Happy 2021! Stay engaged with the MHS this year.

“We have compleated five days, and entered two Hours on the sixth, since Innoculation, and have as yet felt no Pains, nor Languors from Pox or Medicine, worth mentioning. Indeed what the others have suffered is a mere Trifle.”
Featured Item from the MHS Collection

This depiction of Hilo, Hawaii, was engraved in 1840 at the Lahainaluna Seminary by Kepohoni, after a drawing by missionary Edward Bailey. The thatched buildings in the center represent the Hilo Boarding School, with missionaries’ residences on either side. Kepohoni was not a scholar at the Seminary, but rather a talented young villager who worked with Lorrin Andrews, the first principal of the seminary. Over the course of his career at Lahainaluna, Kepohoni produced nine views of various spots in Hawaii, portraits of Kamehameha I and his daughter Kamamalu, and numerous botanical illustrations, maps, and other illustrations for books produced by the Mission Press. Read more about the Lahainaluna Seminary, its printing operation, and the counterfeiting scheme discovered there.
This Week's Online Programs
On Wednesday, 6 January, at 5:30 PM, Joanne B. Freeman, Yale University; Peter S. Onuf, University of Virginia; Rachel A. Shelden, Penn State University; Erik B. Alexander, Southern Illinois University; and moderator Ted Widmer present “At Noon on the 20th Day of January”: Contested Elections in American History. The 2020 presidential election took place in a profoundly polarized nation with a fractious, unpredictable incumbent and provoked anxieties about a peaceful transfer of power. But such uncertainty has arisen before in this republic’s history. Join us as our panel of esteemed scholars discusses this year’s historic election and addresses questions to put it in context. At what other points has the peaceful transition of presidential power been uncertain? What role does the Constitution play in establishing the tradition of presidential transition? If bitterness and rancor are felt during presidential elections, at what point do they influence the course of the nation and threaten our democracy? Please note that Zoom registration for this event is full. However, the program will also be livestreamed on Facebook. 
Upcoming January Programs
On Monday, 11 January, at 5:30 PM, Alea Henle and Peter Drummey, MHS, present Rescued from Oblivion: Historical Cultures in the Early United States.

On Tuesday, 12 January, at 5:15 PM, Zachary Bennett, Connecticut College, presents Water Over the Dam: The Destruction of Colonial New England’s River Fisheries with comment by Matthew McKenzie, University of Connecticut.

On Thursday, 14 January, at 5:30 PM, Agnès Delahaye, University of Lyon, presents Settling the Good Land—Governance & Promotion in John Winthrop’s New England, 1620–1650.

On Tuesday, 19 January, at 5:15 PM, Rachel Walker, University of Hartford, presents High Brow, Low Brow: Phrenology, Fashion & Female Activism in the 19th Century with comment by Sari Altschuler, Northeastern University.

On Thursday, 21 January, at 5:15 PM, Traci Parker, University of Massachusetts—Amherst, presents Revolutionary Weddings: Marriage in the Black Panther Party with comment by Robyn Spencer, CUNY—Lehman College.

On Tuesday, 26 January, at 5:15 PM, Sarah Ketchley, University of Washington, presents Excavating Egyptology: The Emma B. Andrews Diary Project with comment by Jennifer Stertzer, University of Virginia.

Visit www.masshist.org/events for more information and to register for programs.
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.
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/members.