America 250 Programs
Check back regularly for updates to this list of America 250 programs being offered at Thayer Memorial Library!
The Declaration of Independence: Pathway to Our Precious Freedoms
Friday June 26 at 2:00 PM
It was America’s birth certificate. And this year, we celebrate its 250th birthday. Its influence has been explosive, galvanizing peoples throughout the world to assert their independence, inspiring civil rights movements, and sparking a recognition of individual rights.
Presented by the Honorable Judge Dennis Curran (Ret.).
Experience History: The 18th Century Leading up to Revolution
Friday July 10 at 2:00 PM
Join Thomas Quirk, who will portray life in the eighteenth century with period clothing, goods, weapons, tools, and instruments, and provide information about local patriots. The talk includes a fife demonstration, a question-and-answer period, and an opportunity to examine Colonial items.
How the Housewives of Masschusetts Supported the Continental Army
Wednesday July 29 at 6:30 PM
Foodways historian Stacy Booth will discuss not only how the housewives of Massachusetts provisioned the army in the early years of the Revolutionary War, but also how they used food and cooking as ways to protest taxation and the political policies that fanned the flames of a revolution.
Dr. Benjamin Rush: Forgotten Founder and Physician
Friday August 7 at 2:00 PM
Dr. Benjamin Rush, forgotten Founder, was a renowned writer, reformer and medical pioneer who touched virtually every page in the story of our nation’s founding.
Presented by the Honorable Judge Dennise Curran (Ret.).
Profiles in Patriotism: Elizabeth Freeman
Friday September 18 at 2:00 PM
Elizabeth Freeman is a little-known national hero, and a symbol of courage and spirit to all who cherish freedom. She was among the first slaves in Massachusetts to sue for and win her freedom, recognizing the potential legal and moral significance of the words “All men are born free and equal.”
Presented by the Honorable Judge Dennise Curran (Ret.).
Reading the Revolution
Want to learn more about the American Revolution? This multipart list reading includes recommendations for readers of all ages, and honors the complex history of the American Revolution and our nation’s unfolding evolution toward becoming a society where is everyone is truly “free and equal.” The reading lists feature recommendations for books available from libraries across the Commonwealth, including many that can be found here in Lancaster.
Visit the Massachusetts Center for the Book’s website for more information and to view the reading lists
Special Collections Book Group
Also consider coming to Read History with Tori, a book group run by the Special Collections Librarian which reads books all about history. Over the summer and into the fall, the group will be reading books reccomended by the Massachusetts Center for the Book in their Reading the Revolution program.
Click on the posters below for more information about that month’s meeting.
June
August
October
July
September
November
