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“I proceeded to Lexington, thro Mistick, and alarmed Mr. Adams and Col. Hancock. After I had been there about half an hour Mr. Daws arrived, who came from Boston, over the neck; We set off for Concord...I told (a British army officer) I knew better, I knew what they were after; that I had alarmed the country all the way up, that their Boats, were catch'd a ground, and I should have 500 men their soon...”
Letter from Rachel Revere to Paul Revere, 2 May 1775

In this letter Rachel Walker Revere informs her husband Paul of the difficulties that she faced in leaving Boston, then under siege by the American revolutionary forces that surrounded Boston after the Battles of Concord and Lexington. Until the previous day, she had not heard directly from her husband since the eve of his famous ride. The outbreak of fighting had left her behind British lines with six stepchildren, aged five to seventeen, and a new baby of her own. Her previous attempt to contact her husband and forward money to him had been intercepted by the British and would be found, 150 years later, among the papers of the British military commander in Boston (and last royal governor of Massachusetts), Thomas Gage.

The absence of her husband on “out of doors” work for the Revolutionary cause was nothing new for Rachel Revere. During the eighteen months of their marriage, she already had seen Paul embark on nine separate trips on behalf of the Patriot leadership in Boston, places as far away as New York and Philadelphia, and those closer to home, including Portsmouth and Exeter, New Hampshire. Two very recent trips, prior to the battle, were to Concord and Lexington.

The Revere family papers held by the MHS contain only a small number of documents by or about Rachel Revere, so we know relatively little about her life compared to that of her celebrated husband. In this letter, we get a brief glimpse of her character at a moment of crisis in their lives. It shows her to have been engaged by the momentous events taking place around her, but anxious to be of practical help to her husband.

MHS President Catherine Allgor on a Panel at the 2022 Presidential Sites Summit

MHS President Catherine Allgor was on a lively panel, First Ladies’ Impact and Influence, at the 2022 Presidential Sites Summit. Hosted by the White House Historical Association, the summit was held at the historic Adolphus Hotel in Dallas, Texas. Sessions covered a variety of topics from fundraising and civic engagement to recognizing inclusive presidential histories.


Underrepresented Voices of the American Revolution, July 14-16, 2022

In recent decades, scholars have unearthed and revived stories of a diverse cast of characters who lived through America’s political formation. This much-needed corrective has unraveled a traditional narrative of wealthy, white male revolutionaries rebelling against a white male-dominated imperial government. The approach of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence offers an opportunity to highlight and share the latest scholarship on the underrepresented voices of the American Revolution whether that be from the perspective of Native Americans, African Americans, women, loyalists, ethnic and religious minorities, children, or neutrals in a global war that put the question of representation at Revolution’s core. This conference brings together scholars to explore broad themes associated with historic individuals and groups not traditionally taken into consideration when discussing the American Revolutionary Era.

MHS Receives Grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities

The MHS is pleased to announce that it has received $251,000 from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) to support its long-term fellowships over the next three years.

MHS Director of Research Kanisorn Wongsrichanalai expressed his gratification with the news, stating, “We are grateful for the ongoing support from the National Endowment for the Humanities. We shall meet their recommitment to our long-term fellowship program with a renewed determination to support the strongest scholarly projects, which will, in turn, provide our society with a better understanding of itself. The COVID-19 pandemic has inflicted enormous woes on both universities and scholars. As an institution dedicated to the promotion of new scholarship, the MHS joins with the NEH in its commitment to providing researchers with the resources they need to continue their critical work. We believe, as we always have, that better insight into the past enriches us all.”


Luck be a lady!

Our upcoming Making History Gala is offering guests who make donations at the event a chance to win multiple prizes.

How about a consultation with a leading genealogist from GBH’s Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates Jr., or a dinner for four at the Bondo restaurant in the ‘Quin house with GBH host and Gala speaker Jared Bowen?

Need more options? Perhaps a 30-minute coffee chat with Executive Producer of GBH’s American Experience, Cameo George, or a private tour of the MHS with President Catherine Allgor.

The Object of History Podcast Episode 9 Now Available

Listen to episode 9, “The Many Lives of the Lusitania Medal.” In this episode, experts examine several medals produced when a German U-boat torpedoed the Lusitania, a civilian British ocean liner, during the First World War. The medals became the center of a propaganda campaign that spanned the Atlantic. Originally created by a German artist, the medals quickly became tools for the Allied propaganda machine and a nightmare for the German government. 

Listen to it here on the MHS website, or wherever you regularly listen to podcasts.
Contact Your State Representatives in Support of National History Day in Massachusetts
Despite another challenging school year, 3,500 students across Massachusetts embarked on National History Day (NHD) projects in 2021–2022. We are so proud of all of our NHD teachers; their incredible work in the face of another difficult year underscores how integral NHD is to their curriculum. We are also proud of our amazing NHD students! Over 800 students competed in our regional and state contests this year. 

At its core, NHD fosters curiosity in students, gives them the confidence to critically evaluate the information they receive, and empowers them to find their own pathway to participation in our democracy. We want all students across Massachusetts to have access to NHD. To do so, we need external funding to sustain the program—and we need your help!  

Please contact your state representatives THIS WEEK (by Monday, 25 April) and ask them to co-sponsor Amendment #189, a $50,000 earmark for NHD. No need to contact your state senators just yet: we will send out a request in May when the Senate takes up its budget.  

Check out our NHD advocacy page for everything you’ll need to be an advocate, including how to find contact info for your representative and suggested scripts for your phone calls, emails, or social media posts. 

Contact us at nhd@masshist.org with any questions. Thank you so much for showing your support for NHD!
Guggenheim Fellows

The MHS congratulates MHS Fellow Manisha Sinha, Draper Chair in American History, University of Connecticut, and MHS Trustee Edward L “Ted” Widmer, Writer, Providence, Rhode Island, and Distinguished Lecturer, Macaulay Honors College, CUNY, for receiving Guggenheim Fellowships. Chosen from a rigorous application and peer-review process out of almost 2500 applicants, these recipients were chosen on the basis of prior achievement and exceptional promise. 

April will feature a mix of virtual and hybrid events, with a choice of in-person or virtual attendance. Please be sure to register which way you will attend.
54th Unmarked Dead in Olustee, Florida

On Wednesday, 20 April, at 6:00 PM, Barbara Gannon, University of Central Florida, presents 54th Unmarked Dead in Olustee, Florida.

Professor Gannon, working with her students, has documented that the remains of over 100 Black and white Union soldiers, including members of the Massachusetts 54th, lay in an unmarked grave within Olustee Battlefield Historic State Park in Florida. The battlefield contains Confederate monuments but no memorial to Union soldiers. Union soldiers remains from other Southern battlefields have been brought to national cemeteries. However, it appears that local opposition, remnants of a Jim Crow racialized landscape, and celebrations of a Confederate victory has led to these soldiers remaining in a mass grave. Professor Gannon will discuss her work to give dignified graves to these Union soldiers.

This is a hybrid event. The in-person reception starts at 5:30 and the program begins at 6:00. There is a $10 in-person fee, $5 virtual fee (no charge MHS Members or EBT Cardholders.)

Narrative History

On Thursday, 21 April, at 6:00 PM, John Demos presents Narrative History, in conversation with Catherine Allgor, MHS.

John Demos won the Bancroft Prize and the Francis Parkman Prize, and was a finalist for the National Book Award. He began his career as a historian deeply steeped in the methods of social sciences. Through the years, he shifted his work to focus more on the stories of human life. He brought the discipline with him toward a narrative history. He has moved many and galvanized some with his books. He was an inspiring teacher at Yale who helped shape many of the next generation of leading scholars. Professor Demos will speak with his former student, Catherine Allgor, about his work, his influences, and the scholars who are continuing his legacy.

This is a hybrid event. The in-person reception starts at 5:30 and the program begins at 6:00. There is a $10 in-person fee, $5 virtual fee (no charge for virtual attendees, MHS Members, or EBT Cardholders.)

Benjamin Franklins Last Bet: The Favorite Founders Divisive Death, Enduring Afterlife & Blueprint for American Prosperity


Benjamin Franklin was not a gambling man, however, at the end of his life he allowed himself a wager on the survival of the United States: a gift of two thousand pounds to Boston and Philadelphia, to be lent out to tradesmen over the next two centuries to jump‑start their careers. Benjamin Franklin’s Last Bet traces the evolution of these twin funds as they age alongside America itself, bankrolling woodworkers to space races. Franklin’s stake in the “leather-apron” class remains in play to this day and offers an inspiring blueprint for our modern era.

This is a hybrid event. The in-person reception starts at 5:30 and the program begins at 6:00. There is a $10 in-person fee, $5 virtual fee (no charge for virtual attendees, MHS Members, or EBT Cardholders.)


The MHS offers both virtual and hybrid programs. For hybrid events, please be sure to register which way you will attend. Visit www.masshist.org/events for updates, cancellations, and to register.

On Tuesday, 26 April, at 5:15 PM, Michael Glass, Boston College, presents A Decent Home: The 1950s Suburban Boom on Long Island, with comment by Rebecca K. Marchiel, University of Mississippi, a Malgeri Modern American Society & Culture Seminar. This is a virtual event.

On Wednesday, 27 April, at 6:00 PM, Jim Vrabel and Susan Wilson present Film Club: The Bostonians. This is a virtual event.

On Thursday, 28 April, at 5:15 PM, Edward Miller & Bryan Winston, Dartmouth College, present The Dartmouth Digital History Initiative: Digital Humanities, Data Visualization & Oral History Archives, with comment by Janneken Smucker, West Chester University, a L. Dennis Shapiro and Susan R. Shapiro Digital History Seminar. This is a virtual event.

On Thursday, 28 April, at 6:00 PM, Michael Liu, Author of Forever Struggle: Activism, Identity and Survival in Bostons Chinatown; David Moy, Hyams Foundation; Lydia Lowe, Chinatown Community Land Trust; and Carolyn Chou, Asian American Resource Workshop, present Confronting Economic Injustice: The Story of Parcel C, moderated by Margaret Woo, Northeastern University School of Law. This is a virtual event.
Interested in Viewing Past Programs?
If you missed a program or would like to revisit the material presented, please visit www.masshist.org/video or our YouTube channel. A selection of past programs is just a click away.
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