A Trip To Boston - (2022 Summer)

Before I continue posting my APUSH lesson plans, I would like to talk about/show readers my wonderful experience in Boston in the 2022 summer. My wife, who has a PhD in statistics, was invited to present her research at a conference in Downtown Boston in July 2022. Thus, I had the opportunity to join her and visit some of the preserved sites of the American Revolution. This was a fantastic trip - I learned a lot of history stories that I incorporated in my APUSH lectures and I immersed myself in the New England culture by devouring clam chowder and lobster rolls. I felt at home in Boston, walking the cobbled streets surrounded by old-ish buildings, dodging spells of inclement weather, and chatting to a few passerbys who were intrigued by my accent as much as I was with theirs. In sum, Boston reminded me of my hometown, London, England, and I am extremely glad that I was able to pay the city a visit. I would not hesitate to visit again! Below I have put a bunch of photographs from my Boston trip (in the 2022 summer):

One of our final stops in Boston was the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library/Museum. JFK was a Massachusetts senator prior to his ascent to the presidency. Despite his presidency ending quickly (just over 1000 days, Jan. 1961 - Nov. 1963), JFK is remembered today as a charismatic, level-headed, dutiful leader who steered the nation through some of its most challenging ordeals at the height of the Cold War (Bay of Pigs Invasion, Space Race, and Cuban Missile Crises). The museum was fascinating and I enjoyed reading more about JFK's rise to power, the history of First Lady Jackie Kennedy, as well as his legacy. This was a brilliant finale to an amazing trip to Boston! Author's Collections.

A recreation of the infamous Boston Tea Party vessel, where, on December 16, 1773, the Sons of Liberty dressed in Native American garments boarded an East India Company ship and threw over 1,200 pounds of tea into the Boston Harbor. Afterwards, the British government closed the port and put Boston under military rule, further igniting revolutionary sparks. Author's Collections.

The Battle of Bunker Hill Monument. On June 17, 1775, Boston patriots engaged the British Army on Breed's Hill, which is located outside the city. The patriots were led by fiery general William Prescott, who is believed to have cried "Do not fire until you see the whites of their eyes!" Despite the battle culminating in a British victory and a patriot defeat (and escape over neighboring Bunker's Hill), the American militia put up a strong defense and killed/wounded more than a thousand redcoats. Unfortunately, the monument was closed to the public, yet I was able to visit the museum. Author's Collections.

Standing beside one of the 52 gigantic cannon on the USS Constitution (also known as Old Ironsides)- this vessel was launched in 1797 and remains one of the world's oldest operating ships. Constitution played a key role in American naval victories during the First Barbary War (1801-1805) and the War of 1812 (1812-1814). She retired from active service in 1881 after several parade trips around the globe. My wife and I were in awe of Constitution's size and powerful ambience. Author's Collections.

At the start of the African American Freedom Trail is a memorial that is dedicated to the 54th Massachusetts Regiment, the first U.S. Army black regiment. Robert Gould Shaw was the commanding officier. Most of the 54th Regiment was killed during the September 1863 Second Battle of Fort Wagner, and were later memorialized in the 1989 film Glory (a FANTASTIC movie!). Author's Collections.

A statue of John Glover, the Massachusetts sailor who assisted George Washington and the Continental Army escape the British Army at the Battle of Long Island in August 1776. Glover, who I have researched in the past, was later elected to the Massachusetts House of Representatives. Author's Collections.

With William Lloyd Garrison, one of America's prominent abolitionists prior to the Civil War. Garrison founded the widely-read anti-slavery newspaper The Liberator in 1831. After the abolition of slavery in 1865, Garrison was a leading advocate for women's rights. Author's Collections.

I was extremely excited to visit Boston's oldest bookstore (and devour a few antiqued history books), yet extremely disappointed to find out the store had turned into a Chipotle restaurant... sigh, the American fast food industry is taking over. Author's Collections.

I am standing on the location of the Boston Massacre, outside Boston's Old State House. On March 5, 1770, British soldiers under the command of Capt. Thomas Preston fired at a rowdy crowd of Bostonians, killing 5 citizens and injuring many more (it was said that the crowd threw snowballs, ice, and clubs at the redcoats). Crispus Attucks, a black sailor, was among the first to die at the scene. Paul Revere publicized this event as a "massacre," further boiling the blood of the patriot movement in the thirteen colonies. The British soldiers were put on trial, where they were defended by esteemed attorney John Adams. Six soldiers were acquitted and two were found guilty of manslaughter and branded on their hands. This was a powerful moment for me to step in the shadows of those who had been involved in this tragic event (and I was flooded with emotions when I told this story to my APUSH classes). Author's Collections.

Posing with a British Redcoat outside of the Green Dragon Tavern. This dimly-lit facility was a notorious meeting place for Boston's patriots, including Paul Revere and Samuel Adams. Author's Collections.

Paul Revere's house is one of the oldest standing residences in the United States, built c. 1680. Revere, who is famous for his "Boston Massacre" drawing, was a silversmith, printer, and fervent supporter of the Revolutionary War. Revere warned the minutemen at Lexington and Concord during his April 1775 midnight ride. My wife and I thoroughly enjoyed walking the cobbled streets outside of this residence, imagining what life was like in eighteenth-century Boston. Author's Collections.

Boston's Old North Church, which was constructed in 1723, was the location where sexton Robert Newman hung two lanterns from the steeple on April 18, 1775, which alerted Paul Revere of the British Army's movements prior to the Battles of Lexington and Concord (the first campaign of the American Revolution, 1775-1783). The Episcopal church is one of the oldest standing churches in the United States. It was fascinating to see the church at dusk! Author's Collections.

A magnificent statue of Benjamin Franklin stands tall above a courtyard that is next to the King's Chapel Burial Ground. Franklin, who is famous for discovering electricity and partaking in the Revolution with other Founding Fathers, was born in Boston in January 1706. Many scholars and historians predict that Franklin would have been a great president for the fledgling United States, however, he was too old after the Constitution had been signed (Franklin died in April 1790). Author's Collections.

The grave of John Winthrop is located in the King's Chapel Burial Ground. Winthrop is considered the founder of Boston, after leading eleven ships and 700 colonists to the New World in 1630. Winthrop was a fair yet strict governor (of 13 years), condemning religious dissent and banishing citizens who opposed allegiance to the Anglican Church, including Roger Williams and Anne Hutchinson. Winthrop is most famous for his "City upon a Hill" sermon. Author's Collections.

John Hancock, the presiding official during the Declaration of Independence signing and the governor of the Massachusetts Commonwealth at the end of the eighteenth century, is buried in Granary Burying Ground. He has the biggest gravestone and is surrounded by several distinguished Bostonians, including Samuel Adams, James Otis, and Paul Revere. The Granary Burying Ground (which was established in 1660) was subject to grave digging and burial thefts in the nineteenth century. Author's Collections.

Although George Washington was not a Bostonian (he hailed from Virginia), there is an impressive statue of the first president in the Boston Commons Park. Washington paid the city a visit as part of his 10-day tour of New England in October 1789 (soon after he was elected president). The crowds flocked to see the victorious Revolutionary general; people preserved the dishes he ate from, the chairs he sat on, and the beds he slept on. John Hancock, the governor of Massachusetts, was a vain man and insisted that Washington should come to visit him, not the other way around. Eventually, Hancock saw the error in his judgement and belatedly paid his respects to the president (he claimed that an excruciating attack of gout had prevented him from welcoming Washington to the city earlier). In an effort to promote national unity, Washington ignored Hancock's "child-play" and accepted the explanation with grace. Bostonians named "Washington Street" after Gen. George Washington. Author's Collections.

Enjoying the crisp New England air and lush surroundings... the Boston Commons Park is famous for its lakes and swan-boats. Author's Collections.

I snapped a photograph of the Wendell Phillips statue in one of Boston's parks. Phillips was a nineteenth-century abolitionist who many labeled as "the one white American wholly color-blind and free from race prejudice." Boston was home to several distinguished abolitionists (from the anti-slavery movement) prior to the Civil War, including William Lloyd Garrison and Charles Sumner. Author's Collections.

Faneuli Hall, a huge marketplace that houses food vendors and retail shops. This building was designed by Peter Faneuli, one of Boston's wealthiest merchants, in 1742 and became home to city government functions, concerts, and banquets. My wife and I were frequent visitors to "The Cradle of Liberty" as we tasted the best New England grub there! A statue of Samuel Adams, second cousin to John Adams and leader of Boston's Sons of Liberty, stands proudly outside the hall. Author's Collections.

My wife and I preparing to board our plane to Boston, July 2022. Author's Collections.