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).
Preschool Programs
The Cambridge Preschool Program (CPP) is a publicly-funded program that provides free or affordable, high-quality early education and care for all Cambridge 4-year-olds and some 3-year-olds. CPP covers the cost of the school-day, school-year portion of programs. Depending on a family's income, there may be additional costs for full-day, full-year (including summer) preschool. Families apply to CPP through a single, centralized online application. DHSP Preschools are partner of CPP.
Teen Design Your Own Graphic Novel Session 1/3 (Valente)
Learn how to visually capture your own memoir or fictional creation in a short graphic novel through story planning, character development, and techniques for capturing emotions, motion, and time. Materials provided and no prior art or author experience needed! Registration is required, and registering for this session includes the following two Tuesdays 1/20, and 1/27. This program is for ages 10-18.
The City of Cambridge does not discriminate, including on the basis of disability. We may provide auxiliary aids and services, written materials in alternative formats, and reasonable modifications in policies and procedures to people with disabilities. For more information contact us at library@cambridgema.gov, 617-349-4032 (voice), or via relay at 711.
Youth Tabletop Game Design Session 2/2 (Valente)
Create your very own one-page tabletop role playing game. In this two-session class, you will learn how to design your own game from scratch. We will cover themes, mechanics, and get started on making your idea a reality. No prior experience needed, all materials provided. Ages 10-14, registration required! (Registering for the first session includes the second session.)
The City of Cambridge does not discriminate, including on the basis of disability. We may provide auxiliary aids and services, written materials in alternative formats, and reasonable modifications in policies and procedures to people with disabilities. For more information contact us at library@cambridgema.gov, 617-349-4032 (voice), or via relay at 711.
Youth Graphic Novel Design Session 1/3 (Valente)
Visually capture your own story in a short graphic novel format from story planning to character development and illustration. All materials are provided and no prior art experience is needed! Registration is required, and registering for the first session 8/4 includes the following sessions on Tuesdays, 4/11 and 4/18. This program is for ages 10-18.
The City of Cambridge does not discriminate, including on the basis of disability. We may provide auxiliary aids and services, written materials in alternative formats, and reasonable modifications in policies and procedures to people with disabilities. For more information contact us at library@cambridgema.gov, 617-349-4032 (voice), or via relay at 711.
Books Not Binaries Reading Group (Central Square)
Join us for a book discussion and hangout each month as we read books that celebrate the LGBTQIA+ experience. All readers age 10-13 welcome! Registration is required. For questions, email hsaxton@cambridgema.gov.
This month is reader's choice! Share your favorite recent read with the group.
Copies of the book are available at the Central Square Library Children's Desk.
Pizza will be provided!
Books Not Binaries Reading Group (Central Square)
Join us for a book discussion and hangout each month as we read books that celebrate the LGBTQIA+ experience. All readers age 10-13 welcome! Registration is required. For questions, email hsaxton@cambridgema.gov.
This month we're reading Ollie in Between by Jess Callans (Macmillan, 2025).
Copies of the book are available at the Central Square Library Children's Desk.
Pizza will be provided!
Books Not Binaries Reading Group (Central Square)
Join us for a book discussion and hangout each month as we read books that celebrate the LGBTQIA+ experience. All readers age 10-13 welcome! Registration is required. For questions, email hsaxton@cambridgema.gov.
This month we're reading The Magic Fish by Trung Le Nguyen.
Copies of the book are available at the Central Square Library Children's Desk.
Pizza will be provided!
Books Not Binaries Reading Group (Central Square)
Join us for a book discussion and hangout each month as we read books that celebrate the LGBTQIA+ experience. All readers age 10-13 welcome! Registration is required. For questions, email hsaxton@cambridgema.gov.
This month we're reading Jasmine is Haunted by Mark Oshiro (Starscape, 2024).
Copies of the book are available at the Central Square Library Children's Desk.
Pizza will be provided!
Books Not Binaries Reading Group (Central Square)
Join us for a book discussion and hangout each month as we read books that celebrate the LGBTQIA+ experience. All readers age 10-13 welcome! Registration is required. For questions, email hsaxton@cambridgema.gov.
This month we're reading Jude Saves the World by Ronnie Riley (Scholastic, 2023).
Copies of the book are available at the Central Square Library Children's Desk.
Pizza will be provided!