“As for George his age for mischief is now come, and we cannot expect he should be exempt from it more than others—Is there no such thing as a day school where he could be sent, and kept quiet?”
–John Quincy Adams to Louisa Catherine Adams, 9 June 1804
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Featured Item from the MHS Collection |
After his sweeping victory in 1972—the second largest landslide in American political history—President Richard Nixon took time out from planning his next term to thank Leverett Saltonstall for a congratulatory note. The letter is courteous but brief. Nixon served with Saltonstall in the Senate (1951–1952) and then through the Eisenhower presidency when Saltonstall had been a powerful member of the Senate Republican Party leadership. Saltonstall retired from the Senate in 1967 but, as someone who had successfully campaigned for the offices of governor and senator in an increasingly Democratic state, he remained a respected senior figure in the Republican Party. Although members of the same political party, Saltonstall and Nixon had little in common except for their shared connection to an uncommonly zealous assistant, Charles W. “Chuck” Colson, who worked with each of them. Read more.
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Virtual Exhibition Launches on 15 September |
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. Who Counts? A Look at Voter Rights through Political Cartoons launches on 15 September at www.masshist.org/whocounts.
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This Week's Online Programs |
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. At some moments in time you need people with political courage. The Massachusetts Historical Society is hosting a virtual discussion with John Dean and William Weld, two people who stood up, stepped forward, and spoke out, even when doing so contradicted their friends and political party. With moderator Edward Widmer, Dean and Weld will discuss their experiences and the need for political courage today. Register for the online program.
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On Thursday, 10 September, at 12:00 PM, Yiyun Huang, The University of Tennessee-Knoxville, presents John Adams & China: Globalizing Early America. John Adams consumed a lot of Chinese tea. He especially appreciated the medical benefits associated with the hot beverage. In a 1757 diary entry, he wrote that “nothing but large potions of tea” could extinguish his heartburn. How did Adams know that Chinese tea cured heartburn? Why did he believe that nothing else was as effective? This talk examines the ways medical ideas moved across the world during the eighteenth century. Register for the online brown-bag 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.
On Tuesday, 29 September, at 5:15 PM, Scott Kushner, University of Rhode Island, presents
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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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