September 2025 through April 2026

Lecture Series: Revisiting The American Revolution Part II

The Hingham Historical Society Lecture Series captivates audiences with bold ideas, compelling stories, and fresh perspectives on the people and forces that shaped Hingham’s layered past. Hosted live at the Hingham Heritage Museum and streamed for remote access, these dynamic talks bring scholars and authors face-to-face with the community. With topics spanning centuries and voices that challenge conventional narratives, each lecture takes subscribers beyond the sources, offering new insights, spirited dialogue, and a deeper appreciation for local history within a national context.

As we prepare to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence in July 2026, Revisiting the American Revolution, Part II invites us to consider how the legacies of our nation’s founding continue to shape our understanding of Hingham’s social, political, economic, and cultural histories. The 2025/2026 lecture series features seven historians, artists, and thought leaders whose work delves into untold stories of individuals whose struggle and sacrifice launched the American Experiment.

All of our speakers will be live and in-person at the Hingham Heritage Museum and via ZOOM webinar. Each lecture begins at 3:00pm EST.

2025/2026 Speakers

Sunday September 14, 2025 at 3:00pm

Freedom: The Enduring Importance of the American Revolution

Jack D. Warren Jr, Historian

How has the Revolution changed the lives of ordinary Americans, articulated ideals that have defined our history, and continues to shape our world?

Sunday October 5, 2025 at 3:00pm

The Painter’s Fire

Dr. Zara Anishanslin, University of Delaware

Uncover the overlooked role of patriot artists — women, Black men enslaved and free, and people of mixed race — who shaped the Revolution through art, espionage, and activism across America, London, and Paris.

Sunday December 7, 2025 at 3:00pm

Tasting History

Meg Muckenhoupt, Historian and Food Writer

Discover how ideas about New England’s food have shaped our ideas about regional identity, who belongs here, and whose stories get told.

Sunday January 25, 2026 at 3:00pm

From Hingham to the Americas: New Perspectives on the 18th Century at the MFA

Dr. Lucia Abramovich Sanchez, the Carolyn and Peter Lynch Curator of American Decorative Arts and Sculpture at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

Coinciding with America250, the Museum of Fine Arts Boston is reimagining its 18th-century galleries, bringing together works from across the Americas, highlighting the interconnected histories of the continent, and examining how artists have contributed to emerging ideas of identity and nationhood.

Sunday February 22, 2026 at 3:00pm

Hingham’s Black Revolutionaries 

Paula Bagger, Historian

How did Hingham’s free and enslaved Black population experience the American Revolution? Join local historian Paula Bagger as she unpacks previously untold stories of service both on the battlefield and the home front.

March 22, 2026 at 3:00pm

History in Harmony 

David Cieri, Composer for Ken Burns’ The American Revolution

How do music and filmmaking come together to bring images and documents from our nation’s past to life, helping us find new meaning for the future? David will discuss his creative process writing the music for Ken Burns’s The American Revolution.

Sunday April 12, 2026 at 3:00pm

Hingham in the Revolution

James B. Conroy, Historian

Meet some revolutionary residents of Hingham who played significant roles in the national struggle for independence.