Event: FDR Library-Lecture and Signing with Douglas Brinkley: FDR & CCC, July 9 at 7 PM

From the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum:

FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT: 

THE RENEWAL OF AMERICA

A lecture & book signing
Tuesday, July 9, 7 p.m.
Henry A. Wallace Visitor Center
FDR Presidential Library, Hyde Park, NY

The Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum is pleased to present FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT: THE RENEWAL OF AMERICA, a lecture and book signing with Douglas Brinkley, Professor of History at Rice University, Historian for CBS News, and author of THE WILDERNESS WARRIOR: THEODORE ROOSEVELT AND THE CRUSADE FOR AMERICA. The program will be held at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, July 9, 2013 in the Henry A. Wallace Visitor and Education Center at the FDR Presidential Library and Home. Following the presentation, Dr. Brinkley will be available for a book signing and several of his books will be available for sale in the New Deal Store. Attendees can visit the Library's new permanent exhibition until 10:00 p.m..-- free of charge -- after the program. This event is free and open to the public.

FDR visits with Civilian Conservation Corps workers at the CCC's Big Meadows camp in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley, August 12, 1933.  Franklin D. Roosevelt Library Archives

“Work! Save!! Win!!!”: Selling the Cost of World War I in America - Part 4: Magazines & Conclusion

Popular Magazines

            Magazines were widely read in early 20^th century America. Among the most prominent at the time were Collier’s and McClure’s. While other magazines, such as Saturday Evening Post and Atlantic Monthly were also widely read, in the interest of time, I have selected focusing on these two magazines for their wide circulation, slightly different tones, and generally pro-war positions.

            Magazines such as these led the charge in explaining bond purchase and ownership to the public in a clear, detailed way. Explaining the necessity of giving to the point of sacrifice for the cause, banker Thomas Lamont was able to explain loan purchases in relation to other countries in Collier’s. “We must all realize that individual economy, thrift, and saving of pennies, collected in units of dollars and invested in loans to the Government, will shorten and help win the war,” he wrote.[1] He explained that Britain gave 40% of the nation’s (considerably smaller) income to the war effort, and though this may have been prompted by the volume of death they were experiencing, “must we in America wait until our casualty lists begin to come in before we can rouse ourselves to this same wholehearted support of the Government?”[2]

Event: Massachusetts Historical Society Graduate Student Reception

Massachusetts Historical Society

Graduate Student Reception

Thursday, September 19, 2013

6:00-8:00 p.m.

The Massachusetts Historical Society, a top-notch resource for American history scholars, is hosting an open house for graduate students of history, American Studies, and related fields. This is a great opportunity for graduate students to network with other students and faculty from other universities and learn about what MHS has to offer! 

For more information, contact Kate Viens or check MassHist.org for updates.

Frederick Douglass Events throughout Massachusetts in July

MassHumanities has put together a series of events commemorating the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation. Their focus on Frederick Douglass is a bold choice, highlighting one of the great black orators who contributed to the changing of the tone in the North regarding slavery and ultimately forcing the United States government to take a stance against it. 

Remaining events include readings of "What to the Slave is the Fourth of July" on July 1 at City Hall Plaza, Worcester, MA, Reading Frederick Douglass and the Emancipation Proclamation on July 2 at the Massachusetts State House in Boston, MA, and The Third Annual Reading of Frederick Douglass' Speech at High Rock Tower at the Top of Circuit Ave. off High Rock St. in Lynn, MA on July 3. Information on all of these events can be found here.

The Boston event is particularly compelling, given its taking place in the midst of Harborfest, Boston's week-long Fourth of July celebration, which draws millions. Such a high profile location is sure to get this important history event a lot more attention than is customary. 

“Work! Save!! Win!!!”: Selling the Cost of World War I in America - Part 3: Boy Scouts and Other Children

Boy Scouts & Child Bond Sellers

            Secretary McAdoo and George Creel, as we have seen, often stumbled upon fundraising approaches from outside sources. Indeed, Creel complained in his memoir of the “flood of people that poured into Washington during the war, each burdened with some wonderful suggestion that could be imparted only to an executive head.” Though he conceded it was their “right as citizens, but it was equally the case that the idea might have real value.”[1] Such was the case with the Boy Scouts.

A Boy Scout aides Lady Liberty in raising
War Funds.

            As bond sellers, the Boy Scouts were perfect. In line with their mission, President Wilson lauded giving “every Scout a wonderful opportunity to do his share for his country under the slogan ‘Every Scout to Save a Soldier.’”[2] Not only could they save soldiers; they could do it for free.

            Initially, the young bond salesmen were unsuccessful. Apparently, they had a tendency to lose their nerve after knocking on the door. Partnering remedied the problem, and scout tandems sold 139,654 bond subscriptions worth over $23 million in the First Liberty Loan.[3]

Discussion about Boston's Italian-American North End, June 26!

Capossela's book on Italian-American life.

The North End Historical Society is hosting an interview with Dom Capossela, a restauraneur, author, and native North End Italian-American. "The interview will cover Dom's love of the North End, Italian cooking, and how the neighborhood that was once a tight-knit community of Italian-Americans came to be known as the gem of the city of Boston," according to NEHS.

This is an excellent opportunity to listen hear about the cultural make-up of a Boston immigrant community first-hand, and to ask questions that might better help you understand Italian-American society in post-World War II Boston.

The discussion will be hosted at the Nazzaro Community Center, 30 North Bennet St., Boston, MA, 02113. This event is free and open to the public.

David Kennedy Talks about American Society, "The Good War," and Enjoying Sins

Here's a great talk by David Kennedy, a history professor at Stanford and author of the Pulitzer prize-winning Freedom From Fear: The American People in Depression and War, 1929-1945. I highly recommend it.

David M. Kennedy: Freedom From Fear: The American People in Depression and War, 1929-1945 from The Gilder Lehrman Institute on Vimeo.