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“I am very hartily joyfull. to heare of you. and
from you. & that God is pleased to lengthen out yor dayes
to stand up in the roome of good old Xtians gone into another
better habitation.”
Featured Item from the MHS Collection

Resistance to the War of 1812 in Massachusetts gave rise to a broader antiwar movement. Jonathan Plummer of Newburyport, a peddler, physician, and writer of popular verse, preached against all war in this broadside account of battles in North America, at sea, and in Europe. Plummer calculated not only American casualties in General William Hull's abortive campaign against Canada, and the loss of life (both American and British seamen) when the “Guerier” [HMS Guerrière] was destroyed by the United States Frigate Constitution on 19 August 1812, but also 7,000 soldiers and civilians killed in the Salamanca campaign in Spain during the summer of 1812. View the broadside by Jonathan Plummer.
Online Programs

On Thursday, 20 August, at 12:00 PM, Darcy Stevens, University of Maine, presents Interpreting Neutrality during the American Revolution in the Northeast Borderlands. Rebellion, neutrality, and loyalty existed on a spectrum that inhabitants in the Borderlands of Maine and Nova Scotia moved along throughout the war. Likewise, British and American officials’ interpretations and acceptance of neutrality was malleable. Examining neutrals, rebels, loyalists, New England Planters, Wabanaki, and Acadians in the Borderlands reveals factors which impacted personal decisions and official policy about neutrality. Recognizing the complexity of neutrality restores agency to individuals and suggests a new terrain for assessing revolutionary actors as they were buffeted by wartime change. Register for this online brown-bag program.
Save the Date!

On Wednesday, 9 September, at 5:30 PM, John Dean, William Weld, and Edward Widmer present Standing Up, Stepping Forward, & Speaking Out: The Political Courage to take a Principled Stand. Watergate was a sea change in American politics. But even as a presidential scandal gripped the nation, there were remarkable displays of political courage as Republicans and Democrats found ways to work together for the good of the nation, and wrote new rules to ensure transparency and integrity. What can we learn from the people who stood up, stepped forward, and spoke out against wrongs that they saw within their own party and among their friends? How can this help us understand the role of collaborationists and the need for political courage. Join us for a virtual conversation with John Dean, former White House Counsel to President Richard Nixon who was implicated in the Watergate scandal but later testified against Nixon; William Weld, former Massachusetts Governor and US presidential candidate, who began his legal career as a counsel on the U.S. House Judiciary Committee's impeachment inquiry staff for the impeachment process against Richard Nixon in 1974; and Edward Widmer, historian and MHS Trustee. Register now for this online program.
Upcoming Programs
On Thursday, 27 August, at 12:00 PM, Evan Turiano, CUNY, presents Running toward Abolition: Fugitive Slaves, Legal Rights, & the Coming of the Civil War.

On Wednesday, 9 September, at 5:30 PM, John Dean, William Weld, and Edward Widmer present Standing Up, Stepping Forward, & Speaking Out: The Political Courage to take a Principled Stand.

On Thursday, 10 September, at 12:00 PM, Yiyun Huang, The University of Tennessee-Knoxville, presents John Adams & China: Globalizing Early America.

On Monday, 14 September, at 5:30 PM, Gorden Edes, Historian of the Boston Red Sox, presents The Boston Red Sox & WWII.

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.

On Thursday, 17 September at 3:30 PM, the MHS hosts its 11th annual Graduate Student Reception.

Visit www.masshist.org/events for more information and to register. To view a selection of past programs, go to www.masshist.org/video or visit our YouTube channel.
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.
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.

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.