[This coming weekend marks the 250th anniversary of one of the most significant events in Colonial America, the Boston Tea Party. So this week I’ve AmericanStudied a handful of layers to that important moment, leading up to this special weekend tribute to some of the many BostonStudiers from whom I’ve learned a great deal!]
On a
handful of the many BostonStudiers from whom I’ve learned a lot and we should
all keep learning more, for this commemoration and beyond.
1)
The
Tea Merchant: I have to start this tribute post with a voice who has focused
on collective memories and stories of the Boston Tea Party. Economic and author
Leena Bhatagar’s historical
novel links that event to others in London and Calcutta, and like all
historical fiction blends imagined characters and storytelling with the
histories and contexts. But Leena’s November webinar for the
Boston Tea Party Ships organization makes clear that she has historical
analysis to contribute alongside the novel’s storytelling, and all of that
makes her a voice well worth including in this weekend post.
2)
J.L.
Bell: If Leena is an authority on the specific occasion for this week’s
blog series, J.L. Bell is to my mind the unquestioned expert on its broad
contexts: all things Boston
and New England in and around the Revolutionary era. He’s also been writing
a public scholarly blog on blogspot (the first hyperlink above) for even longer
than me, and is thus a model for all of us out here in the blogging game. If
you don’t believe me, just check out his more
than 200 posts with the “Boston Tea Party” tag!
3)
Ben
Edwards: One of the best ways to learn about history in Boston is to walk
it, as I argued for example in my Saturday
Evening Post Considering History column
on the Black Heritage Trail (a vital complement to the city’s more famous
Freedom Trail). And one of the best ways to do that is in the company of Walking Boston founder and tour guide
(and children’s book author!)
Ben Edwards. Now get out there and retrace the route from the Old South Meeting
House to the Harbor!
4)
Nathaniel
Sheidley: I first met Nat Sheidely when our kids were in preschool
together, longer ago than I care to remember. At that time he was professing
history at Wellesley College, but in the years since he’s become an integral
figure in the Boston public history scene through his role as the President and
CEO of Revolutionary Spaces.
This weekend they’re hosting a 250th
anniversary commemoration of the Tea Party, which reflects how much they’re
interconnected with my topics throughout the week. But there’s a lot more to
both the organization and its President, and I look forward to continuing to
learn from both of them!
5)
MHS Folks:
Speaking of learning, I don’t think there’s any community in Boston from whom I’ve
learned as much as the Massachusetts Historical Society. (Full disclosure: I’ve
also been
honored to give two
book talks through MHS.) There are lots of layers to that community and
that learning, but it boils down to phenomenal folks like Sara
Georgini, Kanisorn
“Kid” Wongsrichanalai, Peter
Drummey, and many many more. Can’t pay tribute to BostonStudiers without
highlighting my MHS peeps!
Next
series starts Monday,
Ben
PS. What
do you think? BostonStudiers you’d highlight, or Tea Party takes you’d share?
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