Stay engaged with the MHS this year.
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“...and at this season there is less cause for moving about than in the winter—the heat has been very oppressive for several days past—more so than common at this time of the year—those familys which usually spend the summer in the country have retired there already—I do not expect to go to Virginia till the latter part of July—I can not think of going without my dear little folks, and their vacation do not commence till that time”
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George Washington's gorget
George Washington (1732–1799) wore this copper gorget, a symbolic remnant of a suit of armor, around his throat as part of his military uniform from about 1774–1775. The gorget is engraved with the coat of arms of the colony of Virginia, as well as with its motto, En Dat Virginia Quartam. Translating to “Behold, Virginia gives the fifth,” this motto was adopted as part of Virginia’s seal in 1663 and claims equal status for the colony alongside the king’s four other dominions—England, Scotland, France, and Ireland.
Washington probably didn’t wear this gorget after he was appointed commander-in-chief of the Continental Army in June 1775.
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Massachusetts State Funding Approved for Two Important MHS projects |
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$25K in State Funding for National History Day in Massachusetts Announced
As many of you may know, Gov. Charlie Baker recently approved the FY22 Massachusetts state budget. What you may not have seen is that $25,000 for National History Day (NHD) in Massachusetts is included in the budget!
This is wonderful and timely news as we prepare to strengthen the NHD program this fall.
External funding for NHD makes it possible to:
- Reduce or eliminate registration fees for students.
- Offer high-quality professional development and curricular support for teachers.
- Make progress towards our ultimate goal of making NHD accessible to all grade 6–12 students across the Commonwealth.
We held our first Virtual Advocacy Day for NHD this spring, and it clearly made an impact! So many of you called, e-mailed, and tweeted about why NHD is important to you and to the students and teachers in your district, and your legislators listened.
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Massachusetts Joins 17 Other States in Creating a Commission to Promote the 250th Anniversary of the American Revolution
An appropriations bill (H 4000) signed by Governor Baker on Friday, 16 July 2021, created the Massachusetts Commission on the 250th Anniversary of the American Revolution.
The Massachusetts Commission’s 35 members—leaders in the historical, cultural, tourism, and political sectors—will partner with the other states, and with the federal America 250 Commission, to commemorate, celebrate, and investigate the will and determination of the people 250 years ago who risked their “lives, liberty, and property” for the cause of American Independence.
We look forward to engaging with our collaborators and the public in an inspection of the causes that drove the people of 18th-century Massachusetts to revolution, the ideals they upheld in the formation of new governments and the resulting outcomes of their actions over the last 250 years.
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The MHS’s online programs are held on the video conference platform Zoom. Registrants will receive an e-mail with a link to join the program.
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Age of Acrimony: How Americans Fought to Fix Their Democracy, 1865–1915
Democracy was broken. Or that was what many Americans believed in the decades after the Civil War. Shaken by economic and technological disruption, they sought safety in aggressive, tribal partisanship. The results were the loudest, closest, most violent elections in US history, driven by vibrant campaigns that drew our highest-ever voter turnouts. At the century’s end, reformers finally restrained this wild system, trading away participation for civility in the process. They built a calmer, cleaner democracy, but also a more distant one. Americans’ voting rates crashed and never fully recovered. In telling the tale of what it cost to cool our republic, historian Jon Grinspan reveals our divisive political system’s enduring capacity to reinvent itself.
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Interested in Viewing Past Programs? |
If you missed a program or would like to revisit the material presented, please visit www.masshist.org/video or our YouTube channel. A selection of past programs is just a click away.
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Share Your COVID-19 Experience(s) |
The MHS invites you to contribute your COVID-19 experience(s) to our collection. Record your experiences on a daily, weekly, or intermittent basis. You can contribute your thoughts and images online. Visit our COVID-19 web display to learn more and to share your thoughts. Or you can keep a journal and donate it to the MHS. Contact collections@masshist.org for more information.
Thank you to everyone who has shared so far. If you have not yet done so or would like to contribute again, please visit www.masshist.org/projects/covid/index.php. You can also read what others have shared.
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Our Members are the heart of the MHS community and an integral part of the MHS story. Become a Member to help make possible the Society’s mission to promote the study of American history. Receive benefits including invitations to enhanced Member-only events; free or discounted admission to special programs; and access to publications such as our calendar of events, newsletter, and Annual Report.
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