This Week at the MHS

Massachusetts 54th Volunteer Infantry Regiment

During the Civil War, the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment was the first military unit consisting of Black soldiers to be raised in the North. Prior to 1863, no concerted effort was made to recruit Black troops as Union soldiers. The adoption of the Emancipation Proclamation in December of 1862 provided the impetus for the recruitment of free Black men as soldiers and, at a time when state governors were responsible for the raising of regiments for federal service, Massachusetts was the first to respond with the formation of the 54th Regiment.

In the image above, from left to right: Private Abraham F. Brown; Private John Goosberry, Musician; Sergeant Henry F. Steward; Private Charles H. Arnum; and Private William J. Netson, Musician.

View each photograph up close and learn more about the 54th Regiment here.

Upcoming Events

Tuesday, 17 October | 5:00 PM

American Dark Age: Racial Feudalism & the Rise of Black Liberalism

Keidrick J. Roy, Harvard University, with comment by Kellie Carter Jackson, Wellesley College.

Tuesday, 17 October | 6:00 PM

Writing History: Celebrated NPR Host & Author Steve Inskeep

Steve Inskeep, cohost of NPR's Morning Edition, Ryan Woods, American Ancestors Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer, and Catherine Allgor, MHS President.

Tuesday, 24 October, 5:00 PM: The Battle-Axe Letter: The Sexual Politics of Abolitionism & the “Annihilation of the Family State” with Dan Joslyn, New York University, with comment by Holly Jackson, University of Massachusetts, Boston.

Wednesday, 25 October, 6:00 PM: Gay Community News at 50: Defining GCN with Loie Hayes, Gordon Gottlieb, and Russ Lopez, moderated by Richard Burns. Co-sponsored with The History Project.

Thursday, 26 October, 5:00 PM: Mecklenburgh Square, Radcliffe Yard & Beyond: A Conversation with Francesca Wade & Maggie Doherty on Writing Women’s Lives with Maggie Doherty, Harvard University, and Francesca Wade, Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, moderated by Megan Marshall, Emerson College.

Monday, 30 October, 6:00 PM: Bringing Phillis to Life with Ade Solanke, David Waldstreicher, CUNY, and Tara Bynum, University of Iowa.

Thursday, 2 November, 5:00 PM: A Northern Proslavery Propagandist Confronts Secession: John Van Evrie’s Crisis of 1861 with Michael E. Wood, with comment by Donald Yacovone, Harvard University.

Saturday, 4 November, 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM: Teacher Workshop: Spilling the Tea: Causes & Consequences of the Boston Tea Party.

See full calendar.

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Now Open! “The Dye is cast”: Interests & Ideals That Motivated the Boston Tea Party. The exhibition is open through 29 February 2024. Learn more about the exhibition and explore items from our collection related to the Tea Party.

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