Letter from W. E. B. Du Bois to George Frisbie Hoar, 7 November 1895

In this letter, dated 7 November 1895, 28-year-old W. E. B. Du Bois writes to Massachusetts Senator George Frisbie Hoar seeking Hoar’s assistance in securing a teaching position, either at Howard University or in the Washington, DC, public schools. Acknowledging that he has “no claim upon an entire stranger to ask so great a favor,” Du Bois outlines for Hoar his personal ambitions as a historian and sociologist in order to demonstrate how a teaching position in Washington, with access to the vast libraries in the nation’s capital, would help him achieve these goals. Read more about Du Bois and this letter,

Books for Idle Hours: 19th-Century Publishing & the Rise of Summer Reading



On Thursday, 11 June, at 5:30 PM , join Donna Harrington-Lueker, Salve Regina University, for a talk about her book Books for Idle Hours: 19th-Century Publishing & the Rise of Summer Reading .

The publishing phenomenon of summer reading started in the 19th century, as both print culture and tourist culture expanded in the United States. Drawing on publishing records, book reviews, readers’ diaries, and popular novels of the period, Donna Harrington-Lueker explores the beginning of summer reading and the backlash against it. Countering fears about the dangers of leisurely reading—especially for young women—publishers framed summer reading not as a disreputable habit but as a respectable pastime and welcome respite. Harrington-Lueker works to shed new light on an ongoing seasonal publishing tradition. Register for the online program .

On Wednesday, 17 June, at 5:30 PM , Megan Kate Nelson and Kanisorn Wongsrichanalai, MHS, discuss The Three-Cornered War: The Union, the Confederacy, & Native Peoples in the Fight for the West .

On Wednesday, 24 June, at 5:30 PM , Mary Beth Norton, Cornell University, will present 1774: The Long Year of Revolution .

On Friday, 26 June, at 2:00 PM , Clara Silverstein, Historic Newton, will present a Virtual Tour of Jackson Homestead and Museum .

V isit 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 .

How do you feel the civil unrest we are seeing across the country has been influenced by or will affect the response to the COVID-19 pandemic?

 

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.