Historians & Their Histories

Massachusetts Historical Society

Historians & Their Histories is a podcast by the Massachusetts Historical Society. In this series, we are introducing you to the historians who write the histories. In each episode, we sit down with a scholar who has received fellowship support from the Massachusetts Historical Society. We learn about their origin stories and ask them about why they became students of the past. And we get a sneak peek at their current projects, too.

  1. 4d ago

    John Collins Warren and the Roots of Medical Racial Science with Christopher Willoughby

    In this episode of Historians & Their Histories, Prof. Christopher Willoughby discusses his research on racial science and medicine in antebellum America, tracing how northern medical schools, including Harvard Medical School, taught and institutionalized theories of biological racial difference. At the MHS, he has been working with the papers of John Collins Warren, examining how this notable Harvard surgeon assembled a skull collection drawn largely from enslaved people and Indigenous communities. Prof. Willoughby is a recipient of the Elizabeth Woodman Wright Fellowship from the MHS.  To learn more about MHS fellowships and how to apply, please visit this page. Learn more about this episode here: https://www.masshist.org/podcast/hath-episode-35-Willoughby  This episode uses materials from:   Colocate by Podington Bear (Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported)

    33 min

  2. May 18

    From England to New England: The Glorious Revolution and the Boston Uprising with Chelsi Arellano

    In this episode of Historians & Their Histories, Prof. Chelsi Arellano discusses her research on the Glorious Revolution of 1688 and its ripple effects across the British Empire, with a particular focus on the Bostonian Revolt of 1689. She explores how colonists in Massachusetts Bay, frustrated by the dissolution of their charter under James II and the creation of the Dominion of New England, were inspired by events in England to depose their own royal governor. Prof. Arellano also examines the largely overlooked role that women, people of color, and the poor played in that revolt. Prof. Arellano is a recipient of the Samuel Victor Constant Fellowship from the Society of Colonial Wars in Massachusetts administered by the MHS. To learn more about MHS fellowships and how to apply, please visit this page. Learn more about this episode here: https://www.masshist.org/podcast/hath-episode-34-Arellano  This episode uses materials from:   Colocate by Podington Bear (Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported)

    22 min

  3. May 4

    Fear of a Maroon Republic with Marcus Nevius

    In this episode of Historians & Their Histories, Prof. Marcus Nevius discusses his current book project, titled "Fear of a Maroon Republic: Atlantic Slave War and the Problem of Archival Absence," which builds on his earlier work on marronage in the Great Dismal Swamp to explore how maroons appear and disappear in the historical record with a particular focus on Jamaica. He also reflects on the evolving scholarly understanding of marronage and the challenges of recovering maroon voices from archives that were largely created by enslavers and colonial administrators. Prof. Nevius is a recipient of the Andrew W. Mellon Fellowship from the MHS. To learn more about MHS fellowships and how to apply, please visit this page. Learn more about this episode here: https://www.masshist.org/podcast/hath-episode-33-Nevius  This episode uses materials from:   Colocate by Podington Bear (Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported)

    42 min

  4. Apr 20

    Salvaged Tea and Street Riots: Early American Politics with Peter Messer

    In this episode of Historians & Their Histories, Prof. Peter Messer discusses his research on early American political culture, focusing specifically on the local complexities of revolutionary-era events in Massachusetts. He shares how his work re-evaluates the 1773 "salvaged tea" controversy in Wellfleet, Massachusetts and the 1768 Liberty Riot, exploring the frequent disconnect between immediate local grievances and the broader Whig Republican rhetoric often associated with the American Revolution. Prof. Messer is a recipient of the Massachusetts Society of the Cincinnati fellowship from the MHS. To learn more about MHS fellowships and how to apply, please visit this page. Learn more about this episode here: https://www.masshist.org/podcast/hath-episode-32-Messer  This episode uses materials from:   Colocate by Podington Bear (Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported)

    41 min

  5. Apr 6

    Reconstituting Empire: Charters and State Formation in Early Modern England with Boone Ayala

    In this episode of Historians & Their Histories, we speak with Boone Ayala. He discusses his research on chartered corporations as instruments of imperial rule and his work at the MHS on the 1684 revocation of the Massachusetts Bay Company's charter, which he situates within a broader assault on corporate autonomy happening simultaneously across England. We also hear about his path from computer science major to historian and some objects he encountered in the MHS collections, including a musket from the 1689 siege of Fort Hill and Massachusetts Bay Colony Governor John Leverett's blood-stained buff coat from the English Civil Wars. Boone J. Ayala is a recipient of the W.B.H. Dowse Fellowship from the MHS.  To learn more about MHS fellowships and how to apply, please visit this page. Learn more about this episode here: https://www.masshist.org/podcast/hath-episode-31-Ayala  This episode uses materials from:   Colocate by Podington Bear (Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported)

    36 min

  6. Mar 16

    Patriots Before Revolution with Amy Watson

    On this special episode of Historians & Their Histories, guest host Megan Kate Nelson sits down with Amy Watson, Assistant Professor of History at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. They discuss Prof. Watson's new book Patriots Before Revolution: The Rise of Party Politics in the British Atlantic, 1714-1763, available now in hardcover and paperback. They discuss what it meant to be a patriot in the eighteenth century and the long history of the American Revolution.  Prof. Watson is a recipient of the long-term fellowship sponsored by the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Massachusetts Historical Society.  To learn more about MHS fellowships and how to apply, please visit this page. Learn more about this episode here: https://www.masshist.org/podcast/hath-episode-30-Watson  This episode uses materials from: Colocate by Podington Bear (Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported)

    45 min

  7. Mar 2

    Anglo-Dutch Relations in Early Colonial America with Elizabeth Hines

    In this episode of Historians & Their Histories, Dr. Elizabeth Hines discusses her research into the relations between New England and New Netherland in the 17th century, which grew out of a broader project on Anglo-Dutch relations across the globe. She explores why England and the Netherlands ultimately went to war in the First Anglo-Dutch War of 1652–1654. We also hear about her journey from physics major to historian, her work in the MHS archives with sources such as the Winthrop and Endicott papers, and how she hopes her research will push audiences to think more expansively about the multi-imperial origins of what would become the United States. Dr. Hines is the recipient of a fellowship from the New England Regional Fellowship Consortium, which is administered by the Massachusetts Historical Society. To learn more about MHS fellowships and how to apply, please visit this page. Learn more about this episode here: https://www.masshist.org/podcast/hath-episode-29-Hines  This episode uses materials from:   Colocate by Podington Bear (Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported)

    20 min

  8. Feb 16

    Beyond the Legend: Jane McCrea, Indigenous Warriors, and Revolutionary War Narratives with Blake Grindon

    In this episode of Historians & Their Histories, Dr. Blake Grindon examines the 1777 death of Jane McCrea during the British Saratoga campaign and how this event became a powerful propaganda tool in the American Revolution. Dr. Grindon discusses how McCrea's story in which she was allegedly killed by Native warriors allied with the British spread rapidly through newspapers across the thirteen states and even reached parliamentary speeches in Britain and French newspapers. Dr. Grindon's work also examines the military and diplomatic roles of diverse Native nations during the Revolution, challenging narratives that overlook Indigenous political sovereignty and agency during this period. Dr. Grindon is the recipient of a fellowship from the New England Regional Fellowship Consortium, which is administered by the Massachusetts Historical Society. To learn more about MHS fellowships and how to apply, please visit this page. Learn more about this episode here: https://www.masshist.org/podcast/hath-episode-28-Grindon  This episode uses materials from:   Colocate by Podington Bear (Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported)

    39 min
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About

Historians & Their Histories is a podcast by the Massachusetts Historical Society. In this series, we are introducing you to the historians who write the histories. In each episode, we sit down with a scholar who has received fellowship support from the Massachusetts Historical Society. We learn about their origin stories and ask them about why they became students of the past. And we get a sneak peek at their current projects, too.

Information

  • Creator
    Massachusetts Historical Society
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    36
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © MHS 2024
  • Show Website
    Historians & Their Histories

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