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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260708T110000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260708T123000
DTSTAMP:20260825T172942
CREATED:20260616T142749Z
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SUMMARY:American Stories: Rebels and Revolutionaries of the Berkshires
DESCRIPTION:History & Art Series: This summer when America is celebrating its 250th anniversary\, join us for this historical and civic education program to learn how the Berkshires played a pivotal role in the founding of our nation. \n“American Stories: Rebels and Revolutionaries of the Berkshires” examines the history of the American Revolution and its reverberating echoes in the region\, nation\, and world by highlighting the fascinating but complicated biographies of Berkshire County residents who impacted American history and culture from the late 1700s onward. \nSign up for the entire series of five classes held at the Norman Rockwell Museum. Each class will begin in the galleries of Norman Rockwell Museum’s “American Stories: Revolution to Rockwell” with a discussion of a work on view that connects to the theme of that day’s class. \nCourse Instructor: Justin F. Jackson is a lecturer and visiting scholar at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst \nClasses and lectures include: \n1) “Declarations of Independence”: Theodore Sedgwick\, the Sheffield Resolves\, and the Rise of Protest in the Berkshires \n2) “Our America”: Daniel Nimham\, the Stockbridge Mohicans\, and the Revolution’s “Missing Indians” \n3) “I Am\, Amen”: Black Freedom Struggles in the Berkshires\, from Agrippa Hull and Elizabeth Freeman to Samuel Harrison and W.E.B. Du Bois \n4) “Do Unto Others”: Rev. Thomas Allen\, Shays’s Rebellion\, and a Sovereign People’s Constitutions in Massachusetts and America \n5) “The Real Thing”: Herman Melville\, the Magic of Memory\, and Representing the American Dream \nAbout Justin F. Jackson\nJustin F. Jackson is a lecturer and visiting scholar at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst\, where he teaches US history\, and the history of Boston and Massachusetts. The Berkshire Eagle is publishing his monthly column\, “Revolution: Berkshires\,” on the American Revolution’s local history in the run-up to the semi-sesquicentennial in July 2026. A scholar of US foreign relations history\, he is author of The Work of Empire: War\, Occupation\, and the Making of American Colonialism in Cuba and the Philippines (University of North Carolina Press\, 2025). His next book\, “Cherry Cottage: Between Ruin and Restoration\, America’s History Retold through a Berkshire Home\,” explores how a preserved Stockbridge home produced Americans’ sense of the past\, and nation\, through place.
URL:https://massachusetts250.org/event/american-stories-rebels-and-revolutionaries-of-the-berkshires/2026-07-08/
LOCATION:Norman Rockwell Museum\, Glendale Road 9\, Stockbridge\, Massachusetts\, 01262\, United States
CATEGORIES:Black History,Event,Exhibit,Indigenous History,Speakers
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://massachusetts250.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/HISTORY-ART-SERIES-American-Stories-Rebels-and-Revolutionaries-of-the-Berkshires.jpg
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260708T173000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260708T183000
DTSTAMP:20260825T172942
CREATED:20260630T165542Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260630T165542Z
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SUMMARY:Ceremonial Reading of the Declaration of Independence
DESCRIPTION:Hear ye\, Hear ye! To commemorate the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence\, which took place 250 years ago in Philadelphia\, the Town of Goshen\, Massachusetts will join with communities around the nation for a public reading of the Declaration. The celebration will take place on July 8 at 5:30 PM at town hall. All citizens\, and especially children\, are encouraged to either read a section of the Declaration\, or witness this historic event. Ice cream will be served after the reading. For more information\, or to sign up to participate\, please contact Keith Wright at 413.336.7142.
URL:https://massachusetts250.org/event/ceremonial-reading-of-the-declaration-of-independence/
LOCATION:Goshen Town Hall\, Main Street 42\, Williamsburg\, Massachusetts\, 01096\, United States
CATEGORIES:Celebration,Commemoration,July 4th,Speakers
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://massachusetts250.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/IMG_1785-scaled.jpeg
ORGANIZER;CN="Goshen Select Board":MAILTO:keithwright.goshen@gmail.com
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X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Goshen Town Hall Main Street 42 Williamsburg Massachusetts 01096 United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=Main Street 42:geo:-72.799846,42.4415007
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260708T183000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260708T210000
DTSTAMP:20260825T172942
CREATED:20260629T155606Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260629T155606Z
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SUMMARY:Easton's Special Community Reading of the Declaration of Independence and Kickoff to Summer Concert Series
DESCRIPTION:Easton’s Special Community Reading of the Declaration of Independence and Kickoff to Summer Concert Series \nWednesday\, July 8\n6:30 PM\nSteps of historic Oakes Ames Memorial Hall\, 3 Barrows Street\, Easton \nJoin the Town of Easton and the Easton Shovel Town Cultural District for a special community reading of the Declaration of Independence immediately before the kickoff to the Easton Shovel Town Cultural District’s Summer Concert Series on Wednesday\, July 8 at 6:30pm on the steps of historic Oakes Ames Memorial Hall! \nOn July 8\, 2026\, communities across Massachusetts will take part in Sharing the Spirit of America\, a statewide and nationwide initiative commemorating the 250th anniversary of the first public readings of the Declaration of Independence. \nAs the birthplace of the American Revolution\, Massachusetts holds a unique place in this history. The first public reading of the Declaration of Independence took place in Boston in 1776. \nEaston is proud to join communities across Massachusetts in this special commemoration\, honoring our shared history and the enduring legacy of the Declaration of Independence.  \nThe evening’s schedule is as follows: \n6:30 pm – Welcome and opening remarks by Dottie Fulginiti\, Chair of the Easton Select Board and Chair of the Easton Shovel Town Cultural District Management Partnership Team\n6:40 pm – Community Reading of the Declaration of Independence\n7:00 pm – Performance by Billy and the Jets\, kicking off the Easton Shovel Town Cultural District Summer Concert Series \nJoin us for an evening of community\, music\, and celebration as we reflect on our nation’s history.  FREE and all are welcome! \nFor questions or requests for reasonable accommodation\, please email Amy Rodrigues\, Cultural District Liaison at arodrigues@easton.ma.us or call 774-273-2997.
URL:https://massachusetts250.org/event/eastons-special-community-reading-of-the-declaration-of-independence-and-kickoff-to-summer-concert-series/
LOCATION:Oakes Ames Memorial Hall\, Barrows Street 3\, Easton\, MA\, 02356\, United States
CATEGORIES:Celebration,Commemoration,Event,July 4th,Outdoors,Speakers
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ORGANIZER;CN="Easton Shovel Town Cultural District":MAILTO:arodrigues@easton.ma.us
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