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 1: Although we don't know exactly what happened the night of March 5, 1770, what does the existing evidence from the Boston Massacre teach us about pre-Revolutionary America?
Inquiry Question 2: In what ways did people's political beliefs, social networks, and lived experience shape their understanding of the Boston Massacre?
Inquiry Question 1: Why did some colonists remain loyal to Britain during the Revolution?
Inquiry Question 2: What consequences did loyal colonists face?
Choosing Sides in the Revolutionary War: The Loyalists
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: 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 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?
Inquiry Question: What tactics did the authors of the Massachusetts recruitment posters use to persuade their audiences?