Boston's 375th Anniversary Series

Lectures curated in celebration of the 375th anniversary of Boston's Charter on September 10, 2005. These lectures, given in some of Boston's most treasured landmarks, showcase Boston as a city of innovation, diversity, complexity, and rich history.

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Town Hall Meeting with Governor Deval Patrick
Deval Patrick
March 23, 2009
00:54:56
Governor Deval Patrick discusses current issues facing Massachusetts citizens in a televised Town Meeting format moderated by NECN Anchor R.D. Sahl.
A Short History of Boston
Robert J. Allison
May 5, 2005
01:15:32
Robert J. Allison, professor of history at Suffolk University, brings to life the major events and important figures who formed the "City on a Hill".
Trying to Achieve the American Dream in Boston
Elisabeth D. Babcock
May 23, 2007
01:13:23
Panelists explore what structures and networks are available to give Boston residents the reading, writing, science, and math skills they need to find solid employment and move into financial stabilit
Boston in 2030
Marc D. Draisen
April 20, 2006
00:54:05
Marc D. Draisen of the Metropolitan Area Planning Council asks what metro Boston will look like in 2030 if we continue to grow at our current rate.
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Boston Unplugged: Mapping a Wireless Future
Michael Taylor
February 15, 2006
01:38:22
A panel discusses wireless technology, an affordable strategy to bridge the "digital divide", and pave the way for innovation and new tools that can strengthen education, enrich civic participation and nurture community networks.
Creating Green Cities
Peter Smith
November 16, 2005
01:20:53
Peter Smith of the Boston Society of Architects, Larissa Brown, chief planner for urban design firm Goody and Clancy, and Kristina Egan, director of the Massachusetts Smart Growth Alliance discuss transit oriented development and "smart growth" are new initiatives in urban design aimed at creating "
Boston Unbound: Challenges for the 21st Century
Paul S. Grogan
January 4, 2004
01:28:49
In this lecture, journalists Neal Pierce and Curtis Johnson tackle one question: What are the Boston region's most critical challenges for the 21st Century? Pierce and Johnson provide an overview of their findings here and take audience questions.
Good City: Writers Explore 21st Century Boston
Paul S. Grogan
January 27, 2005
01:17:46
The Boston Foundation commissioned The Good City to provide a fresh image of Boston for newcomers to the city, such as those attending the Democratic National Convention and newly arriving coll
Immigration and the Changing Face of Massachusetts
Donna Cupelo
June 30, 2005
01:51:29
The focus of this forum is the Massachusetts Institute for a New Commonwealth's recently released report providing a comprehensive look at the state's growing immigrant population.
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Capitol Perspective: Cultural Tourism
Edward M. Kennedy
July 18, 2005
00:29:45
Capital Perspective is a forum for discussions with local community leaders to highlight local and national issues that affect the people of Massachusetts.
A History of Boston Women Artists
Erica Hirshler
November 16, 2006
00:50:23
In honor of the 3rd edition of the Boston Women's Heritage Trail Guidebook, Erica Hirshler gives an illustrated lecture about the often overlooked contributions of Boston women artists to the world of painting and sculpture.
Extreme Makeover: Mural Edition
Gianfranco Pocobene
January 11, 2006
01:17:18
Gianfranco Pocobono and Richard Wolbers discuss how science and art merged to conserve the John La Farge murals at Trinity Church Boston, and what happens when the conservation choices are not clear cut and the world is watching.
Picturing Boston: Painting the Town
Erica Hirshler
April 13, 2003
00:52:14
Erica Hirshler provides a tour of Boston's waterfront, parks, and neighborhoods through the eyes of the painters who portrayed the city. Using images from the MFA's collection, this lecture explores how artists chose to represent Boston and its inhabitants throughout its history.
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Boston's Love for Neoclassical Sculptors
David B. Dearinger
May 6, 2004
01:06:31
David Dearinger discusses Boston's obsession with neoclassical sculpture in the 1800s.
Scandal on the Stage: Banned Theater in Boston
John D. Anderson
May 1, 2003
01:11:31
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.
Amusement Parks and Grand Hotels: Boston Harbors Past
Donald Cann
March 29, 2007
00:48:25
Donald Cann of the Boston Harbor Islands and John Galluzzo of the Massachusetts Audubon Society show the multiple uses of Boston Harbor by displaying a series of historical postcard images, from the Boston docks and shipyards to the amusement parks and summer playgrounds of the early 20th century.
Victorian Boulevard Preserved: Cambridge's Brattle Street
Charles Bahne
January 18, 2007
00:45:09
Charles Bahne discusses everything about Brattle Street, from the Mt. Auburn Cemetery to the home of Frank A. Kennedy, a Cambridge pioneer in the mass production of cookies and crackers.
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Architecture of Ralph Adams Cram's Boston
Douglass Shand-Tucci
November 17, 2005
00:51:58
Historian Douglass Shand-Tucci discusses Ralph Adams Cram's architectural monuments as well as Cram's Boston work.
North Shore Boston: Country Houses of Essex County
Pamela Wilkinson Fox
October 4, 2005
00:58:11
Pamela Wilkinson Fox discusses more than 50 great houses in Boston's North Shore, designed by such architects as McKim, Mead & White, the Olmsted Brothers, Peabody & Stearns, and Ogden Codman.
Documenting Boston
Rebecca Dreyfus
April 23, 2005
00:59:10
Documentary film directors Rebecca Dreyfus (Stolen,) Henry Corra (Same Sex America,) and Rudi Schwab (Closed on Sundays) sit down with moderator Ellie Lee to dis
Boston Sites and Insights: A Guide to Historical Landmarks
Susan Wilson
May 18, 2004
00:55:15
Susan Wilson's monthly column on Boston history, "Sites and Insights," first appeared in the Boston Globe in 1987.
Bloomsday Discussion: Irish and Jews of Boston
John Henning
June 16, 2007
00:40:09
As a part of simultaneous, international celebrations of James Joyce's Ulysses, a panel of experts discusses how the Irish and the Jews of Boston impacted the evolution of the city and each other.
Capitol Perspective: New Bedford Immigration Raid
Edward M. Kennedy
April 9, 2007
00:28:58
Ted Kennedy hosts a studio discussion revolving around the New Bedford, MA Immigration Worker Raid, which took place in March, 2007 at a New Bedford factory.
Reforming Boston Schools, 1930-2006: Overcoming Corruption and Racial Segregation
Joseph Cronin
April 16, 2008
01:19:08
Educators recount the history, the setbacks, and the successful approaches that improved the educational opportunities for Boston school children.
Beyond Black and White: Race in the Boston Public Schools
Charles J. Ogletree Jr.
March 23, 2005
00:56:47
Basic Black hosts an hour-long forum with panelists and an audience in the WGBH studio. The discussion explores how the Boston public school system can maintain a commitment to diversity and provide a quality education.
Blacks in Boston: A Fifty Year Retrospective
Hubie Jones
February 20, 2003
01:24:59
For more than 40 years, Hubie Jones has played a key role in the formation, rebuilding, and leadership of at least 30 organizations within the black community and across Boston.
Passing in Boston: The Story of the Healy Family
James O'Toole
December 4, 2002
00:55:50
Boston College history professor, James O'Toole discusses his newest book Passing for White: Race, Religion, and the Healy Family, 1820-1920, which documents the extraordinary life of the Healy brothers of Boston.
Boston's 19th Century African American Communities
James Oliver Horton
January 25, 2003
01:30:43
As part of a graduate course presented by the Museum of Afro-American History in collaboration with Nantucket Public Schools and UMass Boston Graduate College of Education, James and Lois Horton, authors of Black Bostonians: Family Life and Community Struggle in the Antebellum North, di
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Haitian Creation in Boston
Marie P. St. Fleur
June 24, 2004
01:18:38
Marie St. Fleur, Regine Jackson and Marc Prou discuss and celebrate the influence of Haitian immigrants in Boston.
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Histories of Boston's Chinese: Research and Reflections
Peter Kiang
March 16, 2004
01:38:34
A panel of Boston-local Chinese American scholars and writers discuss histories of Boston's Chinese, highlighting current research, reflections, and resources.
Native Americans and the Boston Harbor Islands
George Price
May 7, 2003
01:05:34
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.
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Dieting For Sins: New England Food Reformers
Barbara Haber
March 6, 2003
00:43:31
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.
From Apple Pie to Pad Thai
Linda Bassett
March 13, 2003
00:41:41
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.
Not So Sweet: Baker Chocolate Factory
Anthony M. Sammarco
March 20, 2003
00:41:01
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.
Facets of Mount Auburn: Horticulture
Daniel J. Hinkley
April 10, 2007
00:56:41
Daniel J. Hinkley, celebrated horticulturist, plant explorer, and author, looks at the influence of Asian horticulture on Western landscapes such as Mount Auburn Cemetery.
What Lies Beneath: Sunken Treasure in Boston Harbor
Allen Gontz
March 22, 2007
00:42:34
Allen Gontz discusses the hunt for the wrecks of the Magnifique and Niagara in Boston Harbor.
Surveying the Shore: Cartography and Politics
Joseph Garver
March 8, 2007
00:49:30
Joseph Garver, reference librarian of the Harvard Map Collection, displays maps of coastal Massachusetts from the 1600s to the 1930s and shows how cartographers have drawn the shoreline to suit their political and commercial goals.
Victorian Charlestown, Massachusetts
Ed Gordon
January 4, 2007
00:48:58
Ed Gordon, president of the New England Victorian Society, discusses Charlestown, MA's amazing collection of Victorian structures and story its being annexed to the City of Boston.
Streets of My Youth: Brockton Disappears
Gerald Parker
June 8, 2006
01:00:25
After a short visit to his family's home in Brockton, Massachusetts, photographer Gerald Parker ended up returning and staying for three years and documenting his hometown literally disappearing befor
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Wind Energy in Boston Harbor and Beyond
James Manwell
June 12, 2006
01:13:30
Wind power is one of the most appealing sources of renewable energy today.
Nantucket Sound Offshore Wind Farm Debate
Christopher Lydon
April 5, 2006
01:05:25
The WGBH Conservation Initiative hosts a debate concerning the proposed development of America's first offshore wind farm in the shallow waters of Nantucket Sound.
Digging: The Workers of Boston's Big Dig
Michael Hintlian
March 23, 2005
01:12:33
In celebration of the final stages of the Big Dig and the people who work extraordinarily hard each day to make it a possibility, photographer Michael Hintlian shows his work, Digging: The Workers of Boston's Big Dig, and discusses the difficulties and joys of putting this collection together
Boston's Back Bay: America's Greatest 19th Century Landfill
William M. Newman
November 9, 2006
00:49:33
William Newman and Wilfred Holton present an illustrated look at how environmental crises and urban crowding led to the massive project for filling Boston's Back Bay tidal marsh.
Boston's Made Land
Nancy S. Seasholes
September 28, 2006
00:53:08
Nancy Seasholes leads a virtual tour of Boston's Central Waterfront area and traces where and why Boston's man-made land was created, uncovering fascinating and little-known pieces of Boston history along the way.
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Gaining Ground: History of Landmaking in Boston
Nancy S. Seasholes
December 2, 2003
00:53:59
Historian Nancy Seasholes gives us the first complete account of when, why, and how Boston's land was created. Fully one-sixth of Boston is built on made land.
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Rainsford Island: Resort to Reformatory
Ellen Berkland
May 14, 2003
00:54:51
Ellen P.
Ten Years of Progress: Boston Harbor Islands National Park
Bruce Jacobson
June 26, 2006
00:46:18
Bruce Jacobson and Tom Powers talk about their work on the Boston Harbor Islands National Park Area, a unit of the National Park System that includes 34 islands within the 50-square miles of Boston Harbor.
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Jamestown vs. Plymouth: America's Historical Amnesia
Karen Ordahl Kupperman
May 14, 2007
00:53:30
Historians Karen Ordahl Kupperman and Walter W. Woodward look at the story of John Smith, the early days of colonial speculation in Virginia and New England, and Jamestown's creation story from hell.
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Literary Trail of Greater Boston
Susan Wilson
June 23, 2005
00:42:34
Professional photographer and writer Susan Wilson brings Boston's Freedom Trail to life with highlights from the newly revised edition of her beloved guidebook.
Scam, Scandal, Murder and Mayhem in Colonial Boston
D. Brenton Simons
October 31, 2005
00:43:06
In this lecture, writer D. Brenton Simons discusses his book Witches, Rakes, And Rogues: True Stories of Scam, Scandal, Murder, And Mayhem in Boston, 1630-1775 , in which he paints a darker picture of Colonial Boston than was previously imagined.
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True Crimes in New England: The Boston Strangler
Alan Rogers
October 18, 2006
00:57:26
Alan Rogers sheds light on one of Boston's most terrifying crime sprees, one that remains unsolved to this day. Between June 14, 1962 and January 4, 1964, Boston was terrorized by a serial killer who murdered 13 women.
True Crimes in New England: Lizzie Borden
Karen Elizabeth Chaney
October 31, 2006
00:42:07
Author Karen Elizabeth Chaney examines the investigation and murder trial of Lizzie Borden, and describes Lizzie's quiet life after her acquittal.
Shared Legacies: Founding Generations Tell Their Stories
Peter J. Gomes
September 7, 2005
01:24:07
In celebration of Boston's 375th anniversary, a panel of authors discuss the lives of Massachusetts Bay colonists between 1630 and 1710.
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Acquired Tastes: The Boston Athenaeum, 1807 - 2007
Richard Wendorf
March 8, 2007
01:10:55
In celebration of the Boston Athenaeum's bicentennial, Richard Wendorf presents an illustrated lecture drawing upon many objects that form part of the bicentennial exhibition.
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Prelude to the Boston Massacre
Hiller Zobel
April 6, 2005
00:35:01
Hiller Zobel, author of Prelude to the Boston Massacre: The Trial of Ebenezer Richardson and Christopher Seider and widely considered the definitive expert on the Boston Massacre and trial, explores the death of Christopher Seider, who was hailed as a martyr to the Patriot cause, and the tria
230 Years Later: The Boston Tea Party Revisited
Charles Bahne
December 11, 2003
00:45:14
Local historian, author and tour guide Charlie Bahne takes us back to 1773 when the talk of the town was tea. Learn about the actual value of tea not only in monetary ways, but the importance tea played in everyday civilians lives. On the 230th anniversary of the famous event, Mr.
Military History of the Boston Harbor Islands
Jayne Triber
May 28, 2003
01:00:46
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.
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Storm Warriors: Shipwrecks and Survivors in Boston Harbor
Ed McCabe
May 21, 2003
00:49:13
Ed McCabe and Lory Newmyer of the Hull Lifesaving Museum share the stories of the Storm Warriors of the US Life Saving Service.
Boston's Waterfront Mobs and the American Revolution
Russell Bourne
September 13, 2006
00:54:17
Russell Bourne lectures on the topics presented in his book Cradle of Violence: How Boston's Waterfront Mobs Ignited the American Revolution. Bourne discusses the role of waterfront "mobs" in the Boston Massacre, the Boston Tea Party and other pre-Revolutionary events.
Patriots of Color: Revolutionary Heroes
Byron Rushing
June 16, 2003
01:16:08
State Representative Byron Rushing and James Horton, an historian at George Washington University, salute Native American and African American war heroes. This event includes performances and authentic music from the Revolutionary War.
Last Mantua Maker: Women in Boston's Clothing Trades
Marla Miller
March 24, 2005
00:48:08
In 1845, after almost a dozen years in business, Rebecca Goodwin Major closed up shop. She was the very last Boston woman to call herself a mantuamaker in the pages of the city directory.
Talking Teapots: What Treasures Tell Us About History
Nancy Carlisle
November 6, 2003
00:40:47
Nancy Carlisle, Curator of the Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities (SPNEA)'s traveling exhibition "Cherished Possessions", tells tales of treasures from the 17th to the late 20th century and how they reflect the larger historical themes of revolution, immigration, industrializati
Our Daily Bread: Tales of How Treasures Were Saved
Ken Turino
November 13, 2003
00:51:45
"Cherished Possessions" exhibition manager Ken Turino recounts several fascinating stories, including that of a Dorchester family who saved two pieces of bread allegedly dating to the 17th century and a bedcover made by the mother and grandmother of Samuel Adams and passed down through generations o
Bits to Beeswax: The Conservation of Treasures
Michaela Neiro
November 20, 2003
00:34:45
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.
Boston on Fire
Paul A. Christian
February 12, 2008
01:05:07
Paul A. Christian and the members of the Boston Fire Historical Society discuss the history of fire in Boston. Since the massive fire of 1872, which destroyed much of downtown Boston, fire has forever altered the city's appearance, fortunes, and psyche.
Legacy of the Cocoanut Grove Fire of 1942
Stephanie Schorow
September 14, 2004
01:02:02
Stephanie Schorow, reporter for The Boston Herald and author of Boston on Fire: A History of Fires and Firefighting in Boston, examines many myths and misconceptions about the Cocoanut Grove nightclub fire, and evaluates its legacy and its continuing impact on Boston.
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Hero at the Great Boston Fire of 1872
Bruce Twickler
September 21, 2004
01:10:41
Bruce Twickler, writer and director of the film Damrell's Fire, explains why Boston can credit its deliverance from Chicago's fate to John Damrell, its courageous fire chief.
Charlestown Convent Fire of 1834
Nancy Schultz
September 7, 2004
01:03:04
Salem State College Professor Nancy Schultz, author of Fire and Roses: The Burning of the Charlestown Convent, 1834 sheds light on one of the darkest incidents of religious persecution in modern society.
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Midwifery and Medicine in Boston
Amalie M. Kass
November 4, 2004
00:45:07
Amalie M.
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Smallpox in Boston: A Complex Affair
Philip Cash
November 18, 2004
00:35:28
Professor emeritus Philip Cash lectures on the history of the smallpox epidemic in Boston.
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Bringing Charles Hammond Gibson to Life
John Anderson
October 10, 2007
01:07:51
Charles Hammond Gibson, Jr. (1874-1954) was a Boston writer and bachelor bon vivant, best known for having preserved his family's Beacon Street home as a museum of Victorian style and taste.
Tea at Sea: Moonlit Drama of the Boston Tea Party
Robert J. Allison
October 11, 2007
00:57:32
Robert J. Allison, professor at Suffolk University, vividly recounts the moonlit drama of the Boston Tea Party, while examining the political and economic background of the destruction of the tea.
Naked Quaker and Other Pre-Revolutionary Tales
Diane Rapaport
November 1, 2007
00:37:17
Lawyer and historian Diane Rapaport extracts some tantalizing tales from pre-Revolutionary court records, highlighting the concerns of ordinary people in early New England.
Boston Firsts: Innovations and Inventions in Beantown
Lynda Morgenroth
November 2, 2006
00:49:10
Author Lynda Morgenroth describes the scientific advances and breakthroughs in culture that are woven in Boston's fascinating and quirky history. The first ready-made suit, automatic bargain basement and subway all belong to Boston.
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View from the Corner Office in Massachusetts
Michael Dukakis
May 25, 2006
01:57:05
Three of its former governors discuss the attainment of the American dream in Massachusetts.
238th Anniversary of the Boston Massacre
Robert J. Allison
March 5, 2008
01:15:54
Robert Allison narrates a commemorative reading of the Boston Massacre Orations by local high school students on the 238th anniversary of the massacre. On March 5, 1770, British soldiers killed 5 men on the streets of Boston in what would become known as the Boston Massacre.
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Banned in Boston: The Silent Speech of Margaret Sanger
Cecile Richards
May 29, 2008
01:09:33
Cecile Richards reflects on the silencing of Margaret Sanger and the era that gave us the phrase, "Banned in Boston." "You all know that I have been gagged. I have been suppressed. I have been arrested numerous times. I have been hauled off to jail.
Samuel Adams, Paul Revere and "The Body of the People"
Ray Raphael
September 6, 2006
00:57:29
Ray Raphael theorizes on whether or not Samuel Adams really gave a "signal" for the Boston Tea Party, the real story of Paul Revere's ride, and the role of the average person in the events leading up to the American Revolution.
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Louisa May Alcott's Email
Kit Bakke
September 13, 2006
00:31:22
Author Kit Bakke discusses her new book Miss Alcott's E-mail: Yours for Reforms of All Kinds. In her novel, she sends an email to her childhood role model Louisa May Alcott and is amazed when she receives a reply.
A Tribute to Sargent Shriver
Lewis Butler
December 12, 2005
01:29:56
The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum hosts a special tribute to Sargent Shriver. Family members and close associates honor Ambassador Shriver with a forum to discuss the many contributions he has made to the United States from the Peace Corps to the War on Poverty.
American Experience: John & Abigail Adams
Bernard Margolis
January 10, 2006
00:48:13
American Experience producer Elizabeth Deane provides a strikingly intimate look inside a marriage of true companions in the new documentary, John & Abigail Adams.
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Caroline Healey Dall: Daughter of Boston
Helen R. Deese
October 20, 2005
00:51:27
Helen R. Deese discusses the 45 volume diary of Bostonian transcendentalist Caroline Healey Dall, which is perhaps the longest diary written by any American and the most complete account of a nineteenth century woman's life in existence.
Boston Brothers: William and James "Whitey" Bulger
Howie Carr
June 21, 2005
01:24:34
Howie Carr tells the controversial story of the notorious Winter Hill Gang, the Bulger Brothers, and the relationships between politics, law enforcement, and crime in Boston from 1950 to the present. Two brothers from South Boston. One becomes the president of the Massachusetts Senate.
Peabody Sisters: Igniting American Romanticism
Megan Marshall
May 17, 2005
00:51:42
Megan Marshall lectures on Elizabeth, Mary, and Sophia Peabody, the subjects of her 20 years in the making biography, The Peabody Sisters. Marshall focuses on the period during which the Peabody sisters made their indelible mark on history.
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Marked by Memories: Remembering Robert Lowell
Gail Mazur
April 19, 2005
01:13:15
Gail Mazur, Frank Bidart, Robert Pinsky and Lloyd Schwartz gather here to remember their mentor, renowned poet and professor Robert Lowell, and to celebrate the publication of his Collected Poems.
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Amy Lowell: Selected Poems
Honor Moore
January 25, 2005
01:02:21
Honor Moore, editor for poet Amy Lowell, discusses the impact of Lowell's work. A cigar-smoking proponent of free-verse modernism in open rebellion against her distinguished Boston lineage, Amy Lowell cut an indelible public figure.
Nature of Sacrifice: Biography of Charles Russell Lowell Jr.
Carol Bundy
March 22, 2005
00:56:24
The world advances by impossibilities achieved, Charles Lowell insisted in 1854 when, as valedictorian, he spoke at his Harvard graduation just two weeks after Boston had enforced the Fugitive Slave L
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John Kenneth Galbraith: His Life, His Politics, His Economics
Richard Parker
April 17, 2005
01:31:33
Richard Parker, author of John Kenneth Galbraith: His Life, His Politics, His Economics and Robert Reich, former secretary of labor under President Bill Clinton, join James Carroll, author and Boston Globe columnist, for a look back at the remarkable career of John Kenneth Galbraith.
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Writer's Room Presents: LeHane, Mazur and Perrotta
Dennis Lehane
November 6, 2004
01:01:23
Writers Gail Mazur, Tom Perrotta, and Dennis Lehane read from their current projects and discuss the New England authors who have been important to their work.
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Celebrating Boston Athenaeum Writers Past and Present I
Philip McFarland
September 26, 2006
01:13:47
As part of a bicentennial series celebrating Boston Athenaeum writers, Jill Ker Conway discusses the work of Samuel Eliot Morison; Megan Marshall discusses Hannah Adams; and Philip McFarland discusses Francis Parkman. William M. Fowler acts as master of ceremonies.
Celebrating Boston Athenaeum Writers Past and Present II
J. Frederick Marchant
October 24, 2006
01:00:56
As a part of a bicentennial series celebrating Boston Athenaeum writers, J. Frederick Marchant presents Henry Wadsworth Longfellow; Jill McDonough presents Amy Lowell; and Rosanna Warren presents Ralph Waldo Emerson. Edward Kessler acts as master of ceremonies.
Celebrating Boston Athenaeum Writers Past and Present III
Rishi Reddi
November 30, 2006
00:41:33
As a part of a bicentennial series celebrating Boston Athenaeum writers, Rishi Reddi discusses the work of Alice Brown and Tom Perrotta discusses Nathaniel Hawthorne. Rob Perkins reads from John P. Marquand. Cullen Murphy, editor-at-large of Vanity Fair acts as master of ceremonies.
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Celebrating Boston Athenaeum Writers Past and Present IV
M.T. Anderson
December 2, 2006
00:49:45
As a part of a bicentennial series celebrating Boston Athenaeum writers, M.T. Anderson presents David McCord; Liza Ketchum presents Barbara Cooney; Irene Smalls presents Norma Farber; and Rebecca Doughty presents James Marshall. Jack Gantos acts as master of ceremonies.
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Celebrating Boston Athenaeum Writers Past and Present V
Marshall Moriarty
December 5, 2006
01:00:27
As a part of a bicentennial series celebrating Boston Athenaeum writers, Marshall Moriarty presents Daniel Webster; Massachusetts State Representative Martha M. Walz presents Lydia Maria Child; and Daniel R. Coquillette presents John Quincy Adams. Deborah Bornheimer acts as master of ceremonies.
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Emerson and the Examined Life
Robert Pinsky
June 28, 2003
01:55:48
Robert Pinsky, award-winning author and poet, Richard Geldard and David M. Robinson, Emerson scholars, celebrate the bicentennial of Ralph Waldo Emerson with a live reading from famous American essays including Self-Reliance, The Oversoul and The American Scholar.
Quincy Generations From Family to Faneuil Hall
John Quincy
September 17, 2003
01:05:38
John Quincy Jr., an 11th generation descendant of the Quincys in America and author of Quincy's Market, discusses the history of his well-known ancestors, one of New England's most famous political families.
The Alcotts: The Real Family Behind "Little Women"
Jan Turnquist
September 24, 2003
00:56:10
Jan Turnquist, executive director of Orchard House, discusses the daily activities and pursuits of the Alcotts, a trailblazing family of reformers.
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Sweetwater: Secrets of a Yankee Life
Roxana Robinson
November 13, 2003
00:53:51
Roxana Robinson discusses Sweetwater, her story of a woman whose second marriage casts into sharp relief the painful echoes of her first. The book draws together the disparate strands of family complexities, social tensions, and the fragility of the natural world in this moving novel.
Letters of John and Abigail Adams
Deval Patrick
November 19, 2007
01:06:36
Governor and Mrs. Deval Patrick, the Kennedys, and the Dukakises celebrate the publication of a new book of the letters of President John and First Lady Abigail Adams.
Salem Witch Judge: Samuel Sewall's Life and Repentance
Eve LaPlante
October 18, 2007
00:41:13
Eve LaPlante discusses how, after years of internal struggle, Salem's condemning judge, Samuel Sewall, emerged as America's most surprising moral hero.
Sacco and Vanzetti
Eli C. Bortman
November 8, 2007
00:52:50
Eli C. Bortman, professor at Babson College, discusses the fascinating case of Sacco and Vanzetti that still causes controversy today.
Keeping the Faith: Multiculturalism and Catholic America
Thomas H. O'Connor
April 19, 2006
00:42:22
Thomas H. O'Connor discusses his 16th book, The Athens of America: Boston, 1825-1845, about leaders of the post-Constitutional generation whose personal talents and financial resources made Boston the nation's cultural, intellectual, and philanthropic center.
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Mary Baker Eddy: No Stranger to Controversy
Gillian Gill
December 14, 2003
00:28:58
Gillian Gill examines the life story of Mary Baker, the controversial and charismatic founder of the Christian Science religion. Mary Baker Eddy (1821-1910), is the controversial and charismatic founder of the Christian Science religion.
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Celebrating the Red Sox
Larry Lucchino
May 4, 2005
01:17:20
Larry Lucchino, Red Sox CEO, Tom Werner, co-owner of the team, and Dan Shaughnessy, Boston Globe columnist and author of Reversing the Curse, look back at the season leading up to the Red Sox's World Series championship. Mike Barnicle, Boston Herald columnist, moderates.
Shut Out: Race and Baseball in Boston
Howard Bryant
September 16, 2003
00:45:39
Senior sports writer for The Boston Herald, Howard Bryant talks about his new book Shut Out: A Story of Race and Baseball in Boston. In his book, Bryant traces the haunting practice and legacy of racism, chronicling the policies and personality of the Yawkey family as well as the conf
Celebrating America's National Pastime: Baseball
Charles Gibson
March 30, 2004
01:28:37
ABC Good Morning America's Charles Gibson moderates this discussion about baseball's enduring hold on our national imagination with Boston Red Sox CEO and President Larry Lucchino, New Yorker writer Roger Angell, Dan Shaughnessy from The Boston Globe, and NECN Red Sox anno