Through staff-written articles about the hidden gems of our collection and lesser-known stories of the city’s history, the Boston Reconsidered Blog invites readers to explore the extensive, complicated, and diverse history of Boston. Our blog posts bring our 18th century sites to researchers, students, and everyday historians in an accessible 21st century format.

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Blogs

Abolitionist Petitioning and the Gag Rule

While petitions played an important role in the abolitionist movement, the Gag Rules of the 19th century and free speech debates in the 20th century have only diminished their power further. How did our nation's petitioning culture change so radically?

The Boston Massacre and Modern Police Violence

The most famous incident of gun violence in American history is undoubtedly the Boston Massacre. But violence perpetrated by the state didn’t end with British rule; we are all too familiar with it in the 21st century.

The Massachusetts State House “Sacred Cod”

Despite its relative obscurity, the “Sacred Cod” that hangs in the Chamber of the House of Representatives in the Massachusetts State House has served a valuable purpose for legislators for over two hundred years.

On Protest in the Streets of Boston

The two city blocks connecting these national landmarks – Boston’s Old State House and Old South Meeting House – are hallowed ground for our American tradition of protest.

How to Care for Your Home Library

We have them all over our homes, we probably don’t think too much about them, and they are there when we need them—it’s our books! Books are a great resource for reference, self-improvement, and a fun escape.

Conserving the Memory of Crispus Attucks

On March 6, 1770, the day after the Boston Massacre, the coroner filed an autopsy report for Crispus Attucks, a formerly enslaved man of African and Native descent who was the first to die at the “Incident on King Street.”