Stay engaged with the MHS this year!
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“Alvensleben very fond of music— He is a ghost-seer too— Mr: Livingstone amused himself with a story A. had told him, about a vision of three beautiful women appearing on the wall of his bed-chamber &c &c.— A Minister of State!— But the thing is very common here— Scarce an individual of the royal family, but firmly believes in ghosts, and apparitions, and all the farrago of witchcraft...”
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Hallowe'en, detail
It was once a part of Hallowe'en celebrations to come together and eat a meal, like a harvest feast. This sketch by Franklin B. Gardner shows people who have gathered together in costumes and masks to partake in the festive meal. The height of those in costume next to the woman, all three preparing the meal, suggests that this room may be full of adults in costume, with perhaps two children seated close to the viewer. The cross-hatching in this drawing portrays deep shadows coming from a single light source which means it was close to, if not already, evening.
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The Object of History, MHS Podcast
The Object of History podcast unravels the stories behind historical objects held at the MHS.
In episode one we take a close look at a letter written by Paul Revere, the revolutionary patriot famous for his "midnight ride." We’ll learn how Revere authored his account of that pivotal night at the request of MHS founder, Jeremy Belknap. We’ll explore how this letter was lost for decades before its rediscovery, and how it ultimately became a precious artifact in the MHS collections.
Listen to this episode now on the website or wherever you regularly listen to your podcasts.
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MHS’s online programs are held on the video conference platform Zoom. Registrants will receive an e-mail with a link to join the program.
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Disability Activism: A Historical Perspective from Some of the Leading Activists in Massachusetts
The disabilities rights movement, like many rights movements, has been complex, coming from a variety of different perspectives, but at its heart, it has been a movement for justice, equal opportunities, and reasonable accommodations. Massachusetts has played a unique role in this struggle and this conversation will aim to introduce the story of disability activism in Massachusetts. Our panel includes current activists and historians of this movement. Through a moderated, roundtable discussion, our panelists will explore their experiences, their inspirations, the history of the movement, and what they hope to see in the future of disability activism.
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“The Virus of Slavery and Injustice”: Analogy and Disabled Life in African American Writings, 1856–1892
On Thursday, 28 October, at 5:15 PM, Vivian Delchamps, University of California, Los Angeles, presents “The Virus of Slavery and Injustice”: Analogy and Disabled Life in African American Writings, 1856–1892, with comment by Sari Altschuler, Northeastern University, a Malgeri Modern American Society and Culture Seminar.
Engaging Todd Carmody’s invitation to consider how “race might have been ‘like’ disability in the late nineteenth century,” this essay explores texts by African American authors Charlotte L. Forten, Martin Robison Delany, and Frances E.W. Harper. Harper’s novel Iola Leroy renders slavery a “virus,” “deadly cancer,” and a “wound,” necessitating a cure; simultaneously, the novel depicts lived realities of disability, disrupts diagnostic reading practices, and takes a care-based, rather than curative, approach to disability itself. The essay thus reads literature as a generative site for asserting ableism’s centrality to the legacy of racial violence, and explores the value of using diagnostic-like narrative methods to target systemic sources of mass debilitation.
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Stephen A. Swails: Black Freedom Fighter
Stephen Atkins Swails exhibited exemplary service in the 54th Massachusetts Infantry and became the first African American commissioned as a combat officer in the United States military. After the Civil War, Swails remained in South Carolina, where he held important positions in the Freedmen’s Bureau, helped draft a progressive state constitution, and served in the state senate. He remained active in South Carolina politics until violent Redeemers drove him from the state. After Swails died in 1900, state and local leaders erased him from the historical narrative. Gordon C. Rhea’s biography restores Swails’ remarkable legacy.
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On Tuesday, 9 November, at 5:15 PM, Justin Clark, Nanyang Technological University; Daniel Bottino, Rutgers University; and Hannah Pearson, Independent Scholar, present Conversion in Confinement, with Douglas Winiarski, University of Richmond, a Pauline Maier Early American History Seminar.
On Thursday, 18 November, at 6:00 PM, Afia Atakora, Novelist; Brianna Nofil, College of William & Mary; and Christopher Tomlins, Berkeley Law, present Literary Distinction in Historical Writing 2021: An Evening with the Society of American Historians Prize Winners, moderated by Megan Marshall, Emerson College, SAH past president.
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Interested in Viewing Past Programs?
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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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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.
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