Stay engaged with the MHS this year.
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“A lovely Day. Soft vernal Showers. Exercise invigorates, and enlivens all the Faculties of Body and of mind. It arouses our Animal Spirits, it disperses Melancholy. It spreads a gladness and Satisfaction over our minds and qualifies us for every Sort of Buisiness, and every Sort of Pleasure.”
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Letter from Benjamin Franklin to John Franklin (copy), 25 December 1750
A man of many passions, Benjamin Franklin had a particular interest in experimenting with electricity. He famously flew a kite with a key on the string in a thunderstorm in 1752 and proved that electricity was a force of nature.
However, not all his experiments went according to plan! On 25 December 1750, Benjamin wrote a letter to his brother John, then living in Boston, to tell him about a mishap during his latest electrical experiment:
“I have lately made an Experiment in Electricity that I desire never to repeat. Two nights ago being about to kill a Turkey by the Shock from two large Glass Jarrs containing as much electrical fire as forty common Phials, I inadvertently took the whole thro' my own Arms and Body.”
In this letter, Benjamin allows John to relate the episode to James Bowdoin, another Boston electricity enthusiast, but no one else. He writes, “You may Communicate this to Mr. Bowdoin As A Caution to him, but do not make it more Publick, for I am Ashamed to have been Guilty of so Notorious A Blunder.”
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National History Day in Massachusetts (NHD) has completed another banner year and 48 students are participating in the national competition this week. We are thrilled to announce that an NHD student project from our state competition will be featured in a virtual exhibit showcase hosted by the Smithsonian National Museum of American History via the Smithsonian Learning Lab!
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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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The Virginia Dynasty: Four Presidents and the Creation of the American Nation
From a small expanse of land on the North American continent came four of the nation's first five presidents—a geographic dynasty whose members led a revolution, created a nation, and ultimately changed the world. George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and James Monroe were friends and rivals, they led in securing independence, hammering out the United States Constitution, and building a working republic. But even as Virginians advanced Enlightenment values like liberty, equality, and human possibility, they enslaved people throughout their lives. Taking full measure of strengths and failures in the personal as well as the political lives of the men of the Virginia Dynasty, Cheney offers a concise and original exploration of how the United States came to be.
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MHS 2021 Annual Meeting
On Thursday, 17 June 2021 at 3:30 PM, online meeting of the MHS Fellows, open to the public, MHS 2021 Annual Meeting.
The MHS Annual Meeting will be held via Zoom webinar, at 3:30 pm on Thursday, 17 June 2021. This annual meeting’s purpose is to hold elections for the Board of Trustees, Advisory Council, and Society of Fellows; to update the Fellows on the business of the MHS; and to honor our retiring Overseers, Trustees, Board Officers, and Staff.
Following the business meeting, we'll be treated to a presentation on National History Day in Massachusetts from MHS Education Director Elyssa Tardif!
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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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Share Your COVID-19 Experience(s)
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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.
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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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