By Dan Hinchen
It’s that time, once again, for our weekly round-up of programs to come. Here’s what’s happening at the Society in the week ahead:
– Monday, 5 December, 6:00PM : Join us for an author talk with Jane Kamensky of Harvard University. A Revolution in Color: The World of John Singleton Copley is a bold new history that recovers an unknown American Revolution as seen through the eyes of Boston-born painter John Singleton Copley. In her new work, Kamensky untangles the web of principles and interests that shaped the age of America’s revolution. This talk is open to the public and registration is required with a fee of $20 (no charge for MHS Members and Fellows). A pre-talk reception begins at 5:30PM, followed by the program at 6:00PM.
– Tuesday, 6 December, 10:15AM : “Slavery and Freedom in the Cradle of Liberty: An Exhibit of Objects and Documents from the Massachusetts Historical Society” is a virtual exhibit presented by students from Boston University’s HI-190, The History of Boston. Their project presents more than 20 rare artifacts and documents from the MHS collection, and explores the contentious and powerful history of nineteenth-century Boston as its residents grappled with questions of slavery, freedom, and civil war. This event is open to the public; registration is required at no cost.
– Tuesday, 6 December, 5:15PM : This week’s first seminar, part of the Early American History series, is a panel discussion with Liam Riordan of the University of Maine at Orono and Christina Carrick of Boston University.” The discussion, “Loyalism,” will focus on Riordan’s essay “Revisiting Thomas Hutchinson: The Strengths and Weaknesses of Loyalist Biography,” and Carricks’ “‘The earlier we form good Connections the better’: David Greene’s Loyalist Merchant Network in the Revolutionary Atlantic.” Steve Bullock of Worcester Polytechnic Institute will provide comment. Seminars are free and open to the public; RSVP required. Subscribe to receive advance copies of the seminar papers.
– Wednesday, 7 December, 12:00PM : Stop by at lunch time for a Brown Bag talk with Manisha Sinha of the University of Connecticut. “The Abolitionist Origins of Radical Reconstruction: Charles Sumner, Thaddeus Stevens, and Black Citizenship” examines how Radical Republicans like Sumner and Stevens helped convert a radical social movement into a program for political change. This talk is free and open to the public.
– Wednesday, 7 December, 6:00PM : MHS Fellows and Members are invited to celebrate the season at the Society’s annual MHS Fellows and Members Holiday Party. Enjoy an evening of holiday cheer along with the annual tradition of reading the anti-Christmas laws. Registration is required.
– Thursday, 8 December, 5:30PM : The second seminar of the week is a part of the History of Women and Gender series and is another panel discussion. “The History of Black Feminisms” is a conversation among Francoise Hamlin of Brown University, Tanisha C. Ford of the University of Delaware, and Treva Lindsey of Ohio State University and the Hutchins Center for African & African America Research. Kali Nicole Gross of Wesleyan University moderates this conversation that encompasses issues of identity, class, and culture and pays tribute to the scholarship of Leslie Brown of Williams College. Seminars are free and open to the public; RSVP required. Subscribe to receive advance copies of the seminar papers.