Forum Network

Free online lectures: Explore a world of ideas

Funding provided by:

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

Industry's Revolution: The Labor Movement in Greater Boston and Beyond

Thu, Sep 9, 2010

Historian Phillip Dray, award-winning author of *There is Power in a Union*, examines how the labor movement over time has invoked our nation’s revolutionary ideals—freedom, individualism and liberty—in its exploration of labor, capital, class politics and corporate might. Industry arrived in the early years of our young republic, and with it came a vigorous labor movement that paralleled the path of our nation’s social and cultural history. The American labor movement has endured picket lines, police batons and strikes, and has celebrated the successful creation of fair workers’ rights and safer working conditions.

Forum Network

Partner:

Revolutionary Spaces
City Censors: The Notorious Watch and Ward Society

Tue, Sep 28, 2010

Neil Miller, author and lecturer in journalism at Tufts University, traces the evolution of the straitlaced, New England Watch and Ward Society from its aristocratic reformist roots to its ruthless moral crusades. The influential and contentious New England Watch and Ward Society acted as Boston’s unofficial moral guardians for over 80 years. These elite watchdogs actively policed the city’s social evils from gambling and prostitution, to obscene books and scandalous theater. Elaborate sting operations, raids, ample arrests, and courtroom battles earned the Society notoriety and Boston a reputation as a prudish and puritanical city.

Forum Network

Partner:

Revolutionary Spaces
Legacy of the Cocoanut Grove Nightclub Fire

Thu, Nov 11, 2010

On November 28, 1942, a vibrant and popular nightclub turned into a horrifying inferno via a fast-moving and searing fire that left nearly 500 people dead. The personal stories that emerged from this tragic event shocked the nation and led to sweeping changes in fire regulations, emergency procedures, and medicine. Casey Grant, research director of the Fire Protection Research Foundation of the National Fire Protection Association and expert on the Cocoanut Grove fire, examines the impact and legacy of this fire. Presented in collaboration with the Boston Fire Historical Society, the Boston Fire Department, Downtown Crossing Partnership, the National Fire Prevention Association and other local partners. Special thanks to author and historian Stephanie Schorow.

Forum Network

Partner:

Revolutionary Spaces
Tragedy in November: The Luongo Fire and Thanksgiving Day Fires

Thu, Nov 18, 2010

Former Boston Fire Commissioner Paul Christian shares the story of the little-known Luongo fire as well as that of the 8-alarm Thanksgiving Day Fire of 1889. November has been a tragic month in Boston's fire history. On November 15, 1942, a fire started in the back room of the Luongo Restaurant in East Boston. Just hours later, without warning, a wall collapsed, trapping firefighters in burning debris and burying the city's largest ladder truck. Eight firemen were killed. Presented in collaboration with the Boston Fire Historical Society, the Boston Fire Department, Downtown Crossing Partnership, the National Fire Prevention Association and other local partners. Special thanks to author and historian Stephanie Schorow.

Forum Network

Partner:

Revolutionary Spaces
Capitol Men: The First Black Congressmen

Tue, Feb 24, 2009

Philip Dray tells the the epic story of America's reconstruction through the lives of the first black congressmen. After the ratification of the 15th Amendment, which granted black men suffrage, 16 black southerners were elected to the United States Congress. These Capitol men faced a high degree of hostility and scrutiny upon their arrival in Washington, yet actively pursued civil rights and lasting economic and educational reforms. Dray reveals how these men became a source of inspiration for Americans in the years following the Civil War, and how they laid the groundwork for future civil rights legislation.

Forum Network

Partner:

Revolutionary Spaces
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.

Food and Wellness

Partner:

Revolutionary Spaces
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.

Forum Network

Partner:

Revolutionary Spaces
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.

Forum Network

Partner:

Revolutionary Spaces
Debating Reparations for Slavery

Thu, Oct 10, 2002

Glenn C. Loury of Boston University and Melissa Nobles of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology debate the pros and cons of slavery reparations. How do you put a price on 300 years of injustice? The legacy of slavery in the United States continues to shape life and society for all Americans. The controversial arguments surrounding slavery reparations is proof that this country is still struggling with how to address and overcome the repercussions of slavery. Does this country owe a financial debt to the descendants of black slaves? Who should pay and receive reparations? How much is owed? Instead of repairing damage, might such payments polarize communities and create new racial tensions?

Forum Network

Partner:

Revolutionary Spaces
Native Americans and the Boston Harbor Islands

Wed, May 7, 2003

Currently the home of a waste water treatment plant, many do not know Deer Island's history as an internment camp for Native Americans (many of whom died) in the 1675 war known (in Anglicized terms) as King Phillip's war. Multiple perspectives (Anglicized and Native American) are still being revealed about the dark pages of Deer Island's history. This and other topics particular to Native American history and the Boston Harbor Islands are discussed with a diverse panel moderated by cultural anthropologist for the National Park Service (Northeast Region) George Price. Panelists include Edith Andrews, Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah), Jim Peters, Executive Director, MA Commission on Indian Affairs, and member of the Wampanoag Mashpee, and Pat Garwood, Tribal Council, Nipmuc Nation.

Forum Network

Partner:

Revolutionary Spaces