“It is great fun watching the people up here. This morning I went to walk with the old ladies (they would be furious if they saw that) in which the hotel abounds, in fact there are hardly anything here but old ladies. We walked truly at a snails pace and I almost fainted by the side of the road. Also, which added greatly to my discomfort a boy about seventeen went with us, who I had never seen before and he scared me perfectly blue. He didn’t talk very much, and you know how little I talk. We were an absolute failure.”
–Barbara Channing to Henry Morse Channing, 14 July 1898
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Featured Item from the MHS Collection |
This drawing from the Civil War diary of sailor William B. Gould depicts the fearsome Confederate ram Stonewall. Built in France for the Confederacy, the Stonewall was retained by the French and sold by a Swedish firm to Denmark. It then reverted to the Confederate Navy. At the end of the American Civil War, the ship was sold to the Spanish colonial government of Cuba to pay off its crew. The Spanish then resold it to United States. The Japanese government purchased the ship from the United States and, halfway around the world, the Stonewall (renamed the Azuma) ended its days as one of the first major vessels of the Imperial Japanese Navy. The Stonewall did not sail under the naval ensigns of all of the countries that owned it, but it had a remarkable and colorful career. Read more about William B. Gould and the Stonewall.
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New Online Exhibition Now Live |
Political cartoons have long served to provoke public debate, illustrating opinions of the day for the masses. From early in the 19th century, arguments over voting rights—who votes and who counts the votes—have been depicted in cartoons, especially with the rise of illustrated newspapers and magazines with a national circulation before the Civil War. Featuring examples of published cartoons from the MHS collection, as well as other libraries and foundations, this exhibition illustrates how cartoonists helped to tell the story of voting rights in the United States. In addition to many drawings by Thomas Nast, the most influential American political cartoonist in the decades following the Civil War, the exhibition features modern reinterpretations of these topics by editorial cartoonists, including Herblock (Herbert Block),Tom Toles, and Bill Mauldin, as well as current Boston-area artists. Visit www.masshist.org/whocounts to explore the exhibition.
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This Week's Online Programs |
On Wednesday, 16 September, at 5:30 PM, Karen Burciaga, Dan Meyers, and Matthew Wright of Seven Times Salt, present Pilgrims’ Progress: Music of the Plimoth Colony Settlers 1590-1645. The Plimoth colonists were a diverse group of Separatists and Anglicans, English and Dutch, some religious and some not. They brought with them varied musical backgrounds and Plimoth Colony heard not only psalms but also catches, ballads, and dance tunes. We’ll follow the settlers from England to religious refuge in the Netherlands and onward to the early years of Plimoth. You’ll hear music of the Elizabethan tavern and theater, spirited drinking songs, Dutch love songs, psalms from Sternhold & Hopkins’ Whole Booke of Psalmes, and traditional English country dance tunes. Register for the online program.
On Thursday, 17 September, at 3:30 PM, the MHS hosts its 11th annual Graduate Student Reception. Calling all graduate students and faculty! Please join us at our 11th annual Graduate Student Reception for students in history, American studies, and related fields. Join us for a virtual gathering to learn about the resources the MHS offers to support your scholarship, from research fellowships to our seminar series. Register for the online program.
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Upcoming September Programs |
On Tuesday, 22 September, at 5:15 PM, Lauren Duval, University of Oklahoma, presents “The Horrid Deeds of our Enemies” with comment by Carolyn Eastman, Virginia Commonwealth University.
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Registration is Open for the Conrad E. Wright Research Conference |
Monday, 12 October to Friday, 16 October
The year 2020 marks the anniversaries of two critical amendments to the United States Constitution. Spaced fifty years apart, the Fifteenth and Nineteenth Amendments, ratified in 1870 and 1920, respectively, prohibited the use of race or sex to deny American citizens the franchise. This virtual conference bridges these two moments to revisit the long journey to secure voting rights for African Americans and women in United States history. Register for the virtual conference.
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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.
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To initiate a chat, click the “Ask a Librarian” bubble on our Virtual Reference and Chat Services webpage. Chat service is currently available Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM, and on Tuesday, from 1:00 PM to 7:00 PM, excluding holidays when the library is closed.
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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. Learn more at www.masshist.org/support/members.
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