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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://revolutionaryspaces.org

Bits to Beeswax: The Conservation of Treasures

Thu, Nov 20, 2003

Michaela Neiro assistant conservator for the Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities (SPNEA), explains how the creative use of materials, such as clay and beeswax, as well as computer technology, help conservators save cherished objects. SPNEA has the largest assemblage of New England art and artifacts in its collection, a total of nearly 100,000 items. The care and conservation of these objects is an astonishingly meticulous and important job.

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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.

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Scandal on the Stage: Banned Theater in Boston

Thu, May 1, 2003

This program includes vignettes of censored plays in Boston, beginning with the Puritan censorship of Morton's Maypole and climaxing with the 1929 banning of Eugene O'Neill's Freudian theatrical experiment, Strange Interlude. A panel discusses the performances, the historical ideas of censorship, and what forms censorship takes today.

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Military History of the Boston Harbor Islands

Wed, May 28, 2003

Historian and author Jayne Triber draws on her research and experiences working at Fort Independence on Castle Island in South Boston and at the Boston Harbor Islands national park area to review the dramatic, colorful, and military history of these hidden treasures. For over 350 years, the Boston Harbor Islands have played an important role in the defense of Boston, Massachusetts and the United States. From the colonial period to the Cold War, the Harbor Islands have been the site of fortifications, training camps, prisoner-of-war camps, and Nike missile installations.

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Tuskegee Airmen of World War II

Thu, Feb 26, 2004

Enoch Woodhouse, attorney and veteran Tuskegee Airman, explains how the heroic deeds of the Tuskegee Airmen in World War II were an important factor in ending racial segregation in the US military by 1948.

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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?

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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.

Food and Wellness

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Jazz Age: From New Orleans to Chicago

Thu, Jan 29, 2004

Eric Jackson, who has been heard nightly on WGBH 89.7 FM for more than 20 years, discusses the rise of this beloved and uniquely American music form in the wild decade of the 1920's. Jackson, host of WGBH's Eric in the Evening, has been called the dean of Boston jazz radio. Using Buddy Bolden as a starting point, Jackson highlights the changing instruments in the early jazz band and discusses stylistic changes in the music through piano styles like ragtime, stride and boogie woogie. He underscores the differences between what is called New Orleans jazz and the styles popularized in Chicago in the late 20s. Jackson reviews the roots of the big band by looking at Fletcher Henderson and Don Redman's pioneering work.

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Town Meeting with Howard Zinn

Thu, Mar 25, 2004

Howard Zinn discusses his classic book *A People's History of the United States*. James R. Green, Professor of History at UMass, Boston, moderates. This event is presented in collaboration with the Organization of American Historians as a Partners in Public Dialogue Program.

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Anouar Majid: Piracy, Terrorism and the Question of Islam

Thu, Mar 11, 2004

Dr. Anouar Majid, professor and chair of English at the University of New England, discusses the United States' first major contact with the Muslim World in the Barbary War and the parallels to our own time.

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Revolutionary Spaces