Stay engaged with the MHS this year.

“After my walk round the Capitol Square, I found in the garden the Wall-flower, and primrose, and Cress and Lamium in flower— Ascertained the three trees just up which were yesterday uncertain to be apples, and found three more— The Plum trees are in full-bloom, and look as with heads of Snow— Ouseley’s budded double blossom peaches are also in beautiful bloom— I renewed the fire in my chamber; and planted in Seedling Pot N. 1. a Post Oak Acorn, and several other Nuts and Seeds.”
James Armistead Lafayette

This engraving depicts James Armistead Lafayette, an enslaved African American who served in the Continental Army. Born James Armistead in Virginia in either 1748 or 1760, he secured his enslaver's permission to join the fight in 1781 and served under the Marquis de Lafayette as a spy.
 
Deployed to the camp of the turncoat Benedict Arnold, Armistead was truly a double agent, feeding Arnold false information while giving Lafayette detailed and accurate accounts of the British troops.
 
After the war, Armistead gained his freedom in 1787 by petitioning the Virginia Assembly and submitting a letter, seen here in facsimile under Armistead’s portrait, from the Marquis de Lafayette attesting to his service. James Armistead then took Lafayette for his last name in the general's honor. He also received a yearly pension for his services after 1818.

Presented by the Massachusetts Civic Learning Coalition (MCLC)
Tuesday, 27 April 2021, 3:00pm‒4:00PM
Want to learn more about the impact of civic education on students in Massachusetts? Join us for the inaugural Civic Learning Week, April 24-30, organized by the MHS and partner organizations belonging to the Massachusetts Civic Education Coalition.
 
On Tuesday, 27 April 2021, 3:15‒4:00PM, award-winning National History Day student Morgan Gibson will be a featured speaker on a panel of Massachusetts legislators, who have championed civic education in the state. Sen. Harriette Chandler, Rep. Linda Dean Campbell, and Rep. Andy Vargas will speak about past and present legislation to improve civic education in the Commonwealth, including the 2018 Act to Promote and Enhance Civic Engagement, which made Massachusetts a national leader in civic education reform.
 
The legislators are joined by students who are leading or have led civic action projects in their communities. The students will share their experiences of leading civic action projects. Following their individual presentations, the legislators and students will engage in dialogue to discuss what the future of civic education in Massachusetts should look like.
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.

Contesting Domesticity—A Panel Discussion

On Tuesday, 20 April, at 5:15 PM, Kwelina Thompson, Cornell University; Shoniqua Roach, Brandeis University; and Laura Puaca, Christopher Newport University, present Contesting Domesticity—A Panel Discussion with comment by Allison Horrocks, Lowell National Historic Park.

The domestic realm has long captivated feminist scholars who have sought to understand the lives of women and the workings of gender. How have women experienced, challenged, leveraged, and shaped the domestic? This panel will consider such questions and discuss the domestic as a contested site of constraint and possibility. Shoniqua Roach theorizes the meanings of black domesticity as a deeply fraught space marked by anti-black sentiment and yet full of insurgent potential. Kwelina Thompson explores the history of the La Leche League—a Catholic mothers group that organized to support breastfeeding mothers in the mid-twentieth century. Finally, Laura Puaca tells the story of the expansion of post-WWII vocational rehabilitation programs to include disabled homemakers in the US.

Clean Water, Green Spaces, and Social Equity

On Thursday, 22 April, at 5:30 PM, Karen Mauney-Brodek, Emerald Necklace Conservancy; Rep. Nika Elugardo; and Chris Reed, Harvard Graduate School of Design, present Clean Water, Green Spaces, and Social Equity moderated by Sarah Glazer.

The chain of green spaces and waterways that comprise the Emerald Necklace park system is an invaluable urban oasis. Described as “the lungs of the city” this parkland and its rivers and ponds clean the city air, provide habitats for birds and other wildlife, and greatly improve quality of life for Boston residents. Our panel will explore the past, present, and future of this urban wild, beginning with Olmsted’s vision, through the lens of social equity and environmental justice.
 
Bound by War: How the United States and the Philippines Built America’s First Pacific Century

On Monday, 26 April, at 5:30 PM, Christopher Capozzola, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, presents Bound by War: How the United States and the Philippines Built America’s First Pacific Century.

Ever since US troops occupied the Philippines in 1898, generations of Filipinos have served in and alongside the US armed forces. Historian Christopher Capozzola reveals this forgotten history, showing how war and military service forged an enduring, yet fraught, alliance between Americans and Filipinos. As the US military expanded in Asia, American forces confronted their Pacific rivals from Philippine bases and Filipinos became crucial partners in the exercise of US power. Their service reshaped Philippine society and politics and brought hundreds of thousands of Filipino immigrants to America, including WWII veterans who fought a decades-long battle to win equitable rights to citizenship and veterans benefits. Drawing on research across the US and Asia, Bound by War tells the epic story of the US and the Philippines through the wars the two nations fought together.
 
On Tuesday, 27 April, at 5:15 PM, Danielle Battisti, University of Nebraska Omaha, and Carly Goodman, La Salle University, present The “Other” Illegals: Unauthorized European Immigration to New York City and Boston in the 20th Century with comment by Christopher Capozzola, Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

On Wednesday, 28 April at 5:30 PM, the Young Patrons Committee invites you to Spill the Tea with Catherine Allgor, MHS. This event is free and exclusively for patrons under 40.

On Thursday, 29 April, at 5:15 PM, Caroline Weber, Barnard College, and Channing Joseph, University of Southern California, present Fashioning a Life: How Style Matters in Biography moderated by Natalie Dykstra, Hope College.

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.