The rise of the Religious Right has coincided with the privatization movement in public schools. While some may feel that this is coincidental, there is reason to believe there is a directly causal relationship between these two factors. Two scholars, from different disciplines, will discuss how their work comes together to help explain the history and current state of efforts to diminish, if not dismantle, the American public education system. Katherine Stewart has written on the rise and increasing power of the Religious Right in her book The Power Worshipers. She will be joined by Diane Ravitch who has written extensively on education and, in her recent book Slaying Goliath, explores the history of the school privatization movement and the efforts to oppose it.

Please note, this is an online event held on the video conference platform, Zoom. Registrants will receive an email with links to join the program.

Paul Szep, a two-time Pulitzer Prize and Thomas Nast Prize winning editorial cartoonist and New York Times best-selling author William Martin will discuss their careers. They will focus on Szep’s time as the Chief Editorial Cartoonist at The Boston Globe from 1967 – 2001 and a look at how the field of political cartoons has changed. Szep has been described as a pioneering cartoonist with “scathing wit and a drawing style that turns editorial cartoons into pieces of art.” Martin has written eleven novels, many of which are set in and around Boston and has been recognized with the New England Book Award and the Samuel Eliot Morrison Award.

Please note, this is an online event held on the video conference platform, Zoom. Registrants will receive an email with links to join the program.

The chain of green spaces and waterways that comprise the Emerald Necklace park system is an invaluable urban oasis. Described as “the lungs of the city” this parkland and its rivers and ponds clean the city air, provide habitats for birds and other wildlife, and greatly improve quality of life for Boston residents. Our panel will explore the past, present, and future of this urban wild, beginning with Olmsted’s vision, through the lens of social equity and environmental justice.

Please note, this is an online event held on the video conference platform, Zoom. Registrants will receive an email with links to join the program.

In recent history, the question of what to do with monuments--particularly those of Confederate origins--has become a source of contentious debate. The City of Boston only possessed one such monument on Georges Island, however, it was removed in 2017. Does this mean that Boston no longer possesses any problematic statues? In the words of Boston Globe journalist Ty Burr, “Are Boston’s statues honoring all the right men?” And, who gets to decide?

Join Eleanor Citron, MHS’s summer intern, for a virtual tour of Metro Boston’s monuments--from those championed by the city, to those beheaded or uprooted, and things in between.

A People's Guide to Greater Boston reveals the region’s richness and vibrancy in ways that are neglected by traditional area guidebooks and obscured by many tourist destinations. It highlights tales of the places and people involved in movements to abolish slavery; to end war and militarism; to achieve Native sovereignty, racial equity, gender justice, and sexual liberation; and to secure workers’ rights. This one-of-a-kind guide points the way to a radically democratic Greater Boston, one that sparks social and environmental justice and inclusivity for all.

Please note, this is an online event held on the video conference platform, Zoom. Registrants will receive an email with links to join the program.

Thomas Nast (1840-1902), pioneered American political cartooning. He created the Republican elephant and popularized the depiction of Santa Claus. Many prominent figures felt the sting of biting satire, including “Boss” Tweed of Tammany Hall. However, Nast's legacy also includes contradictions. He supported civil rights, the Union Army, and Black veterans, but also used offensive stereotypical images of black men and suggested that their votes were easily manipulated. Halloran and celebrated editorial cartoonist Bagley will speak about the life and legacy of Thomas Nast with a particular focus on his views on African American voting and on cartooning as a form of political commentary.

Please note, this is an online event held on the video conference platform, Zoom. Registrants will receive an email with links to join the program.

America has Hamilton-mania! Its crafty lyrics, hip-hop tunes, and big, bold story have rejuvenated interest in the real lives and true histories that Hamilton: the Musical puts center stage. In this talk, Dr. Richard Bell explores this musical phenomenon to reveal what its success tells us about the marriage of history and show-business. Bell will examine what the musical gets right and gets wrong about Alexander Hamilton, the American Revolution, and the birth of the United States. He will also discuss Hamilton’s cultural impact: what does its runaway success reveal about the stories we tell each other about who we are and about the nation we made?

Please note, this is an online event held on the video conference platform, Zoom. Registrants will receive an email with links to join the program.

Join Peter Drummey, the Stephen T. Riley Librarian for a look at our virtual exhibition Who Counts? A Look at Voter Rights through Political Cartoons.  Political cartoons have long served as provocateurs of public debate illustrating opinions of the day for the masses. Our show looks at how cartoons have explored two broad themes: efforts to expand access to voting and efforts to restrict access to voting. Illustrations explore voting as a civil right, women suffrage, and voting by mail as well as Gerrymandering, the Electoral College; and political corruption.

Please note, this is an online event held on the video conference platform, Zoom. Registrants will receive an email with links to join the program.

The reputations of all of the founders have changed dramatically over the course of American history, none more than that of Thomas Jefferson. Historians Annette Gordon-Reed and Peter Onuf will discuss the implications of recent political and social developments for our image of the slave-owning author of the Declaration of Independence, emphasizing the importance of situating Jefferson in his own historical context for a better understanding of the history and future prospects of democracy in America.

Please note, this is an online event held on the video conference platform, Zoom. Registrants will receive an email with links to join the program.

Massachusetts has more house museums and historical organizations than most states twice our size. In recent years there’s been a national conversation about the sustainability of house museums. Our presenter argues that this widespread, mostly small class of museums vary tremendously. While many of our community-based historical organizations preserve and present their collections in historic houses, a house museum is something different. We will hear from three outstanding ones that are grappling with the usual challenges of audience engagement, preservation and interpretation.

Please note, this is an online event held on the video conference platform, Zoom. Registrants will receive an email with links to join the program.

Massachusetts is a famously literary culture. At the birth of the house museum movement in the late 19th century, authors’ houses were among the first to be preserved, notably John Greenleaf Whittier and now others like Emily Dickinson, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Ralph Waldo Emerson and more. We will explore three outstanding authors’ houses and how they grapple with the challenges of audience engagement, preservation and interpretation.

Please note, this is an online event held on the video conference platform, Zoom. Registrants will receive an email with links to join the program.

Historian Michelle Marchetti Coughlin explores the life of Plymouth Colony First Lady Penelope Pelham Winslow, a woman of influence during the eventful years of Plymouth's existence, through wartime and the end of its independence. Tracking fragmentary records and traces of Penelope Winslow's material world, Coughlin illuminates the story of a long-forgotten historical figure and offers fresh insight into the experiences of women in early New England.

Please note, this is an online event held on the video conference platform, Zoom. Registrants will receive an email with links to join the program.

Most of our 351 towns have a community-based historical organization. Many are volunteer-run. Collectively, they present and preserve the stuff and stories that make up our history - usually with an emphasis on local art, industries, and material culture. William Hosley has criss-crossed Massachusetts visiting them in every corner of the state, from Adams to Andover, Northampton to Nantucket. We will hear from three of what he calls gems - house museums and historicals with amazing stuff and stories, that fly a bit under the radar. They too are grappling with the usual challenges of audience engagement, preservation, and interpretation.

Please note, this is an online event held on the video conference platform, Zoom. Registrants will receive an email with links to join the program.