RESCHEDULED Defying the Crown in Early Cambridge: The 1664 Petition Campaign and Grassroots Constitutionalism
This event was rescheduled from May 22 and will now take place on May 28.
The new king Charles II sent royal commissioners to New England in 1664 in order to pressure colonists into compliance with his metropolitan agenda. When these royal commissioners tried to claim full authority over local courts and militias, Cambridge inhabitants were among the first to act in defiance. Their grassroots petition campaign drew on the experience of the English civil wars and pointed the way forward to the American Revolution.
Adrian Chastain Weimer is a Professor of History at Providence College and is currently a Long-term Fellow at the John Carter Brown Library. She is the author of A Constitutional Culture: New England and the Struggle against Arbitrary Rule in the Restoration Empire (University of Pennsylvania Press, 2023) and Martyrs' Mirror: Persecution and Holiness in Early New England (Oxford University Press, 2011).
Travels with George: In Search of Washington and His Legacy (Main/Virtual)
To mark the 250th anniversaries of the American Revolution and the founding of the United States, a coalition of local non-profits and government agencies will present Washington in American Memory, a seven-part speaker series.
Retrace George Washington’s post-inaugural journeys and explore how he sought to unite a fragile new nation, featuring:
Peter Drummey, Chief Historian of the Massachusetts Historical Society (Ret.)
Nathaniel Philbrick, author of Travels with George: In Search of Washington and His Legacy, along with many other New York Times bestselling books
CPL International Briefing: The Situation in Cuba with Professor Avi Chomsky (Main/Virtual)
What’s going on with Cuba and why? This presentation will examine the current crisis in relations between the United States and Cuba in historical context. The Trump administration has brought its own peculiar mix of his “Donroe Doctrine,” Pete Hegseth’s “warrior ethos,” Trump’s claim to be a “president of peace” to a long and troubled relationship with our Caribbean neighbor. The talk will look at the reasons for US enmity towards the Cuban Revolution and how the relationship has evolved in the post-Cold War era until today. Registration is required.
Read to a Dog - for Adults! (O'Neill)
Come spend time with a cuddly friend! Trained therapy dogs provide warm and nonjudgmental reading companions, this time for adults. Registration for each 10-minute time slot is required and begins on Tuesday, April 1 by calling or visiting the O’Neill Branch Library at 617-349-4023.