SHARE:  
Stay engaged with the MHS!
The Second Day of July 1776, will be the most memorable Epocha, in the History of America.—I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated, by succeeding Generations, as the great anniversary Festival.
Featured Item from the MHS Collection

In 1854, the Massachusetts Anti-Slavery Society sponsored a Fourth of July rally in Framingham, Mass. This broadside was created to advertise the event. Noted abolitionists, including William Lloyd Garrison, Sojourner Truth, and Henry David Thoreau, addressed the crowd. Garrison burned copies of the 1850 Fugitive Slave Law and the US Constitution, which he called a covenant with death and an agreement with hell. For the Commonwealth’s abolitionist community, 4 July 1854 would be a day to recognize the nation’s greatest sin and to mourn the death of freedom. Read more about the rally .
Online Programs

On Wednesday, 1 July, at 5:30 PM, Lindsay M. Chervinsky presents The Cabinet: George Washington & the Creation of an American Institution. On November 26, 1791, George Washington convened his department secretaries—Alexander Hamilton, Thomas Jefferson, Henry Knox, and Edmund Randolph—for the first cabinet meeting. Faced with diplomatic crises, domestic insurrections, and constitutional challenges, Washington decided he needed a group of advisors he could turn to. He modeled his new cabinet on the councils of war he had led as commander of the Continental Army. Chervinsky reveals the far-reaching consequences of Washington’s choice to create what has become one of the most powerful bodies in the federal government: the presidential cabinet. Register for the online program .
Upcoming July Programs
On Thursday, 9 July, at 5:30 PM , Ty Burr, Boston Globe , Robert Allison, Suffolk University, and others present Boston in Film: From Eddie Coyle to Manchester by the Sea . This is the first program in a series of three conversations in partnership with The Brattle Theater and Emerson College.

On Wednesday, 15 July, at 5:30 PM , Martha Ackmann presents These Fevered Days: Ten Pivotal Moments in the Making of Emily Dickinson .

On Monday, 20 July, at 5:30 PM , Larry Tye presents Demagogue: The Life and Long Shadow of Senator Joe McCarthy.

On Thursday, 23 July, at 5:30 PM , Ned Hinkle, Jim Vrabel, Brattle Film Foundation, and more present Boston in Film: Beyond the Oscars. This is the second program in a series of three conversations in partnership with The Brattle Theater and Emerson College.

V isit www.masshist.org/events for more information and to register.  To view a selection of past programs, go to  www.masshist.org/video  or visit our  YouTube channel .
Share Your COVID-19 Experience(s)

The MHS invites you to contribute your COVID-19 experience(s) to our collection. Record your experiences on a daily, weekly, or intermittent basis. You can contribute your thoughts and images online. Visit our COVID-19 web display to learn more and to share your thoughts. Or, you can keep a journal and donate it to the MHS. Contact collections@masshist.org for more information.  
 
Thank you to everyone who has shared so far. If you have not yet done so or would like to contribute again, please visit: www.masshist.org/projects/covid/index.php . You can also read what others have shared.

Our Members are the heart of the MHS community, and an integral part of the MHS story. Become a member to help make possible the Society’s mission to promote the study of American history. Receive benefits including invitations to enhanced Member-only events; free or discounted admission to special programs; and access to publications such as our calendar of events, newsletter, and annual report. Learn more at www.masshist.org/support/members .