Join the 17th Century
Explore the story of early Boston, Massachusetts, and the wider 17TH century world
how did politicians behave in the 17th century?
At a time when certain politicians have had a hard time relinquishing power and leaving office, and leading politicians endorse their resistance, it’s salutary to look to the past - specifically, to the start of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, when elections were yearly and political leaders relinquished office with grace.
It’s a reminder that democratic norms - elections, standing down from office, public officials being accountable - have a long track record in New England. They were not always adhered to, and their record stands alongside the Puritans’ other political legacy: injustice, slavery, the exclusion of women, and genocidal attacks on New England’s Indigenous people. But as a lesson for today, this history is instructive.
In this new blogpost, The Humility of John Winthrop, historian Francis J. Bremer offers a glimpse of a (relatively) democratic past.
Politics is a rollicking business… but some conduct it with more grace and humility than others.
Events
UNSEEN NEW ENGLAND IN EARLY AMERICAN ART
EMELIE GEVALT
ONLINE, WEDNESDAY, MAY 15, 2024, 6-7:30PM
Emelie Gevalt, curator of a superb exhibition, Unnamed Figures, and curatorial chair of collections and curator of folk art at the American Folk Art Museum, offers a new way of re-envisioning the past: through early New England art. Her exploration of four key works reveals both gaps in our collective memory - and the distinctive nature of New England slavery, including the highly personal but deeply conflicted relations between white and black people in the same, intimate household. Unnamed Figures opens at Historic Deerfield in May.
Salem 1692: interpreting history and finding relevance
dan lipcan and paula richter, pem
ONLINE, TUESDAY, JUNE 18, 2024, 7-8:30PM
How do we understand the Salem witch trials - and what is their meaning today? Two curators at the Peabody Essex Museum take us on a curatorial odyssey, as they examine the four witch trial exhibitions which they’ve led, and how each addresses a new question. Visit their new exhibition on a tour especially for PHB audience members.
“It really hit home that this is why history is so critical.”
participant, reading group
a remarkable tour: 53 sites
Fifty-three historical sites in Rhode Island, some newly discovered, most little known, have been joined in a novel project to put early New England history on the map: the Sowams Heritage Area. Dave Weed, project director, reveals the rich and multi-faceted history - Native and English - in tours and in his newsletter. See the spot where King Philip’s War began and the cave where Ousamequin offered Roger Williams a home.
the world of puritanism
On the eve of colonial Boston’s 400th anniversary, scholar Francis J. Bremer offers us a mini crash-course on puritanism - the magical world in which they, like all Europeans, existed; the profound pull of a pure faith in John Winthrop’s Stour Valley; and the unexpectedly liberating nature of puritanism for women. Learn all about it, in four short articles, from a world renowned expert.
Behind the Scenes at the Museum
A deed of sale signed by Squaw Sachem. The cost of imprisonment for the accused in the witchcraft trials. The “A” for adultery law. Who knew that it was possible to see these remarkable documents firsthand - or that they even survived? Go behind the scenes of the Commonwealth Museum to see what the Massachusetts Archives has in store.
