As a part of a bicentennial series celebrating Boston Athenaeum writers, Marshall Moriarty presents orator and statesman Daniel Webster (17821852); Representative Martha M. Walz presents activist Lydia Maria Child (18021880); and Daniel R. Coquillette presents sixth President of the U.S. John Quincy Adams (17671848).
Father-and-son writers Steven and Paul Kendrick discuss the legal establishment of segregation (the concept of "separate but equal"), tracing it back to 1847. In that year, an African-American man sued the city of Boston, wanting his daughter to be able to attend a school closer to her home than the nearest all-black school. He was eventually defeated.
Jim McDonald, once lead interpreter of the Wythe House in Colonial Williamsburg, outlines the the murder of George Wythe and the trial that followed.
To listen to this podcast, select "All 2007 podcasts," and scroll to the June fourth program.
In this lecture, historian Mary Beth Norton examines the original court documents from the Salem witchcraft trials; she places these well-known events in the context of the Indian wars and other witch trials in New England. The trials, she concludes, were driven more by politics than by superstition.
The history of the eugenics movement in the United States, from its inception in the decades following the Civil War through its height in the first few decades of the 20th century, is traced on this website. As we move into the age of genetics, this movement, that sought to filter "bad" traits from the human population, becomes increasingly important to understand.
The movement's history is told through a narrative divided into eight themes, including social and scientific origins, research methods and traits studied, flaws in these methods, ways in which the movement was popularized, immigration restriction, and marriage and sterilization laws. Each narrative is accompanied by roughly 10 primary sources—reports, articles, charts, legal documents, and photographs. These materials provide a succinct introduction to eugenics in the U.S.
In addition to the narratives, visitors can search or browse the Image Archive, featuring more than 2,000 primary sources, including documents, artwork, photographs, and more. Visitors may browse by topic, object type, time period, or the archive sources' originals are held by, or search by keyword or ID number. Note that primary sources cannot be downloaded from the Flash version of the Archive, though they can be from the HTML version of the site.
Christine Trowbridge, master brick maker at Colonial Williamsburg, talks about the process of making bricks according to colonial-era practices.
Kristen Spivey, a program manager in public history development at Colonial Williamsburg, talks about the roles and rights of women in the colonies, looking at legal rights, fashion and dress, and participation in the trades.
Valarie Holmes, an interpreter at Colonial Williamsburg, discusses the life of slave Lydia Broadnax, cook to George Wythe, whose role she plays.
Tom Hay, site supervisor of the Courthouse at Colonial Williamsburg, discusses colonial-era court proceedings, crime, and punishment.
Colonial Williamsburg interpreters Bill Barker, as Thomas Jefferson, and Richard Schumann, as Patrick Henry, debate on whether Virginia citizens should be taxed to support religious institutions.