“An Angel of Light”: Thoreau’s Plea for Captain John Brown
On November 1, 1859, Thoreau delivered a speech in Boston that sparked the abolitionist newspaper The Liberator to comment that John Brown’s raid on Harpers Ferry, Virginia “seems to have awakened the hermit of Concord.” Delivered at Tremont Temple, this speech praised Brown’s character in the aftermath of his attempt to incite an armed slave revolt in Harpers Ferry. Thoreau described Brown as “an old-fashioned man in respect for the Constitution,” “a man of great common sense,” even “an angel of light.” Return to 1859 and experience Henry Thoreau, portrayed by historian RICHARD SMITH, reading his “Plea for Captain John Brown” at the Meeting House! After the address, “Mr. Thoreau” will take questions from the audience.
Part of the Series “Boston is Thoreau Country: A Multimedia Series Celebrating Thoreau’s Legacy in the Hub,” Co-Presented by Old South Meeting House, The Thoreau Society, and the Boston Literary District. Co-Sponsored by the Walden Woods Project.
$6; FREE FOR OSMH MEMBERS.
Music from the Thoreau Family Library
The Old South Meeting House and the Boston Literary District invite you to experience the intersection of politics, music, and Thoreau family life in this dynamic performance by the ENDICOTT CHAMBER PLAYERS.
Specialists in performing on historical instruments, the Players will perform songs, marches, and dances from a collection of printed music and manuscripts that Henry’s sister Sophia donated to the Concord Public Library, and a volume of flute duets discovered at the Alcott family home, Orchard House. The program features the abolitionist song “The Captive’s Lament,” printed on a page torn from the Ladies’ Emancipation Gazette. Historian RICHARD SMITH will provide commentary to complement the performance.
PLUS: This evening of music recreating Henry David Thoreau’s family parlor includes free refreshments!
Part of the Series “Boston is Thoreau Country: A Multimedia Series Celebrating Thoreau’s Legacy in the Hub,” Co-Presented by Old South Meeting House, The Thoreau Society, and the Boston Literary District. Co-Sponsored by the Walden Woods Project.
This program is made possible with funding from the Lowell Institute. FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC, registration requested at http://osmhnov8-17.bpt.me
#Thoreau200: A Screening of PAUL TURANO’s Wonder, Wander, Wilderness
As part of the city-wide festival Boston is Thoreau Country and #Thoreau200, in honor of the great writer’s bicentennial, Emerson College is pleased to host a screening of PAUL TURANO’s film, Wonder, Wander, Wilderness.
Wander, Wonder, Wilderness is a documentary project that explores the urban wilds and parks of Greater Boston. This hour long essay film chronicles the filmmaker’s engagement with green spaces in an urban environment and explores the complex notions that they reveal about human ecology. Discussion with director and professor Paul Turano to follow.
This event, cosponsored by the Boston Literary District, is free and open to the public. Don’t miss it!
