Charles Sumner and Boston’s Revolutionary Tradition
June 7, 2017 |
Charles Sumner is one of the most important but underappreciated figures of the nineteenth century. One of America’s greatest senators, he was instrumental in ending slavery and attacking segregation. His civil rights bill became the blueprint for the 1964 Civil Rights Act. Born and raised in Boston’s black community in Beacon Hill, he became a close friend of many of the city’s black and white intellectual families. Professor Stauffer’s talk will focus on Sumner’s friendships with Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, William Cooper Nell, and Ralph Waldo Emerson, and it will highlight the inspiration he received from them and from the city’s revolutionary legacy, including the Adams family and Paul Revere.
John Stauffer is Professor of English and African American Studies and former chair of American Studies at Harvard University. He is the author or editor of 20 books and over 100 articles focusing on antislavery and/or photography. GIANTS: The Parallel Lives of Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln was a national bestseller. The Black Hearts of Men was the co-winner of the Frederick Douglass Book Prize, and Picturing Frederick Douglass was a Lincoln Prize finalist. His essays and reviews have appeared in Time, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and in scholarly journals and books. John has been featured on national radio and television, including “The Diane Rehm Show,” “C-SPAN,” and “Book TV.” He has also served as a consultant for several films, including Free State of Jones, The Abolitionists, and Django Unchained.
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Old North Church & Historic Site |
193 Salem Street
Boston, MA |
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