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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

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    How a Harbor Barge Changed Pediatric Medicine

    Wed, Jul 22, 2015
    This is the remarkable story of Floating Hospital for Children, a Boston institution that became a pioneer in pediatric healthcare. The hospital began in 1894 as a ship commissioned to bring the city's poor, sick children out onto the harbor for fresh air and medical treatment. Throughout its impressive history, Floating Hospital made immeasurable contributions to the field of pediatrics (including the invention of infant formula) and eventually transitioned to its present-day brick-and-mortar building at Tufts Medical Center, which was designed like a ship in homage to the hospital's earliest days. Dan Bird, director of volunteers at Floating Hospital for Children and the driving force behind this new book from Union Park Press, will share highlights from this fascinating chapter in medical history.
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  • The Fife is Right: Literary Boston

    Wed, Apr 1, 2015
    Beantown bibliophiles unite! Whether your interest is Transcendental tales, American poetry, famed publishers, or the history of censorship that gave rise to the term “banned in Boston” – join us for an evening of spirited rivalry as you challenge your own knowledge of Boston’s literary past against two teams of local experts. In this fast-paced, live-action quiz show, the audience is part of the event, offering life-lines, voting on answers and more. This quiz show goes far beyond any trivia game, providing information with our answers so that you leave an expert! Contestants include: Barry DeVincke, Sharon Shaloo, Henry David Thoreau (portrayed by Richard Smith), L'Merchie Frazier, Louisa May Alcott (portrayed by Jan Turnquist), and Larry Lindner Quizmaster: Susan Wilson
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    Revolutionary Spaces
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    The Picture of Innocence: Symbols and Propaganda from the Boston Massacre

    Fri, Mar 20, 2015
    The Boston Massacre became infamous throughout the American Colonies in a matter of weeks. Patriot leaders immediately circulated the news with heavy doses of propaganda. So what really happened on March 5, 1770? What did it mean to colonists who gathered at Old South Meeting House for memorial services, or who read an account in their newspaper in Pennsylvania or Georgia? Historian and Old South Meeting House Educator **Tegan Kehoe** walks viewers through the facts and fictions of Paul Revere’s famous print and several other contemporary depictions of the “bloody massacre on King Street.”
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    From Pewter to Pottery: The Archaeology of Boston's Colonial Craftspeople

    Fri, Feb 6, 2015
    What can archaeology teach us about the historical arts and crafts of our city? Learn from Boston City Archaeologist **Joseph Bagley**, who will offer an overview of the city’s archaeological collections as a rich source of data, then explore in depth what archaeological research has revealed about two mid-18th-century Boston professional craftspeople - Grace Parker, who had a redware ceramic business, and John Carnes, who ran a pewter workshop.
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    Revolutionary Spaces
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    Benjamin Franklin: Wordsmith, Printer

    Fri, Jan 23, 2015
    Historian of science and technology, **Robert Martello** will round out your knowledge of Boston native (and Old South Meeting House congregant) Benjamin Franklin in this lively, illustrated talk. Follow Franklin’s footsteps from the time he ran his brother’s press as a young apprentice, through the many life adventures that shaped his life as a wordsmith, statesman, and printer. Printing was a tricky business in the 18th century, and Franklin’s combination of business acumen and intellectual prowess contributed to his success and versatility in the trade. Learn how Franklin changed printing, and how printing changed Franklin.
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    Revolutionary Spaces
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    Freedom of Speech or the Tyranny of Silence?

    Wed, Jan 21, 2015
    Following the massacre of journalists at [Charlie Hebdo](http://charliehebdo.fr/en "Charlie Hebdo") in Paris, as well as the intimidation of Sony Pictures over ["The Interview,"](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Interview_%282014_film%29 "The Interview") and a growing climate of self-censorship, this panel opens up a conversation on the direction and future of free speech. The forum features three panelists followed by an open question and answer session with the audience. This event is produced by the Ayn Rand Institute and Ford Hall Forum as a Partners in Public Dialogue program with Old South Meeting House.
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    Twisted Strands: Ropemaking in the Charlestown Navy Yard

    Fri, Jan 9, 2015
    Learn from an expert about some of the many ways that rope making connects with Boston history! Hear about how ropemaking was important to Boston sailors, learn about the Ropewalk Riots – which occurred a few days before the Boston Massacre. Boston National Historical Park Ranger **Dan Gagnon** leads the event and demonstrates several rope-tying techniques.
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    Ebenezer Mackintosh, the Gangs of Boston, and Riot in the New World

    Fri, Dec 12, 2014
    Learn how Boston’s 18th-century gangs contributed to the city's well-organized riots and mob actions, from the Stamp Act Riots to the Boston Tea Party. Historian **Matthew Wilding** focuses on the life of well-known radical Patriot Ebenezer Mackintosh as he explores the theme of riot as political expression in colonial Boston.
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  • Loren Spears: A Prism of Information - Indigenous Knowledge and Public History

    Thu, Mar 13, 2014
    Lorén Spears, Narragansett artist, educator, and executive director of the Tomaquag Indian Memorial Museum in Rhode Island, one of the oldest tribal museums in the nation, shared her extensive experience teaching the public about Southern New England's Native residents. Through an illustrated lecture, storytelling and song, Spears explained how today's indigenous educators help broaden our understanding of history through collaborations with local historians, oral history projects and performing arts programs.
    Forum Network
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    Revolutionary Spaces

  • The Boston Mob Guide: Hit Men, Hoodlums & Hideouts

    Wed, Apr 25, 2012
    The capture of James 'Whitey' Bulger closed an infamous chapter in Boston history. Yet the city's criminal underworld has a long and bloody rap sheet that stretches back to the beginning of the Twentieth Century. Boston journalists Beverly Ford and Stephanie Schorow reveal the real story of the underbelly of Boston through profiles of ruthless gangsters and the backrooms and seedy hangouts where deadly hits and lucrative heists were hatched.
    Forum Network
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    Revolutionary Spaces
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