July 29, 2024 by The Hingham Historical Society
The Hingham Historical Society will launch its seventh annual lecture series in September. The 2024-25 series, titled “Revisiting the American Revolution” will run through April 2025. As America looks to commemorate its 250th Anniversary, this series offers an in-depth look at our nation’s founding drama: The American Revolution. The series is compiled of renowned historians and writers each of whom will share captivating insights on the war for independence and why it matters today. With a blend of social, political, economical, and military history, this lecture series will cover a broad spectrum of intriguing topics all reflected in Hingham’s rich and complex history.
Each of the 7 programs will be offered on a Sunday at 3:00pm at the Hingham Heritage Museum, 34 Main Street in downtown Hingham, as well as, Zoom webinar. Subscriptions are now on sale at hinghamhistorical.org.
Here is a brief look at the 7-program lineup:
On September 15, Mary Beth Norton, Mary Donlon Alger Professor of American History Emerita, Cornell University and winner of the 2021 George Washington Prize for her book 1774: The Long Year of Revolution. Norton will inaugurate Revisiting the American Revolution with an analysis of the crucial, but often overlooked, year of 1774 and the pivotal events of that year which helped forge a new nation.
The second program, on October 27th, Dr. Robert Parkinson, Director of Graduate Studies, Professor of History, Binghamton University discusses the popular narrative of the American Revolution as one of heroism, ideals of liberty, and an epic struggle for freedom. Parkinson will explain the thesis of his book Thirteen Clocks: How Race United the Colonies and Made the Declaration of Independence: racial terror and xenophobia helped unite the American colonies in their fight for independence.
The third program, on November 17th, J.L. Bell, Historian, Blogger, and Author of The Road to Concord: How Four Stolen Cannon Ignited the Revolutionary War. Bell will weave a tale of spies, loyalty, and treachery in the age of Revolution – a tale with many surprising Hingham connections.
The fourth program, on December 8th, FROM HINGHAM TO YORKTOWN: THE MILITARY CAMPAIGNS OF GENERAL BENJAMIN LINCOLN will be presented by Dr. Robert Allison, Professor of History, Suffolk University. In 2024, the Hingham Historical Society officially opened the Benjamin Lincoln House for regular public tours. Benjamin Lincoln held many positions throughout his life but is most famous for his military career. Professor Robert Allison, one of the premier lecturers on the Revolutionary and colonial periods, will detail the military successes and failures of Major General Benjamin Lincoln in this program.
On January 26, Towns across the nascent United States all contributed in their own way to the fight for American independence. Hingham was no exception. Filled with woodworkers and coopers, Hingham artisans contributed over 1,000 wooden canteens to the armed forces. In this program, Joel Bohy, Director of Historic Arms & Militaria at Bruneau and Co and expert on historical military material culture, will explain the significance of the Hingham canteens. On March 9th, Dr. Brooke Barbier, Author and Public Historian, focuses on John Hancock, a dynamic leader who shepherded Massachusetts through the turbulent Revolutionary and Early Republic eras. In a program based on her new biography of Hancock, Barbier will share the story of this popular and fascinating figure.
The series concludes on April 6. The Declaration of Independence is one of the defining documents of the American experience. In Our Declaration: A Reading of the Declaration of Independence in Defense of Equality, author, historian, and professor Danielle Allen, James Bryant Conant University Professor, Harvard University casts a fresh eye on this seminal document. Professor Allen, an expert on political philosophy, will relate the relevance of our nation’s founding text 250 years ago – and today. For more information and ticketing, visit the Society’s website: hinghamhistorical.org