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Free online lectures: Explore a world of ideas

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Revolutionary Spaces

**Revolutionary Spaces ** connects people to the history and continuing practice of democracy through the intertwined stories of two of the nation’s most iconic sites—Boston’s Old South Meeting House and Old State House. We foster a free and open exchange of ideas, explore history, create gathering places, and preserve and steward historic buildings.

https://www.bostonhistory.org

  • Dr. Joseph Warren: The Boston Tea Party, Bunker Hill, and the Birth of American Liberty

    Thu, Jan 19, 2012
    "Renowned for his fiery speeches commemorating the Boston Massacre, as the man who enlisted Paul Revere for his infamous ride, and as a hero of the Battle of Bunker Hill, Dr. Joseph Warren was an accomplished physician and leading patriot in Colonial Boston. Beloved and famous in his time, Joseph Warren is barely remembered today in contrast to his better known contemporaries. Dr. Sam Forman, physician, local historian, and author will discuss Joseph Warren's interactions with favorite Revolutionary Era personalities: Tory Governor Thomas Hutchinson, Patriot Samuel Adams, poetic muse of the Revolution Phillis Wheatley, and silversmith Paul Revere. *Correction: In describing the one-time fame of Joseph Warren, the speaker states that Warren is the fifth most common street and public place name in Eastern Pennsylvania. He should have said Eastern Massachusetts.*"
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  • Trial of Andrew Johnson and the Fight for Lincoln's Legacy

    Mon, Jun 15, 2009
    Author and Constitutional lawyer David O. Stewart reveals how the first President Impeachment Crisis was wrought with corruption and greed. In 1868 when the nation was healing from a bloody civil war, the US Congress impeached Lincoln's successor, President Andrew Johnson. Attempting to secure the rights of the freed slaves and prevent the southern states from falling under control of the rebels, congressional Republicans seized the opportunity to impeach President Johnson, a man who took a narrow view of federal powers and was untroubled by racial violence. The conflict between the President and the Congress threatened to tear the nation apart, in a clash that strained the Constitution to the breaking point. This program is generously funded by the Lowell Institute.
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  • The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane

    Thu, Oct 8, 2009
    Katherine Howe discusses how New England's historic past is woven into her work of fiction, *The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane*. Scholars of the Salem Witch Trials have long discussed what caused the tragic witchcraft hysteria, but author Katherine Howe asks: What if the magic was real? In her spellbinding new novel, Howe weaves the story of graduate student Connie Goodwan with the tale of Deliverance Dane, accused of practicing "physick" in 1690s Salem.
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  • Stimulating Beverages: Tea, Coffee, and Chocolate in Early America

    Thu, Jan 7, 2010
    Amanda Lange, curator at Historic Deerfield, explains how tea, coffee, and chocolate--originally prescribed as cures for ailments ranging from headaches and depressions--became counted among the necessities of daily life. Before 1650, a New England breakfast often included a mug of ale, beer, or hard wine. Yet, with the introduction of tea, coffee, and chocolate, the tastes of the Western world were forever changed.
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  • The Colorful Politician, James Michael Curley

    Wed, Jan 20, 2010
    William Bulger, who served as president of both the Massachusetts Senate and the University of Massachusetts, author of *James Michael Curley: a Short Biography*, explains why the "rascal" politician James Michael Curley was such and inspiration to the generation that followed him. James Michael Curley dominated the political scene for over half a century as Boston councilor, alderman, mayor, Massachusetts governor and congressman. Eloquent, passionate, every loyal to his constituents, Curley was a lightening rod for controversy throughout a political career extending from 1897 through 1955. Sponsored by the Lowell Institute.
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  • Slavery and Abolition at Boston's Old South Meeting House

    Wed, Sep 30, 2009
    James W. Crawford, Minister Emeritus of Boston's Old South Church, discusses how the concept of liberty and destiny so tied in with the church's identity, flavored the congregation's stance on slavery and how Lincoln's influence provided inspiration during the Civil War. Boston's Old South Meeting House has a long connection with abolition, reaching back to the 1700 publication of New England's first anti-slavery tract by prominent congregation member Samuel Sewall. But by the 1850s, Old South, known for its role in the fight for American independence, was split on the question of how to achieve the abolition of slavery.
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    Belinda Rathbone: Tea with Miss Rose

    Thu, Dec 17, 2009
    Belinda Rathbone, co-author of *Tea with Miss Rose*, talks about the life and times of Rose Nichols, the Bostonian spinster who gathered a regular crowd at her townhouse on Beacon Hill in the 1950s to discuss art, politics, and world affairs over a cup of Hu-Kwa. Rathbone describes these famous tea parties and shares recipes for tea cakes and the best "ingredients" for lively conversations for a proper tea party.
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  • Dieting For Sins: New England Food Reformers

    Thu, Mar 6, 2003
    Barbara Haber, author and curator of books at Harvard University's Schlesinger Library, looks at food reformist movements, including the 1889 New England Kitchen movement, during her discussion of New England culinary history.
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  • Not So Sweet: Baker Chocolate Factory

    Thu, Mar 20, 2003
    Author and historian Anthony M. Sammarco tells the fascinating and not always sweet tale of the Boston chocolate mill's roots, which date back to the 1700s. When one thinks of chocolate, the name "Baker's Chocolate" comes to mind, with its trademark chocolate woman. Sammarco explores the history of the company, beginning with the moment when Dr. James Baker and his chocolate maker John Hannonthe established the first chocolate mill in America, in a converted wooden mill on the banks of the Neponset River in Massachusetts. Within a century, the company, known as the Walter Baker Company, Ltd. had become known throughout the world as the oldest manufacturer of chocolate in the United States.
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  • From Apple Pie to Pad Thai

    Thu, Mar 13, 2003
    Linda Bassett speaks about New England's "Gold Coast" (Massachusetts' North Shore) and how the influx of immigrants into the area shaped the eating habits of its residents. Learn about the impact of traditional Jewish, Portuguese, Greek, and African-American dishes on New England dining rooms.
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