MAY 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 Our building is temporarily closed to the public due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Working remotely, we are offering an engaging selection of online programs, building a virtual community of scholars, delivering online resources to educators, providing access to our collection, and continuing to publish. While the library is closed to the public, members of our Reader Services team are working remotely and are available to assist you. Please visit www.masshist.org/library/reference for more information about the resources available to all researchers. SOCIAL AND WEB
@MHS1791 @MassachusettsHistoricalSociety
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Cover: Flowers, Carte de visite taken by J. E. Tilton and Co. (Boston, Mass.), circa 1860–1872. From the Dall-Healey Family Photographs.
MAY PROGRAMS
The MHS offers an engaging roster of online special 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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May Programs at a Glance
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May Program Descriptions
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A Look Ahead: June 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 & SERIES For more information or to register for an online program, 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.
All programs will take place online unless otherwise noted.
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MONDAY |
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TUESDAY |
5:00 | VIRTUAL PROGRAM
The Invention of Miracles: Language, Power, & Alexander Graham Bell’s Quest to End Deafness Katie Booth in conversation with Jaipreet Virdi, University of Delaware
5:15 | VIRTUAL SEMINAR
Honoring Bernard Bailyn: A Master Historian, An Inspiring Teacher Mary Bilder, Boston College; Alison Games, Georgetown University; and Jonathan Gienapp, Stanford University Moderator: Richard D. Brown, University of Connecticut
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MONDAY |
5:30 | VIRTUAL PROGRAM
The First Reconstruction: Black Politics in America from the Revolution to the Civil War Van Gosse, Franklin and Marshall College
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WEDNESDAY |
6:00 | VIRTUAL PROGRAM
Confronting Racial Injustice series The War on Drugs in Massachusetts: The Racial Impact of the School Zone Law & Other Mandatory Minimum Sentences Sen. William N. Brownsberger; Abrigal Forrester, Center for Teen Empowerment; Rahsaan D. Hall, ACLU of Massachusetts; Deborah A. Ramirez, Northeastern University School of Law
MAY PROGRAMS AT A GLANCE
May
Moderator: Hon. Sydney Hanlon
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WEDNESDAY |
5:30 | VIRTUAL PROGRAM
Of Thee I Sing: The Contested History of American Patriotism Ben Railton, Fitchburg State University
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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. All programs are virtual unless otherwise noted. MAY
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MONDAY |
5:00 | VIRTUAL PROGRAM
The Invention of Miracles: Language, Power, & Alexander Graham Bell’s Quest to End Deafness Katie Booth in conversation with Jaipreet Virdi, University of Delaware Alexander Graham Bell is known as the inventor of the telephone, but as the son of a deaf woman and, later, husband to another, his goal in life from adolescence was to teach the deaf to speak. Yet by the end of his life, despite his best efforts—or perhaps because of them—Bell had become the American Deaf community’s most powerful enemy. Katie Booth recounts the complicated tragedy of a brilliant young man who set about stamping out what he saw as a dangerous language: Sign. The book offers a heartbreaking look at how heroes can become villains and how good intentions are, unfortunately, nowhere near enough as well as a powerful account of the dawn of a civil rights movement and the triumphant tale of how the Deaf community reclaimed their once-forbidden language. To reserve: This is an online program. Please register at www.masshist.org/events.
MAY
4 TUESDAY | 5:15 | VIRTUAL SEMINAR
Honoring Bernard Bailyn: A Master Historian, An Inspiring Teacher Mary Bilder, Boston College; Alison Games, Georgetown University; and Jonathan Gienapp, Stanford University Moderator: Richard D. Brown, University of Connecticut This seminar honors the legacy and career of noted Harvard historian and MHS Life Trustee Bernard Bailyn. In his lengthy career, Prof. Bailyn explored and wrote about various areas in Early American history. Three leading historians will discuss Bailyn’s influence on their respective sub-fields and on their own scholarship in this tribute to a master scholar and teacher. To reserve: This is an online program. Please register at www.masshist.org/events.
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17 MONDAY | 5:30 | VIRTUAL PROGRAM
The First Reconstruction: Black Politics in America from the Revolution to the Civil War Van Gosse, Franklin and Marshall College It may be difficult to imagine that a consequential Black electoral politics evolved in the United States before the Civil War, for as of 1860, the overwhelming majority of African Americans remained in bondage. Yet free Black men, many of them having escaped slavery, steadily increased their influence in electoral politics over the course of the early American republic. Despite efforts to disenfranchise them, Black men voted across much of the North, sometimes in numbers sufficient to swing elections. Van Gosse offers a sweeping reappraisal of the formative era of American democracy from the Constitution’s ratification through Abraham Lincoln’s election, chronicling the rise of an organized, visible Black politics focused on the quest for citizenship, the vote, and power within the free states. To reserve: This is an online program. Please register at www.masshist.org/events.
MAY
19 WEDNESDAY | 6:00 | VIRTUAL PROGRAM
Confronting Racial Injustice The War on Drugs in Massachusetts: The Racial Impact of the School Zone Law & Other Mandatory Minimum Sentences Sen. William N. Brownsberger; Abrigal Forrester, Center for Teen Empowerment; Rahsaan D. Hall, ACLU of Massachusetts; Deborah A. Ramirez, Northeastern University School of Law
MAY PROGRAM DESCRIPTIONS
MAY
Moderator: Hon. Sydney Hanlon, Massachusetts Appeals Court In the 1980s, Massachusetts embraced the War on Drugs enacting harsh mandatory minimum sentences for nonviolent drug offenses. It took decades to confront the reality that, in addition to being ineffective and costly, mandatory minimums resulted in the pervasive and disproportionate incarceration of Black and Brown people. Panelists will discuss this troubling history, recent reforms, and the prospects for implementing drug policies that are effective, fair, and just. Developed by the Northeastern University School of Law Criminal Justice Task Force, Confronting Racial Injustice is a free, five-part series hosted by the Massachusetts Historical Society and sponsored by a number of Boston-area organizations. To reserve: This is an online program. Please register at www.masshist.org/events.
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MAY
26 WEDNESDAY | 5:30 | VIRTUAL PROGRAM
Of Thee I Sing: The Contested History of American Patriotism Ben Railton, Fitchburg State University When we talk about patriotism in America, we tend to mean one form: the version captured in shared celebrations like the national anthem and the Pledge of Allegiance. But as Ben Railton argues, that celebratory patriotism is just one of four distinct forms: celebratory, the communal expression of an idealized America; mythic, the creation of national myths that exclude certain communities; active, acts of service and sacrifice for the nation; and critical, arguments for how the nation has fallen short of its ideals that seek to move us toward that more perfect union. In Of Thee I Sing, Railton defines those four forms of American patriotism, using the four verses of “America the Beautiful” as examples of each type, and traces them across our histories. To reserve: This is an online program. Please register at www.masshist.org/events.
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On Tuesday, June 1, at 5:30 PM: From the River to the Sea: The Untold Story of the Railroad that Made the West with John Sedgwick in conversation with John Larson, Purdue University. On Thursday, June 3, at 5:30 PM: In Print: Boston’s LGBT Publications during the Gay Rights & Gay Liberation Era with Dallas Denny, Amy Hoffman, and moderator Russ Lopez, The History Project. This program is co-sponsored by The History Project. On Wednesday, June 9, at 6:00 PM: Confronting Racial Injustice series, The Charles Stuart Story: White Lies & Black Lives with Angela Onwuachi-Willig, Boston University School of Law; Hon. Leslie Harris (ret.), Suffolk Juvenile Court; Renée Graham, The Boston Globe; and moderator Kim McLaurin, Suffolk University Law School. This program is presented in partnership with the Northeastern School of Law Criminal Justice Task Force. On Monday, June 14, at 5:30 PM: The Education Trap: Schools & the Remaking of Inequality in Boston with Christina Groeger, Lake Forest College in conversation with Michael Glass, Boston College. On Tuesday, June 15, at 5:30 PM: The Virginia Dynasty: Four Presidents & the Creation of the American Nation with Lynne Cheney in conversation with Catherine Allgor, MHS. On Wednesday, June 30, at 5:30 PM: Mercury Rising: John Glen, John Kennedy & the New Battleground of the Cold War with Jeff Shesol in conversation with E. J. Dionne.
A LOOK AHEAD JUNE PROGRAMS
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.
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