By Dan Hinchen

As we hurtle toward October and a full month of programming, we start to increase the offerings a bit this week. 

First up, stop by on Wednesday, 23 September, for a Brown Bag Lunch talk with Ben Vine of the University of Sydney. Join us at noon for “Class and War in Revolutionary Boston, 1776-80,” a talk that considers the state of class relations in Boston while the town was dealing with the trials of the Revolutionary War and explores how reconceptualizing class can illuminate greater complexities in the relations among Boston’s classes during the period. This talk is free and open to the public. 

Also on Wednesday is a public author talk. Please consider joining us for “Slavish Shore: The Odyssey of Richard Henry Dana, Jr.” In 1834, Dana left Harvard on a maritime journey to California as a common seaman and witnessed brutal floggings and other injustices on board. His account of the journey, “Two Years Before the Mast,” became an American classic. In “Slavish Shore,” author Jeffrey Amestoy, Harvard Kennedy School, tells the story of Dana’s unflagging determination to keep his vow to combat injustice in the face of nineteenth-century America’s most exclusive establishment: the Boston society in which he was born and bred. This talk is open to the public with a $20 fee (no charge for Fellows and Members). Registration is required, so please RSVP. There is a pre-talk reception beginning at 5:30PM with the talk beginning at 6:00PM.

And on Thursday, 23 September, all graduate students in American History and related subjects are invited to attend the MHS’ Graduate Student Reception. Attendees can enjoy refreshments, tour the various departments of the MHS, and learn about the range of resoruces available to support their work, including MHS fellowship programs. Refreshments and networking begin at 6:00PM and run throughout the evening. The program begins at 6:30PM. No charge to attend but RSVP is required by September 23. Email seminars@masshist.org or phone 617-646-0568 with your name and affiliation. Indicate whether you are a graduate student or faculty member.