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Stay engaged with the MHS this year.

Mrs Clarke said to (John Adams) that it was the 4th of July, the 50th. Anniversary of Independence— He answered— “It is a great day— It is a good day.”— About one afternoon he said “Thomas Jefferson survives,” but the last word was indistinctly and imperfectly uttered. He spoke no more— He had sent as a toast to the celebration at Quincy—“Independence forever.
Bill of Fare for the City Dinner on the Fourth of July, 1844, at Faneuil Hall

This menu details the wide variety of foods served at the Fourth of July celebration for city officials held at Faneuil Hall in Boston in 1844. This sumptuous feast, featuring Fricasee Poulet, Compote de Pigeons, and boiled and roast meats (in addition to twenty-six kinds of dessert and fruit), was the finale to a very busy day for revelers in the city.

This Fourth of July menu is part of a small collection held by the MHS library that provides an interesting glimpse into the eating habits of the past. Ranging from about 1830 to 1954, the menus document dinners held by organizations, meals served at hotels and restaurants, and banquets held for visiting dignitaries. Although many of the dishes are familiar to modern eyes, even the strangest sounding dishes can be identified through comparison with cookbooks of the time, also found in the MHS collections.


Our Favorite Things
Objects that Fascinate, Interest, and Inspire

With millions of letters, diaries, photographs, and objects in our holdings, we can tell countless stories at the MHS. Our Favorite Things connects a selection of compelling, captivating, and amusing items from our collection to the backgrounds, interests, and memories of the MHS staff. We invite you to explore these stories, which are grouped into six categories. 

SAVE THE DATE!

Making History Gala
Tuesday 16 November 2021
at the Fairmont Copley Plaza, Boston

featuring
Heather Cox Richardson
in conversation with
Jared Bowen of GBH

Tickets on sale 1 August

Screencap of a webpage titled 'Celebrating Juneteenth.'  Under the title is a banner with historical photos of several Black men and women.
NHD Juneteenth Exhibition
To mark the first year that Massachusetts celebrates Juneteenth—the legal end of enslavement in the United States—as a state holiday, the Massachusetts Historical Society invites you to explore our new NHD Juneteenth web exhibition through 19 July 2021.
 
This exhibit features 15 student projects from the 20202021 National History Day in MA competition that explore topics related to African American history and culture. The projects adhere to this years NHD theme, Communication in History: A Key to Understanding, and include all five project categories: websites, documentaries, exhibits, performances, and papers. Student research includes the history of hair braiding, the US Jazz Ambassadors Program, Madam C.J. Walker, the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, and much more.
 
We also invite you to explore a selection of materials from the collection of the MHS that relate to the abolitionist movement, the struggle for emancipation, and those who fought for freedom.
On the right is a square of text titled 'Ida B. wells The Princess of the Press.' On the left is a b&w headshot photo of a Black woman.
National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) Documentary Showcase

NHD Massachusetts students Morgan Gibson and Sophie Hrad of Hanscom Middle School (Hanscom Air Force Base, MA) have been featured in the 2021 Virtual Documentary Showcase at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) in partnership with National History Day®. Their 10-minute documentary Ida B. Wells: The Princess of the Press was selected as one of 33 documentaries to premiere in this year’s showcase. Congratulations to Morgan, Sophie, and their teacher Jason Peledge!
 
The 33 student films are available to stream online.
Screenshot of a digital exhibit board titled 'Communication Through Occupation AIM Alcatraz and the Fight for Indigenous Rights.'
National Museum of American History (NMAH) Virtual Exhibit
We are proud to announce that NHD Massachusetts student Danielle Donovan of Mansfield High School (Mansfield, MA) has been selected for the 2021 Virtual Exhibit Showcase at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History (NMAH) in partnership with National History Day®. Danielle’s exhibit Communication Through Occupation: AIM, Alcatraz, and the Fight for Indigenous Rights represents Massachusetts in the exhibition of 51 student exhibits from NHD affiliates around the world. Congratulations to Danielle and her teacher Julia Atwood!
 
“We are excited and grateful to recognize the impressive work of these young scholars, and share it across our national network. Their work helps tell the complicated, difficult, and beautiful stories of the United States.” Anthea M. Hartig, Elizabeth MacMillan Director, NMAH
 
The 51 student exhibits will be available to explore online via the Smithsonian Learning Lab through today, Tuesday 29 June.
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.
Mercury Rising: John Glenn, John Kennedy, and the New Battleground of the Cold War

On Wednesday, 30 June, at 5:30 PM, Jeff Shesol presents Mercury Rising: John Glenn, John Kennedy, and the New Battleground of the Cold War, in conversation with E.J. Dionne.

If the United States couldn’t catch up to the Soviets in space, how could it compete with them on Earth? That was the question facing John F. Kennedy at the height of the Cold War. On 20 February 1962, when John Glenn blasted into orbit aboard Friendship 7, his mission was not only to circle the planet, but also to calm the fears of the free world and renew America’s sense of self-belief. Mercury Rising re-creates the tension and excitement of a flight that shifted the momentum of the space race and put the United States on the path to the moon. Drawing on new archival sources, personal interviews, and previously unpublished notes by Glenn himself, Mercury Rising reveals how the astronaut’s heroics lifted the nation’s hopes.

On Thursday, 8 July, at 5:30 PM, Crystal Lynn Webster, University of Texas at San Antonio, presents Beyond the Boundaries of Childhood: African American Children in the Antebellum North, in conversation with Kanisorn Wongsrichanalai, MHS.

On Tuesday, 13 July, at 6:00 PM, Kellie Carter Jackson, Wellesley College, presents Force and Freedom: Black Abolitionists and the Politics of Violence. This program is free for MHS Members and Fellows. Please register through the Boston Athenaeum.

On Thursday, 15 July, at 5:30 PM, Barbara F. Berenson presents the film Borderland: The Life and Times of Blanche Ames Ames.

On Tuesday, 20 July, at 5:30 PM, Stephen Kendrick presents Nine Days: The Race to Save Martin Luther King Jr.'s Life and Win the 1960 Election, in conversation with Larry Tye.

On Thursday, 29 July, at 5:30 PM, Jon Grinspan, National Museum of American History, presents Age of Acrimony: How Americans Fought to Fix Their Democracy, 1865–1915.

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.