDAY |
5:15 | VIRTUAL SEMINAR
Medical Racism & Political Death: The Case of Juliette Derricotte Chana Lee, Harvard University
MARCH PROGRAMS AT A GLANCE
March
Comment: Kate Clifford Larson, Brandeis University WSRC Scholar
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WEDNESDAY |
6:00 | HYBRID SERIES
Reflecting on Repercussions of COVID-19: Policy Makers & Policy Advisors Marylou Sudders, Massachusetts Secretary of Health and Human Services; Paul Biddinger, Massachusetts General Hospital; and Sandra Bliss Nelson, Massachusetts General Hospital In person: $10 per person fee (reception begins at 5:30). Virtual: $5 per person fee. No charge for MHS Members or EBT cardholders.
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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. MARCH
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THURSDAY |
5:15 | VIRTUAL SEMINAR
African American History Seminar
Let Me Be Somebody: Fabian Bridges & Quarantine Proposals During the HIV & AIDS Crisis in America Andrew Pope, Harvard University Comment by Wesley Phelps, University of North Texas This article examines efforts to quarantine people with AIDS during the mid-1980s. The campaign started after a PBS documentary aired about Fabian Bridges, a Black gay man, in 1986. Bridges lost his job and home after an AIDS diagnosis. As Bridges grew desperate, PBS producers offered him a deal: they would pay him in exchange for him giving interviews claiming to be a sex worker who continued to have unprotected sex. The ensuing public panic led to more than 40 states considering legislation mandating quarantine of gay men. The article analyzes campaigns to defeat proposals in Texas, Georgia, and California. This is an online event. To reserve: Please register at www.masshist.org/events.
MARCH
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TUESDAY |
5:15 | VIRTUAL SEMINAR
Environmental History Seminar
Targeting Reform: CERCLA, Industri-Plex & Pollution Remediation in the United States Johnathan Williams, Boston University Comment by Elizabeth Grennan Browning, Indiana University The Industri-Plex Superfund Site in Woburn, Massachusetts, now the site of a Target Superstore, has been hailed as a success story. Woburn played a pivotal role in creating, shaping, and reforming Superfund, formally known as the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA). Despite contention over Superfund, defenders of the program looked to Industri-Plex as a model for how Superfund can work in remediating a contaminated landscape for productive reuse. By focusing on Industri-Plex to understand this legislative history, the paper reveals the limits and failures in fully addressing toxic contamination across the United States. This is an online event. To reserve: Please register at www.masshist.org/events.
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WEDNESDAY |
6:00 | HYBRID PROGRAM
Ways & Means: Lincoln & His Cabinet on the Financing of the Civil War Roger Lowenstein Upon his election to the presidency, Abraham Lincoln inherited a country in crisis, including a Treasury that had run out of money. Amid the unprecedented troubles of the Confederacy seceding from the Union, Lincoln saw opportunity—the chance to legislate in the centralizing spirit of the “more perfect Union” that had first drawn him to politics. Roger Lowenstein reveals, through a financial lens, the largely untold story of how Lincoln used the urgency of the Civil War to transform a union of states into a united nation. This is a hybrid event. The in-person reception starts at 5:30 PM and the program will begin at 6:00 PM. To reserve: In person: $10 per person fee (reception begins at 5:30). Virtual: No charge. No charge for MHS Members or EBT cardholders. Please register at www.masshist.org/ events.
MARCH
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THURSDAY |
6:00 | HYBRID SERIES
Reflecting on Repercussions of COVID-19: Frontline Workers John Santiago, Boston Medical Center and State Representative; Jasmine Laietmark, Stanetsky Memorial Chapels; and Emily Donahue, K-12 Educator Nobody has had a more intimate experience with the pandemic than frontline workers. Doctors faced an unknown and very contagious virus that brought about deaths in the thousands. Funeral directors had to enter the homes of people who had died from COVID to remove the bodies, only to tell families that there could be no gathering to remember the lost. Teachers pivoted to online classes, trying to teach, provide some socialization for isolated children, and remain vigilant for signs of neglect. Join us as these professionals offer their perspectives while reflecting on their experiences as frontline workers during a prolonged pandemic. This is a hybrid event. The in-person reception starts at 5:30 PM and the program will begin at 6:00 PM.
MARCH PROGRAM DESCRIPTIONS
MARCH
To reserve: In person: $10 per person fee (reception begins at 5:30). Virtual: $5 per person fee. No charge for MHS Members or EBT cardholders. Please register at www. masshist.org/events.
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MARCH
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TUESDAY |
5:15 | VIRTUAL SEMINAR
History of Women, Gender & Sexuality Seminar
The Translations of Our Bodies, Ourselves: Comparing Feminist Self-help Handbooks in the 1970s West Germany & the United States Claudia Roesch, German Historical Institute Comment by Jennifer Nelson, University of Redlands This paper investigates the transnational history of the feminist self-help handbook Our Bodies, Ourselves in the 1970s and 1980s. It follows sociologist Kathy Davis’s approach of investigating feminism as an epistemological project and examines how concepts of feminist self-help travelled across the Atlantic. By taking the chapters on birth control as case studies, this paper will compare the German adaptions and translations of Our Bodies, Ourselves to the American versions and examine how different themes evolved regarding the handbooks’ position towards scientific knowledge, physicians as experts and the pharmaceutical industry. This is an online event. To reserve: Please register at www.masshist.org/events.
MARCH
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WEDNESDAY |
6:00 | VIRTUAL PROGRAM
MHS Film Club: Little Women Jan Turnquist, Louisa May Alcott’s Orchard House, and Heather Rockwood, MHS Join Jan Turnquist, Executive Director of Louisa May Alcott’s Orchard House, and Heather Rockwood, MHS, as we discuss 2019’s Little Women, starring Saoirse Ronan, Emma Watson, Florence Pugh, Eliza Scanlen, Laura Dern, and more. It is the seventh film adaptation of the 1868 novel by Louisa May Alcott, chronicling the lives of the March sisters—Jo, Meg, Amy, and Beth—in Concord, Massachusetts, during the 19th century. Watch the film at home and discuss your thoughts with us! Little Women is available through Hulu, Amazon Video, Google Video, Starz, HBO Max, and other streaming sites. This is an online event. To reserve: Please register at www.masshist.org/events.
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Objects that Fascinate, Interest & Inspire
MARCH 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
MARCH
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MONDAY |
6:00 | HYBRID PROGRAM
George Washington’s Hair: How Early Americans Remembered the Founders Keith Beutler Mostly hidden from public view, scores of putative locks of George Washington’s hair are held, more than two centuries after his death, in the collections of America’s historical societies, public and academic archives, and museums. Excavating the origins of these bodily artifacts, Keith Beutler uncovers a forgotten strand of early American memory practices and emerging patriotic identity, as exemplified by the craze for collecting locks of Washington’s hair. As Beutler recounts, ordinary Americans successfully enlisted memory practices rooted in the physical to demand a place in the body politic, powerfully contributing to antebellum political democratization. This is a hybrid event. The in-person reception starts at 5:30 PM and the program will begin at 6:00 PM. To reserve: In person: $10 per person fee (reception begins at 5:30). Virtual: No charge. No charge for MHS Members or EBT cardholders. Please register at www.masshist.org/ events.
MARCH
22
TUESDAY |
5:15 | VIRTUAL SEMINAR
Digital History Seminar
Playing in Peoria: Patterns of Mass Culture in Progressive America Samuel Backer, Johns Hopkins University Comment by Derek Miller, Harvard University During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the United States saw a massive expansion of popular entertainment. Scholars have long pointed to the importance of this burgeoning industry, linking its products to the changing racial dynamics, gender relations, and structures of consumption that defined the Progressive Era. However, research has struggled with the sheer size of the phenomenon under description. Despite the ready availability of evidence documenting the evolution of such forms, researchers have lacked the ability to analyze trends at scale. Using computational techniques and data mining to reconstruct the touring patterns of American vaudeville, this project examines the interaction between local demand and centralized decisionmaking that structured the early years of mass entertainment in the United States. In doing so, it considers the potential of the digital humanities to generate new possibilities for cultural history and the history of capitalism. This is an online event. To reserve: Please register at www.masshist.org/events.
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THURSDAY |
6:00 | HYBRID SERIES
Reflecting on Repercussions of COVID-19: Cultural Institutions Vikki Spruill, New England Aquarium; Catherine Allgor, MHS; and Matthew Teitelbaum, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston Cultural organizations have faced unique challenges during the past two years of the pandemic. Income from admissions disappeared as organizations closed their doors. Adapting to online offerings posed unseen challenges and replace the income from visitors. Some institutions were forced to lay off staff, losing institutional memory, and then faced a difficult labor market as they reopened. Join us as the heads of the New England Aquarium, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and Massachusetts Historical Society reflect on the difficulties experienced during the pandemic by cultural institutions of varying sizes and purposes. This is a hybrid event. The in-person reception starts at 5:30 PM and the program will begin at 6:00 PM. To reserve: In person: $10 per person fee (reception begins at 5:30). Virtual: $5 per person fee. No charge for MHS Members or EBT cardholders. Please register at www. masshist.org/events.
MARCH
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TUESDAY |
5:15 | VIRTUAL SEMINAR
Dina G. Malgeri Modern American Society & Culture Seminar
Medical Racism & Political Death: The Case of Juliette Derricotte Chana Lee, Harvard University Comment by Kate Clifford Larson, Brandeis University WRSC Scholar On November 6, 1931, Juliette Derricotte was killed in a car accident just outside of Dalton, Georgia. Although the thirty-four-old social reformer survived the initial collision, she later succumbed to her injuries because the local hospital did not treat African Americans. An outpouring of anger and sadness followed, but hers was not an isolated incident. Several organizations used her tragic example to draw attention to the frequent denial of emergency medical care to injured and sick Black people during the Jim Crow Era. This paper reconstructs the events surrounding the accident and the political mobilization that occurred in its wake. This is an online event.
MARCH PROGRAM DESCRIPTIONS
MARCH
To reserve: Please register at www.masshist.org/events.
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MARCH
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WEDNESDAY |
6:00 | HYBRID SERIES
Reflecting on Repercussions of COVID-19: Policy Makers & Policy Advisors Marylou Sudders, Massachusetts Secretary of Health and Human Services; Paul Biddinger, Massachusetts General Hospital; and Sandra Bliss Nelson, Massachusetts General Hospital Policy makers and medical advisors faced unprecedented challenges as they struggled to balance public health and economic impact. As hospitals filled up and downtowns emptied, people looked to experts to chart a course through unknown waters. As the pandemic dragged on, the questions of the economic impact on shuttered businesses and the mental health impact on isolated students and people of all ages became more of a challenge. Join some of the top experts in Massachusetts who have been working to make difficult policy decisions. This is a hybrid event. The in-person reception starts at 5:30 PM and the program will begin at 6:00 PM. To reserve: In person: $10 per person fee (reception begins at 5:30). Virtual: $5 per person fee. No charge for MHS Members or EBT cardholders. Please register at www. masshist.org/events.
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Thursday, March 10, at 6:00 PM: Reflecting on Repercussions of COVID-19: Frontline 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. Thursday, March 24, at 6:00 PM: Reflecting on Repercussions of COVID-19: Cultural Institutions, with Vikki Spruill, CEO of the New England Aquarium; Catherine Allgor, President of the MHS; and Matthew Teitelbaum, Director of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
MARCH PROGRAM DESCRIPTIONS
Reflecting on Repercussions of COVID-19
Wednesday, March 30, at 5:30 PM: Reflecting on Repercussions of COVID-19: Policy Makers & 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 Diseases Division at Massachusetts General Hospital, and lead doctor on Governor Charlie Baker’s school reopening panel. Please register at www.masshist.org/events. 13
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. Please check the website for updates and, once registered, your e-mail before attending the program. April Wednesday, April 6, at 6:00 PM: Female Genius: Eliza Harriot & George Washington at the Dawn of the Constitution, with Mary Bilder, Boston College Law School. Thursday, April 7, at 5:15 PM: African American History Seminar, Black Abolitionists & the Meaning of Higher Learning, with Michael Jirik, Carleton College, and comment by Steven Wilder, MIT Tuesday, April 12, at 5:15 PM: Environmental History Seminar, Pipe Dreams: The Pursuit of Desalination & the Promise of a Water-Abundant Future in the 1950s & 1960s, with Elizabeth Hameeteman, Boston University, and comment by Megan Black, MIT. Wednesday, April 13, at 6:00 PM: Ill-Fated Frontier: Peril & Possiblities in the Early American West, with Samuel Foreman, MD. Thursday, April 14, at 5:15 PM: History of Women, Gender & Sexuality Seminar, Queer Abby: Newspaper Advice Columnists as Allies for Gays & Lesbians, 1960– 1980, with David Ferrara, University of Alabama, and comment by Lauren Gutterman, University of Texas at Austin. Wednesday, April 20, at 6:00 PM: 54th Unmarked Dead in Olustee, Florida, with Barbara Gannon, University of Central Florida. Thursday, April 21, at 6:00 PM: Narrative History, with John Demos in conversation with Catherine Allgor, MHS. Monday, April 25, at 6:00 PM: Benjamin’s Last Bet: The Favorite Founder’s Divisive Death, Enduring Afterlife & Blueprint for American Prosperity, with Michael Myer. Tuesday, April 26, at 5:15 PM: Malgeri Modern American Society & Culture Seminar, A Decent Home: The 1950s Suburban Boom in Long Island, with Michael Glass, Boston College, and comment by Rebecca K. Marchiel, University of Mississippi. Wednesday, April 27, at 6:00 PM: Film Club: The Bostonians, with Jim Vrabel and Susan Wilson. Thursday, April 28, at 5:15 PM: Digital History Seminar, The Dartmouth Digital History Initiative: Digital Humanities, Data Visualization & Oral History Archives, with Edward Miller and Bryan Winston, Dartmouth College, and comment by Janneken Smucker, West Chester University.
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May Monday, May 2, at 6:00 PM: Sponsor Reception at 5:30 PM, Making History Gala, with Heather Cox Richardson and GBH’s Jared Bowen. Tuesday, May 3, at 5:15 PM: Pauline Maier Early American History Seminar, Honoring Daniel K. Richter: McNeil Center Alumni Discuss Their Research & Experiences, with William Huntting Howell, Boston University; Elizabeth N. Ellis, NYU; Chris Parsons, Boston University; Alicia DeMaio, Horace Mann School; Sari Altschuler, Boston University; Joseph Rezek, Boston University. Wednesday, May 4, at 6:00 PM: Filming First Ladies, with Aaron Cooley and Mark Farkas, in conversaton with Catherine Allgor, MHS. Thursday, May 5, at 5:30 PM: Peter J. Gomes Book Prize Ceremony, with Abram Van Engen, Washington University—St. Louis, and Adrian Weimer, Providence College. Monday, May 9, at 5:30 PM: Boston at 200: Where We Were, Where We Are & Where We’re Going, with Robert Allison, Suffolk University; Karilyn Crockett, MIT; Kerri Greenidge, Tufts University; Peter Drummey, MHS; and Luc Schuster, Boston Indicators; with remarks by Councilor Ed Flynn, District 2. Thursday, May 12, at 5:15 PM: Dina G. 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 Hansen, Harvard University. Monday through Friday, May 16–21: Member’s Week. Tuesday, May 24, at 6:00 PM: Film Club: The Friends of Eddie Coyle, with Ty Burr. Thursday, May 26, at 6:00 PM: Confronting Racial Injustice: Rising Asian American Political Power, with Boston Mayor Michelle Wu; Paul Lee, former partner at Goodwin, Proctor & Hoar; Phil Nash, Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund; Representative Tram Nguyen, 18th Essex District; and moderated by Margaret Woo, Northeastern University School of Law.
A LOOK AHEAD WINTER PROGRAMS
Thursday, April 28, at 6:00 PM: Confronting Economic Injustice: The Story of Parcel C, with Michael Liu, author of Forever Struggle: Activism, Identity and Survivor in Boston’s Chinatown; David Moy, Hyams Foundation; Lydia Lowe, Chinatown Land Trust; and Carolyn Chou, Asian American Resource Workshop; and moderated by Margaret Woo, Northeastern University School of Law.
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