By Dan Hinchen
Our program schedule is ramping-up as we enter October. Here’s a quick look at all of the events on offer in the week ahead:
– Monday, 3 October, 6:00PM : The first program of the week is an author talk with James Traub. Join us for a talk about his new book, John Quincy Adams: Militant Spirit, which tells the story of a brillian, flinty, and unyielding man whose life exemplified political courage. This talk is open to the public and registration is required at a price of $10 (no charge for MHS Members or Fellows). A pre-talk reception begins at 5:30PM with the program starting at 6:00PM.
– Tuesday, 4 October, 5:15PM : “Reconsidering Slavery and Slave Law in Early Massachusetts” is the next installment in the Society’s Early American History series. Largely considered unexceptional in its attitude towards slavery – even culpable for laying a foundation for slavery – in this paper, Holly Brewer of the University of Maryland offers a nuanced reading fo the MAssachusetts policy debates of the 1640s to emphasize considerable resistance to the ideas of forced labor. Comment provided by Annette Gordon-Reed of Harvard Law School. Seminars are free and open to the public; RSVP required. Subscribe to receive advance copies of the seminar papers.
– Wednesday, 5 October, 12:00PM : “Reading Textiles as Text: An Examination of Pre-1750s Survivals at MHS” is a Brown Bag talk with Kimberly Alexander of the University of New Hampshire. The project sets the experience of fashion, consumerism, and consumption within a cosmopolitan Atlantic world, with particular attention paid to the textiles associated with the Byles and Hancock families in Boston. This talk is free and open to the public.
– Friday, 7 October, 12:00PM : The second Brown Bag talk of the week is titled “A Muss Among the Flunkies: Unruly Choristers and Instrumentalists in the Antebellum Opera.” Presented by Rachel Miller of University of Michigan, this project traces how the haphazard strikes of anonymous choristers and instrumentalists – “a muss among the flunkies” – grew into the nation’s first performers’ unions and protective associations, which in turn continue to shape our contemporary ideas and practices of creative work. This talk is free and open to the public.
– Friday, 7 October, 2:00PM : “Turning Point: The U.S. Constitution” features Kyle Jenks, a James Madison reenactor, who will discuss Elbridge Gerry’s criticism of the Constitution. This event is free and open to the public.
– Saturday, 8 October, 10:00AM : The History and Collections of the MHS is a 90-minute docent-led walk through our public rooms. The tour is free, open to the public, with no need for reservations. If you would like to bring a larger party (8 or more), please contact Curator of Art Anne Bentley at 617-646-0508 orabentley@masshist.org.
While you’re here you will also have the opportunity to view our current exhibition: Turning Points in American History.