The Object of History

Latest Episodes:

Daniel Webster's New England, Daniel Webster's Union Nov 15, 2022

Show notes

In this episode, we examine the career of Daniel Webster, a 19th century political figure and nationalist from New England. We look at objects that give a glimpse into the rural and political life of this legendary individual. We shall also learn about Webster's connection to the MHS, his understanding of the term "Union," and consider why some view him as a controversial figure.

Learn more about episode objects here: https://www.masshist.org/podcast/season-2-episode-1

Email us at podcast@masshist.org.

Episode Special Guest: Michael Larmann is a PhD student in the History Department at the University of Montana and a 2022-2023 Benjamin F. Stevens Fellow at the MHS.

This episode uses materials from: Big Feelings by Podington Bear (Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 International) Psychic by Dominic Giam of Ketsa Music (licensed under a commercial non-exclusive license by the Massachusetts Historical Society through Ketsa.uk) Curious Nature by Dominic Giam of Ketsa Music (licensed under a commercial non-exclusive license by the Massachusetts Historical Society through Ketsa.uk)

Treasures Within: The Recovered Letters of Margaret Fuller Jun 15, 2022

Show notes

In this episode, we are exploring the life of Margaret Fuller, the extraordinary 19th century intellectual who played a central role in the transcendentalist movement. We'll learn about a recovered parcel of Fuller's letters to her close friend, James Freeman Clarke. The letters had been lost for more than a hundred years before they were discovered carefully preserved in an ornate folio in the home of Clarke's descendants.

Learn more about episode objects here: https://www.masshist.org/podcast/episode-11

Email us at podcast@masshist.org.

Episode Special Guest: Megan Marshall is the Charles Wesley Emerson Professor at Emerson College and is the author of Margaret Fuller: A New American Life.

This episode uses materials from: Pounded Piano by Podington Bear (Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported) Psychic by Dominic Giam of Ketsa Music (licensed under a commercial non-exclusive license by the Massachusetts Historical Society through Ketsa.uk) Curious Nature by Dominic Giam of Ketsa Music (licensed under a commercial non-exclusive license by the Massachusetts Historical Society through Ketsa.uk)

The Letters of Phillis Wheatley May 15, 2022

Show notes

In this episode, we are examining a group of letters written by the poet Phillis Wheatley to her friend Obour Tanner. These documents provide a window into a relationship between two young Black women during the age of the American Revolution. In Phillis' letters to Obour, we catch a glimpse of their spiritual lives, their joint efforts to publish Wheatley's books of poems, and the support they provided one another through hardship.

Learn more about episode objects here: https://www.masshist.org/podcast/episode-10

Email us at podcast@masshist.org.

Episode Special Guest: Tara Bynum is an Assistant Professor of English & African American Studies at Iowa University. Dr. Bynum is the author of Reading Pleasures: Everyday Black Living in Early America.

This episode uses materials from: Psychic by Ketsa (Commercial non-exclusive license through Ketsa) Curious Nature by Ketsa (Commercial non-exclusive license through Ketsa) Relinquish by Poddington Bear (Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported)

The Many Lives of the Lusitania Medal Apr 15, 2022

Show notes

In this episode, we are examining several medals produced when a German U-boat torpedoed a civilian British ocean liner during the First World War. The medals became the center of a propaganda campaign that spanned the Atlantic. Originally created by a German artist, the medals quickly became tools for the Allied propaganda machine and a nightmare for the German government.

Learn more about episode objects here: https://www.masshist.org/podcast/episode-9

Email us at podcast@masshist.org.

Episode Special Guest: David Silbey is Adj. Associate Professor at Cornell University and Associate Director Cornell in Washington.

This episode uses materials from: Psychic by Ketsa (Commercial non-exclusive license through Ketsa) Curious Nature by Ketsa (Commercial non-exclusive license through Ketsa) Small Bummer by Poddington Bear (Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 International License)

The Ledger Art of Ft. Marion Mar 15, 2022

Show notes

The Casket of Hair Feb 15, 2022

Show notes

In this episode, we are taking a close look at an artifact known as the casket of hair. Join us as we speak with MHS president Catherine Allgor about this little wooden box displaying the hair of First Lady Dolley Madison and Presidents George Washington, James Madison, and John Quincy Adams. We'll also learn about the larger collection of hair held at the MHS and explore what is like to encounter hair in the archive.

Learn more about episode objects here: https://www.masshist.org/podcast/episode-7

Email us at podcast@masshist.org.

Episode Special Guest: Catherine Allgor is the president of the Massachusetts Historical Society and is the author of Parlor Politics: In Which the Ladies of Washington Help Build a City and a Government (University Press of Virginia, 2000) and A Perfect Union: Dolley Madison and the Creation of the American Nation (Henry Holt, 2006).

This episode uses materials from: Psychic by Ketsa (Commercial non-exclusive license through Ketsa) Curious Nature by Ketsa (Commercial non-exclusive license through Ketsa) Exlibris by Kosta T (Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike)

Bonus: The Witch's Bureau Jan 25, 2022

Show notes

In today's bonus episode, we are introducing you to another object in our collections related to the Salem Witch Trials – the so called Witch's Bureau. You'll hear from Chief Historian Peter Drummey and MHS Curator Anne Bentley as they explain how the bureau came to the MHS, the documents that link the furniture to the 1692 trials, and the clue that led them to unravel the bureau's mysterious origins.

Learn more about episode objects here: https://www.masshist.org/podcast/bonus-witchs-bureau

Email us at podcast@masshist.org.

This episodes uses materials from: By the Pond (Instrumental) by Chad Crouch, (Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 International License) Curious Nature by Dominic Giam of Ketsa Music (licensed under a commercial non-exclusive license by the Massachusetts Historical Society through Ketsa.uk)

A Petition for Rebecca Nurse Jan 15, 2022

Show notes

In this episode, we are looking at the documentary record of the Salem Witch Trials. This disturbing tale of early America has fascinated generations and become a familiar story to many. But what it was like to witness this history firsthand? We'll take a close look at the story of Rebecca Nurse, a respected woman in her 70s who was accused of witchcraft. Through original petition documents and printed trial records held in the MHS collections, we'll explore Rebecca's individual experience and the role her community played in both persecuting and defending her.

Learn more about episode objects here: https://www.masshist.org/podcast/episode-6

Email us at podcast@masshist.org.

Episode Special Guest: Elyssa Tardif is the Director of Education at the MHS and an early American literary scholar.

This episode uses materials from: Psychic by Ketsa (Commercial non-exclusive license through Ketsa) Curious Nature by Ketsa (Commercial non-exclusive license through Ketsa) Nocturne by Kai Engel (Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International)

Henry Cabot Lodge Jr. and the "Lowly Hotdog" Oct 04, 2021

Show notes

In this episode, we are examining a few 20th century political campaign objects from the remarkable, but little known career of Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr. Chances are that if you have heard of Lodge, Jr., you likely remember his involvement in the Vietnam War. But in today's episode, we're exploring Lodge's earlier political career. We'll look at an undelivered speech drafted for Senator Joseph McCarthy, an unusual pair of campaign mugs, and a peculiar bronzed hot dog paperweight.

Learn more about episode objects here: http://www.masshist.org/podcast/episode6

Email us at podcast@masshist.org.

Episode Special Guest: Luke Nichter is a Professor of History at Chapman University and the author of The Last Brahmin: Henry Cabot Lodge Jr. and the Making of the Cold War

This episode uses materials from: Psychic by Ketsa (Commercial non-exclusive license through Ketsa) Curious Nature by Ketsa (Commercial non-exclusive license through Ketsa) Elephant Walk by Poddington Bear (Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported)

A Miniature Portrait of Elizabeth Freeman Oct 04, 2021

Show notes

In this episode, we are looking at the story of Elizabeth Freeman, a woman born into slavery in the 18th century who successfully sued for her freedom and helped bring about the end of slavery in Massachusetts. Leaving the house of her enslavers John and Hannah Ashley, Freeman took up paid work within the household of the lawyer who represented her in court, Theodore Sedgewick. We'll take a close look at a miniature portrait of Freeman, a gold bead bracelet that once belonged to her, and a brief biography of Freeman, written by Catherine Maria Sedgewick.

Learn more about episode objects here: http://www.masshist.org/podcast/episode4

Email us at podcast@masshist.org.

Episode special guest: Felicia Thomas, Assistant Professor at Morgan State University

This episode uses materials from: Psychic by Dominic Giam of Ketsa Music (licensed under a commercial non-exclusive license by the Massachusetts Historical Society through Ketsa.uk) Curious Nature by Dominic Giam of Ketsa Music (licensed under a commercial non-exclusive license by the Massachusetts Historical Society through Ketsa.uk) Theme in G by Podington Bear (Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 International License.)

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