Partnership of the Historic Bostons Presents: A Tale of Two Colonies

Date: Wednesday, October 7, at 7:00 pm.  All fall lectures by Zoom.   Registration required: see For More Information link.

Governor Bradford built a Godly community. The Puritans, often seen as harsh, built self-correcting institutions that remain to the present.

As generations of school children learned, the “Pilgrims” founded the “Plimoth” colony in 1620. Ten years later “Puritans” established the Massachusetts Bay Colony. What is the difference? The Pilgrim story is told with warmth and nostalgia, but is it accurate? While the Puritans are seen as harsh and intolerant, they also established institutions including Harvard College that became “self-correcting” over time. This lecture explores similarities and some differences between the colonies and their long- term legacy of reform. Co-sponsored with the Medford Historical Society.

Biography

Stephen Kenney has been Director of the Commonwealth Museum, the Massachusetts state history museum, since 2002. He has a Ph.D. from Boston University and has been an administrator and faculty member at several area colleges, including service as Interim President at Quincy College.