By Dan Hinchen

After a very strange week here in Boston last week it appears that things are returning to normal. The Society was forced to cancel a couple of public programs last week. Stay tuned for information about rescheduling of last Tuesday’s Immigration and Urban History Seminar, “Dynamic Tensions: Charles Atlas, Immigrant Bodybuilders, and Eugenics, 1920-45.”

Perhaps appropriately, this week is also light on the public programs at the MHS as Boston returns to a regular schedule.On Friday, 26 April, the Society will sponsor a Bus Trip to the Museum of World War II, a special event for Members of the MHS Fund Paine through Adams Circles, part of the MHS Local Travel Series. Participants will enjoy a special lunch and behind-the-scenes tour of the the Museum of World War II with founder and director Kenneth Rendell. The museum houses the most comprehensive collection of World War II artifacts on display anywhere in the world. A bus will leave from the MHS at 11am and return by 5pm. Space is limited and RSVP is required, with a fee of $50.  For more information or to register, contact Katy Capó at kcapo@masshist.org or 617-656-0518.

And as usual, the three current exhibitions on display at the Society are available for public viewing, free of charge, Monday-Saturday, 10:00am-4:00pm. Be sure to stop by and check them out.

By Dan Hinchen

After celebrating Patriot’s Day and the running of the Boston Marathon, we return for a shortened week at the MHS, with these events on tap.

On Tuesday, 16 April 2013, drop by the MHS for the latest Immigration and Urban History Seminar, “Dynamic Tensions: Charles Atlas, Immigrant Bodybuilders, and Eugenics, 1920-1945.” Dominique Padurano, Scarsdale High School, presents a paper which highlights the paradox of bodybuilders like Charles Atlas who marketed diet and exercise regimens by emphasizing their own innate weaknesses while, at the same time, espousing eugenics techniques of the day. Ms. Padurano also argues that, in a time when the nation was not a hospitable place for foreigners, both techniques served as sorts of assimilation strategies within immigrant and ethnic bodybuilding communities. Martin Summers, Boston College will provide comment. The seminar will begin at 5:15pm and is free and open to the public. RSVP required. Subscribe to receive advance copies of the seminar paper. This event has been canceled.

And on Thursday, 18 April, as part of the History of Women and Gender series, the MHS will present a panel discussion, “The Big Tent of U.S. Women’s and Gender History: A State of the Field.” Beginning at 5:30, join the group discussion to see what is going on today in the field of Women’s and Gender History in the United States. Essayists are Cornelia H. Dayton from the University of Connecticut, and Lisa Levenstein, University of North Carolina at Greensoboro. Joining them will be the panelists, Crystal Feimster of Yale University, Carol F. Karlsen of the University of Michigan, and Betsy More of Harvard University. This panel discussion is free and open to the public; RSVP required. Subscribe to receive advance copies of the seminar papers.

Closing out the week, on Saturday, 20 April, come in at 10:00am for the MHS Tour: The History and Collections of the MHS. This 90-minute, docent-led tour takes guests through the public space of the Society’s home at 1154 Boylston St. and touches on the history and collections of the Society, as well as some of the art and architecture on view. No reservation required for individuals and small groups but parties of 8 or more are requested to contact the MHS prior to attending. For more information please contact Curator of Art Anne Bentley at 617-646-0508 or abentley@masshist.org.

By Dan Hinchen

After a successful multi-day conference on the Civil War the Society is back to normal programming this week. Still, it is shaping up to be a busy one!

First on the bill is the next installment of the Environmental History Seminar series. On Tuesday, 9 April, join us at 5:15pm for “Good Meat & Good Skins: Winter game and political ecology on the maritime peninsual, 1620-1727.” Thomas Wickman of Trinity College will examine how a mixed-menu of game animals allowed northeaster Indians a flexible pattern of winter mobility. At least until 1704, that is, after which English soldiers patrolled these winter hunting grounds and interfered with the natives’ reliance on wild game. Mr. Wickman will argue that political ecology, the effects of power on access to routes and resources, mattered more than environmental degradation to the fate of the winter hunt on the Maritime Peninsula. Comment provided by Neal Salisbury, Smith COllege. Seminars are free and open to the public though RSVP is required. Subscribe to receive advance copies of the seminar paper.

On Wednesday, 10 April, there are multiple events happening, starting with a Brown Bag Lunch at noon. Pack a snack and come in to hear Frances Clarke, University of Sydney, as she presents “Child Soldiers in America.” Did you know that, until recently, children aged seven to seventeen constituted a significant portion of the American military? In this project, co-authored with Rebecca Jo Plant of University of California, San Diego, Ms. Clarke aims to study the relationship between childhood militarism in American history and to trace the debate over enlistment of minors from the Revolution to the modern era, analyzing the shifting representations and experiences of child soldiers. This event is free and open to the public.

Then, at 6:00pm on Wednesday, award-winning author Nancy Rubin Stuart will give a talk entitled “Defiant Brides of the Revolution,” part of the New Books/New Looks: Revisiting the Past series. This author talk examines how the lives and personal developments of Peggy Shippen and Lucy Knox were changed by their marriages to Benedict Arnold and Henry Know, respectively. Ms. Stuart will reveal the contradictory paths the two young women followed subsequent ot their passionate marriages to patriotic men during the American Revolution and early Federal era. Through correspondence, historical drawings, and portraits, Ms. Stuart will expose how these defiant brides affected the course of the Revolution. Registration is required at no cost for this event. Please RSVP. There will be a pre-talk reception at 5:30pm. Contact the education department for more information at education@masshist.org/617-646-0560.

Following the author talk the Society will hold its second Historical Happy Hour to continue the conversation over cocktails at the Back Bay Social Club. This is a special member event for MHS Associate Members and their guests, who will receive priority admission to the program as well as complimentary appetizers and a drink at the Happy Hour. Cash bar will also be available. While the author talk is open to the public, the Historical Happy Hour is only for associate members and their guests and begins at 7:30pm. Registration is required at no cost. Please contact Katy Capó for more information at kcapo@masshist.org/617-646-0518. The Back Bay Social Club is located at 867 Boylston St.

And on Friday, 12 April, be here at 2:00pm as Elaine Grublin, Head of Reader Services, shines a spotlight on our current exhibition. “‘You Know I Dislike Slavery’: Lincoln before the Presidency” focuses on the text of an August 1855 letter from Lincoln to his friend, Joshua Fry Speed. Elaine will discuss Lincoln’s early thoughts on slavery in American and his reaction to the rise of the American (“Know-Nothing”) Party. Show up early or stay after to browse our three current exhibitions, all revolving around the question of slavery in the United States. “Proclaim Liberty Throughout All the Land: Boston Abolitionists, 1831-1865,” “Lincoln in Manuscript & Artifact,” and “Forever Free: Lincoln & the Emancipation Proclamation” will all be on view until 24 May, 10:00am-6:00pm, Mon-Sat.

Rounding out the week, come in on Saturday, 13 April, at 10:00am for the MHS Tour: The History and Collections of the MHS. This 90-minute, docent-led tour takes guests through the public space of the Society’s home at 1154 Boylston St. and touches on the history and collections of the Society, as well as some of the art and architecture on view. No reservation required for individuals and small groups but parties of 8 or more are requested to contact the MHS prior to attending. For more information please contact Curator of Art Anne Bentley at 617-646-0508 or abentley@masshist.org.

Finally, please note that the Historical Society will be closed on Monday, 15 April 2013, in observance of the Patriot’s Day holiday and will resume normal hours on 16 April.

By Dan Hinchen

On Tuesday, 2 April 2013, Davis Hsiung of Juniata College presents “Making Saltpetre for the Continental Army: How Americans Understood the Environment During the War of Indpendence.” This Early American History Seminar is a case study which examines Americans’ understanding of the workings of the natural world during the Revolutionary era, using the imperfect manufacture of gunpowder for the Continental Army as a backdrop. Mr. Hsiung contends that paying attention to the interatctions between humans and the natural environment leads to a richer understanding of the war, and that our current understanding of, and attitude toward, the environment have their roots in the Revolutionary period. Mr. Rob Martello, Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering, will provide comment for the seminar. The talk will begin at 5:15pm and is free and open to the public. RSVP required. Subscribe to receive advance copies of the seminar paper.

Then, on Wednesday, 3 April, visit the Society for a midday dose of Lincoln as long-term research fellow Martha Hodes of New York University shares updates about her ongoing research for an upcoming book with “Mourning Lincoln: Shock, Sorrow, Anger, and Glee in the Archives.” In this Brown Bag Lunch talk, Ms. Hodes will discuss delving into private letters and journals in order to get a sense of personal responses to Lincoln’s assassination. Her research spans a wide demographic spectrum including men and women, rich and poor, white and black, prominent and anonymous. The book explores the questions of what these responses to such a convulsive event can tell us about the immediate aftermath of the Civil War and what we can learn by understanding personal reactions to a transformative event. Brown Bag talks are free and open to the public, and begin at 12:00pm.

And on Thursday, 4 April, the MHS hosts a public program as John Stauffer of Harvard University presents “Massachusetts and the Civil War in Black and White: The Commonwealth’s Role in Secession, Emancipation, and Reconstruction.” Mr. Stauffer’s discussion will focus on the contributions made by abolitionists and political leaders in Massachusetts to secession, freedom, and equality under the law. The talk will also look briefly at the state’s response to the “counter-Revolution” that stripped these rights following Reconstruction. The discussion will be followed by a reception, both of which are free and open to the public though registration is required. Mr. Stauffer’s talk will begin at 6:00pm.

The program serves as the keynote address and commencement of the MHS conference Massachusetts and the Civil War: The Commonwealth and National Disunion.This two-day conference will examine Massachusetts’ participation in the war from almost every major aspect: reform activities and the origins of the war; military life; the war, politics, and the economy; slavery and emancipation; and how the citizens of Massachusetts came to terms with the consequences of the conflict. Established scholars and historians on the rise alike will include new areas of emphasis in their discussions, including health and the environment, memory of the war, and the radical intellectual tradition in the state. The event will be broken into six sessions in which panelists and commentators will offer brief remarkss followed by discussion with the audience. Conference papers will be made available in advance for those who preregister. Click here to view the conference program. Registration, with a fee, is required to attend the session. For more information, contact Kate Viens at kviens@masshist.org.

Due to the conference on Friday and Saturday, there will not be a public tour on Saturday, 6 April.

By Dan Hinchen

In like a lion, out like a lamb. And so it goes with the MHS events schedule in this final week of March.

This Wednesday, 27 March 2013, the MHS hosts an author talk with New Jersey City University’s Ellen Gruber Garvey. In this talk, Ms. Garvey will revisit the many perspectives featured in her recent book, Writing with Scissors: American scrapbooks from the Civil War to the Harlem Renaissance. Using scrapbooks as evidence, the book examines how a variety of people organized and made sense of large amounts of information in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Through her research and findings, including work done with materials at the MHS, Ms. Garvey highlights a broad segment of these interpretations, from Mark Twain and an African-American janitor to Susan B. Anthony and Confederate soldiers, to demonstrate the complex nature of the press and its voices. Pre-talk reception begins at 5:30pm and the talk starts at 6:00pm. This is a public program with no cost but registration is required. Contact the education department at 617-646-0560 / education@masshist.org for more informaiton.  

And on Saturday, 30 March, stop by for a free tour that begins at 10:00am.The History and Collectons of the MHS is a 90-minute docent-led tour of the Society’s public spaces and informs visitors of the organization’s history, collections, art, and architecture. The tour is free and open to the public and no reservation is required for individuals and small groups.
Parties of 8 or more should contact the MHS prior to attending a tour. For more information please contact Curator of Art Anne Bentley at 617-646-0508 or abentley@masshist.org.

FInally, remember that there are currently three related exhibits on view now until May 24. “Proclaim Liberty Throughout All the Land: Boston Abolitionists, 1831-1865,” “Forever Free: Lincoln &the Emancipation Proclamation,” and “Lincoln in Manuscript & Artifact,” are open for public viewing at no cost, Monday-Saturday, 10:00am-4:00pm.