The war that we now call the American Revolution was not only fought in the colonies with muskets and bayonets. On both sides of the Atlantic, artists armed with paint, canvas, and wax played an integral role in forging revolutionary ideals. Join us, as Zara Anishanslin charts the intertwined lives of three such figures who dared to defy the British monarchy: Robert Edge Pine, Prince Demah, and Patience Wright. From London to Boston, from Jamaica to Paris, from Bath to Philadelphia, these largely forgotten patriots boldly risked their reputations and their lives to declare independence.

At the end of the American Revolution, Elizabeth Freeman was an enslaved widow and mother living in Massachusetts. Hearing the words of the new Mass. state constitution which declared liberty and equality for all, she sought the help of a young lawyer named Theodore Sedgwick, later Speaker of the House and one of America's leading Federalist politicians. The lawsuit that she and Sedgwick pursued would bring freedom to her and her daughter, as well as thousands of other enslaved people. Freeman left her enslaver to be employed by Sedgwick. After Sedgwick's wife, Pamela, became a chronic invalid, Freeman effectively became the foster mother to his seven children, enabling him to pursue a political career. Join us online as author Donna Tesiero details Elizabeth Freeman's life and the far-reaching influence of her battle for freedom. 

Making the Presidency is a captivating and authoritative account of John Adams’s presidency, exploring how Adams shaped the highest office and ensured the survival of the American republic. The quixotic and stubborn Adams would rely on his ideas about executive power, the Constitution, politics, and the state of the world to navigate the hurdles of the position. He defended the presidency from his own obstructionist cabinet, protected the nation from foreign attacks, and forged trust and dedication to election integrity…at the cost of his political future.

A young North Carolinian who dreamed of becoming a physician, Susan Dimock was not the first American woman to battle the patriarchal medical establishment. But in the 1870s, she was arguably the best-educated, most-skilled woman surgeon in the nation. Dimock studied medicine in Zurich and Vienna, executed complex surgeries, and trained America's first professional nurses, ultimately inspiring a new generation of female surgeons. Join us online as author Susan Wilson and Jackie Jenkins-Scott, former president of the Dimock Community Health Center, discuss Susan Dimock’s place in medical, women's, and world history. 

Historian Heather Cox Richardson delves into the tumultuous journey of American democracy in Democracy Awakening. Examining the historical forces that have led to the current political climate, Richardson weaves together a story of how democracy has persisted despite attempts to undermine it. She pivots from the Founders, abolitionists, and Reconstruction to Nixon and the January 6 insurrection, highlighting the political legacies of the New Deal, the lingering fears of socialism, the death of the liberal consensus, and the birth of “movement conservatism.” Join Richardson in conversation with MHS President Catherine Allgor as they discuss the evolving process of democracy and consider how the lessons of the past can be used to address today’s challenges.

Born in 1840 to a privileged New York family, Isabella Stewart married Boston Brahmin Jack Gardner as she turned 20. She was misunderstood by Boston’s insular society and suffered the death of her only child, not yet two years old. But in time came friendships, awe-inspiring world travels, and a love of collecting beautiful things with a keen eye and competitive pace. All these were balm for loss.  Join Natalie Dykstra in conversation with Catherine Allgor as they discuss Chasing Beauty—a tale of beauty and loss, grit, and American self-invention. 

Wheatley at 250: Black Women Poets Re-imagine the Verse of Phillis Wheatley Peters celebrates the 250th anniversary of Phillis Wheatley Peters’ historic and transformative Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral (1773). The new anthology gathers the voices of 20 Black female poets to reimagine the work of this iconic literary ancestor for a new generation. Join editors Danielle Legros Georges and Artress Bethany White, and contributors Florence Ladd and Janice Lowe, as they consider Phillis Wheatley Peters’ impact and share selections from their new book.