Massachusetts Historical Society: John Brown and New England

John Brown and New England

John Brown and New England is a series of public programs commemorating the 150th anniversary of John Brown's raid on the federal arsenal at Harper's Ferry. John Brown and New England is a collaborative project of the American Antiquarian Society, the Massachusetts Historical Society, the Thoreau Society, Worcester State College, and Mechanics Hall. This program is funded in part by the Mass Humanities, which receives support from the Massachusetts Cultural Council and is an affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

The Kaleidoscope of History: John Brown after Fifteen Decades

Bruce Ronda, the author of Reading the Old Man: John Brown in American Culture, will provide an overview of the ways John Brown has been understood and portrayed, first in New England, and then nationally, from 1859 onward by focusing on four creative individuals: Henry David Thoreau, John Greenleaf Whittier, Jacob Lawrence, and Robert Hayden.

Defending John Brown: An Evening with Henry David Thoreau

Nationally-known Thoreau re-enactor Kevin Radaker will portray Thoreau in a one-person dramatic presentation. First Parish in Concord: Friday, October 30, 2009, 7:30 p.m.

Warriors for Freedom: John Brown and Henry David Thoreau

David S. Reynolds, author of John Brown, Abolitionist: The Man Who Killed Slavery, Sparked the Civil War, and Seeded Civil Rights, will describe how the Transcendentalists were the boldest and most publicly visible proponents of John Brown in the immediate aftermath of Harpers Ferry.

All of the above programs are free and open to the public.

The Kaleidoscope of History: John Brown after Fifteen Decades

Defending John Brown: An Evening with Henry David Thoreau

Warriors for Freedom: John Brown and Henry David Thoreau

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