Special Evening Lectures
All Lectures Begin At 6:30pm
Cost: $10/ free for FTM members
Includes Museum admission & light refreshments
Strict Observers of the Moral Law
Freemasonry’s Ethics in Colonial Times
Presented by Jay Hochberg
Thursday, January 19th
Most people are aware that Freemasonry is a centuries-old society cloaked in mystique, its brethren ever present in the sweep of history, but what exactly do Masons profess? Did Freemasonry inspire the War of Independence? Were all the Founding Fathers members of the Masonic fraternity? Drawing from period literature and with an insider’s understanding of how Masonic lessons are imparted, Jay Hochberg, an officer in New York City’s only Masonic lodge of research and education, will define and contextualize the Colonial Freemason’s bond to his neighbor, his neighbor, his government, and his god.
The Founding Fathers Reconsidered
Presented by R.B. Bernstein †
Thursday, February 9th
It is sometimes easy to forget that Washington, Franklin, Jefferson, Adams, and the other founders were first & foremost human beings; imperfect and people much like us, who nevertheless achieved political greatness. In Bernstein’s new book they emerge here as men who sought to transcend their intellectual world even as they were bound by its limits; striving to lead the new nation even as they had to defer to the great body of the people & learn with them the possibilities & limitations of politics. By tracing the dynamic forces that molded these men as British colonists in North America into intellectual citizens of the Atlantic civilization's Age of Enlightenment, we see how key concepts and complications both shaped & limited their achievements as the United States sought its place in the world.
Witches, Wife Beaters, & Whores
Common Law & Common Folk in Early America
Presented by Elaine Crane †
Thursday, March 29th
The early American legal system permeated the lives of colonists, reflecting their sense of right & wrong, moral & immoral. As trials throughout the country reveal, alleged evildoers, from witches & wife beaters to debtors & fornicators, were as much a part of the social landscape as farmers, merchants, and ministers. Ordinary people made law by establishing & enforcing informal rules of conduct. Codified by a handshake or over a mug of ale, such agreements became custom & custom became "law," thus legitimizing a government that depended on popular consent to rule with authority.
Homesickness
An American History
Presented by Susan Matt †
Thursday, April 26th
Usually dismissed today as a sign of immaturity, homesickness has been recognized as a powerful emotion, sometimes even considered a fatal medical condition, in our country’s past. Starting with the Jamestown colonists’ longing for England, Matt uses letters, diaries, medical records, and psychological studies, to uncover in this wide-ranging book the profound pain felt by Americans on the move.
*Doors open at 6pm - Reservations available for Museum members only. Contact curator@frauncestavernmuseum.org for more information
† Books will be available for purchase - discounts apply for Museum members
Directions:
FTM is located at 54 Pearl Street, at the corner of Broad Street, in Lower Manhat-tan. Subway R/W to Whitehall St., 4/5 to Bowling Green, 2/3 to Wall Street, 1 to South Ferry, J/M/Z to Broad Street. Buses: M1, M6, M15.
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