Old South Meeting House Lectures

Boston, MA

The Colorful Politician, James Michael Curley
William Bulger
January 20, 2010
00:41:58
William Bulger, who served as president of both the Massachusetts Senate and the University of Massachusetts, author of James Michael Curley: a Short Biography, explains why the "rascal" politician James Michael Curley was such and inspiration to the generation that followed him.
Stimulating Beverages: Tea, Coffee, and Chocolate in Early America
Amanda Lange
January 7, 2010
00:42:39
Amanda Lange, curator at Historic Deerfield, explains how tea, coffee, and chocolate--originally prescribed as cures for ailments ranging from headaches and depressions--became counted among the necessities of daily life.
Belinda Rathbone: Tea with Miss Rose
Belinda Rathbone
December 17, 2009
00:35:31
Belinda Rathbone, co-author of Tea with Miss Rose, talks about the life and times of Rose Nichols, the Bostonian spinster who gathered a regular crowd at her townhouse on Beacon Hill in the 1950s to discuss art, politics, and world affairs over a cup of Hu-Kwa.
Teapot in a Tempest: The Boston Tea Party of 1773 (Part 2)
Benjamin Carp
December 10, 2009
00:52:37
The Boston Tea Party lives on in history and memory in a variety of ways. The term "Boston Tea Party" doesn't appear for 50 years after the event. No one spoke openly about who had boarded the tea ships until the 1820s and 1830s.
Teapot in a Tempest: The Boston Tea Party of 1773 (Part 1)
Benjamin Carp
December 3, 2009
00:47:32
The Boston Tea Party was about more than taxes, and it was part of a movement that was larger than Boston.
Diary From Great Brewster Island: Girls Night Out in the 1890s
Stephanie Schorow
November 19, 2009
00:36:50
Author Stephanie Schorow explores the lives of four remarkable women who, on a hot July day in 1891, set off for 10 days of "roughing it" on Great Brewster Island and kept a diary of their summer adventure on their "enchanted isle." Now in the collection of the Schlesinger Library at Harvard Univers
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.
Audio-only
Living the Dream
Barry Bluestone
June 5, 2006
01:17:52
Varied panelists discuss the ideas and realities surrounding the idealized, and perhaps mythical, "American dream." It used to be thought that all people could achieve their dreams on hard work, courage and determination alone.
Moral Center: Values, Politics and America's Future
David Callahan
October 3, 2006
01:20:29
Robert Kuttner moderates a panel discussion of some of today's most polarizing conflicts around family, sex, popular culture, crime and poverty and explores Callahan's ideas for escaping the dead-end culture wars and building a more unified America.
Audio-only
Atlantic Pirates in the Golden Age
Marcus Rediker
June 25, 2004
00:48:42
Marcus Rediker discusses his book, Villains of All Nations: Atlantic Pirates in the Golden Age, an unprecedented social and cultural history of pirates and their democratic, egalitarian and multiethnic society.
Audio-only
Death in the Haymarket
Howard Zinn
March 30, 2006
00:59:01
James Green, professor of history at UMASS Boston and Howard Zinn, author of A People's History of the United States discuss the exhilarating rise of a visionary union movement and its downfall in the wake of the Haymarket tragedy.
Audio-only
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.

Since it was built in 1729, the Old South Meeting House has been a gathering place for debates, discussion, revolution and celebration. Today, this nonprofit museum and National Historic Landmark continues its tradition of free speech and assembly through a full spectrum of thought provoking programs for all ages. Located in the heart of downtown Boston, the Old South Meeting House is an important resource for more than 80,000 children, parents, teachers, visitors and citizens each year. Through museum exhibits, educational programs and collaborations, the Old South Meeting House stands as a living symbol of our country's quest for freedom and justice.
Old South Meeting House