Join us for a program at the MHS this week. If you haven’t had a chance to view our current exhibition, this week is your last chance. “Can She Do It?” closes on Saturday, 21 September. Here is a look at what is planned:
On Wednesday, 18 September, at 6:00 PM: Searching for Black Confederates: The Civil War’s Most Persistent Myth with Kevin M. Levin. More than 150 years after the end of the Civil War, scores of websites, articles, and organizations repeat claims that anywhere between 500 and 100,000 free and enslaved African Americans fought willingly as soldiers in the Confederate army. But as Kevin M. Levin argues, such claims would have shocked anyone who served in the army during the war itself. Levin explains that imprecise contemporary accounts, poorly understood primary source material, and rising backlash against African Americans’ gains in civil rights have helped fuel the rise of the black Confederate myth. A pre-talk reception begins at 5:30 PM; the speaking program begins at 6:00 PM. There is a $10 per person fee (no charge for MHS Fellows and Members or EBT cardholders).
On Thursday, 19 September, at 6:00 PM: The MHS hosts its 10th annual Graduate Student Reception. Calling all graduate students and faculty! Please join us at our annual Graduate Student Reception for students in history, American Studies, and related fields. Enjoy drinks and hors d’oeuvres as you meet colleagues from other universities working in your field. Take a behind-the-scenes tour and learn about the resources the MHS offers to support your scholarship, from research fellowships to our seminar series.
On Saturday, 21 September at 4:00 PM: Can They Do It? Divisions on the Road to the 19th Amendment with Allison K. Lange, Wentworth Institute of Technology; Corinne T. Field, University of Virginia; Manisha Sinha, University of Connecticut; and Barbara F. Berenson. The women’s suffrage movement was not always a cohesive or inclusive space for everyone who fought for the vote, nor did the Nineteenth Amendment bring about political enfranchisement for all women. Conflicts around political philosophy, campaign tactics, and most notably, issues of race, led to a movement that was deeply fractured. Our panel will further examine the divisions inherent in the movement and will look at how other social reform activists have historically struggled with coalition building and intersectionality. This program is made possible through the co-sponsorship of the Greater Boston Women’s Vote Centennial (presented by Mayor Walsh’s Office of Women’s Advancement). A pre-talk reception begins at 3:30 PM; the speaking program begins at 4:00 PM.
“Can She Do It?”: Massachusetts Debates a Woman’s Right to Vote is open Monday and Wednesday through Saturday from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM, and Tuesday from 10:00 AM to 7:00 PM. Featuring dynamic imagery from the collection of the MHS, the exhibition illustrates the passion on each side of the suffrage question. For over a century, Americans debated whether women should vote. The materials on display demonstrate the arguments made by suffragists and their opponents. While women at the polls may seem unremarkable today, these contentious campaigns formed the foundations for modern debates about gender and politics.
Please note that on Saturday, 21 September the MHS library will close at 3:00 PM.