Inquiry Question 1: How did social, economic, and political factors contribute to the events of the Boston Tea Party?
Inquiry Question 2: How did the reactions to the Boston Tea Party demonstrate the growing divisions between the various interested parties in the political and economic future of the American colonies?
Inquiry Question 1: In what ways have people of color been both present for and critical actors in turning points in American history?
Inquiry Question 2: How and why has public memory of the Boston Massacre changed over time? In what ways do available evidence and point of view impact interpretations of historical events?
Inquiry Question: How did New England merchants engage in trade with China in the decades immediately following the founding of the United States?
Inquiry Question: What was traded and how?
Inquiry Question: What tactics did enslaved people in Massachusetts in the 1700s use to free themselves?
Inquiry Question 1: What is transportation?
Inquiry Question 2: How have methods of transportation changed over time?
Inquiry Question 3: In what ways has transportation changed Boston's streets over time?
Inquiry Question: Who was Abigail Adams, and what roles did she take on during the Revolutionary Era?
Through her letters and belongings we will explore the ways in which Abigail shaped—and was shaped by—the political and social events unfolding around her.
Inquiry Question: How did women protest the Townshend Acts and aid the patriot cause?
Student Background
Inquiry Question 1: Prior to 1855, in what ways did segregated schools harm Black children in Boston?
Inquiry Question 2: What actions did Black families take to advocate for integration?
Inquiry Question: What can portraits tell us about the past?
Portraits are primary sources that tell us about the people who appeared in and painted them. In this set, you will look closely at three portraits to see what they show us about the lives of Black people in colonial and revolutionary Massachusetts. What can we learn about individuals? What information remains hidden?