During this week at my internship, I have started to fall into a rhythm with my work. I began the week with work on an email spreadsheet compiling a list of History and Social Studies coordinators working in Massachusetts schools. I have found that a theme in my internship, specifically in the public programs and education division, is reaching out into the community in hopes of sparking interest in some of the opportunities that the MHS is putting together. While compiling this email list had little to do with actual research, it bettered my understanding of teachers’ roles in high school regarding curriculum planning and education. I am also developing skills in Mail Merge and creating spreadsheets, which is a valuable office tool.
I also began transcribing a series of articles and papers this week using the MHS’s online database. These papers mostly relate to abolitionist and anti-slavery movements, specifically focusing on a court case involving the ship L’Amistad. This was a famous court case in which Africans were forced from their country of origin onto a Spanish ship and transported to the Americas under the false and illegal pretense of slavery. At some point during the voyage, the people rose up and took control of the ship, trying to sail it north to Canada, but ultimately landing in Connecticut. The specifics of the case are truly captivating, and I was transcribing a handwritten record of the Supreme Court decision regarding the case so I became very familiar with the details.
On Wednesday this week, I was granted a unique opportunity: along with the director of the public programs division and another intern, both of whom are working on a series concerning Boston city planning and architectural records, I visited the Special Collections division of the Harvard Graduate School of Design in Cambridge. We were given a private tour by the library’s special materials archivist. Though I know little about archiving and architecture, this experience was fascinating just to observe. She aided the rest of my team in seeking rare materials on early Boston architectural records that were more helpful than the Boston Redevelopment Authority’s massive indexed library.
As we drove through the streets of Boston and Cambridge after our visit, the director of public programs shared bits and pieces of historical information about each notable building, street, and storefront that we passed. He is astoundingly knowledgeable on Boston’s urban and street history, to the point that I felt we were moving too fast to take it all in. I was reminded of the enormity of studying history, and the complex picture of Boston (or any city for that matter) that is painted when one understands that each stretch of sidewalk is a landmark and has intimate historical significance.
I also began transcribing a series of articles and papers this week using the MHS’s online database. These papers mostly relate to abolitionist and anti-slavery movements, specifically focusing on a court case involving the ship L’Amistad. This was a famous court case in which Africans were forced from their country of origin onto a Spanish ship and transported to the Americas under the false and illegal pretense of slavery. At some point during the voyage, the people rose up and took control of the ship, trying to sail it north to Canada, but ultimately landing in Connecticut. The specifics of the case are truly captivating, and I was transcribing a handwritten record of the Supreme Court decision regarding the case so I became very familiar with the details.
On Wednesday this week, I was granted a unique opportunity: along with the director of the public programs division and another intern, both of whom are working on a series concerning Boston city planning and architectural records, I visited the Special Collections division of the Harvard Graduate School of Design in Cambridge. We were given a private tour by the library’s special materials archivist. Though I know little about archiving and architecture, this experience was fascinating just to observe. She aided the rest of my team in seeking rare materials on early Boston architectural records that were more helpful than the Boston Redevelopment Authority’s massive indexed library.
As we drove through the streets of Boston and Cambridge after our visit, the director of public programs shared bits and pieces of historical information about each notable building, street, and storefront that we passed. He is astoundingly knowledgeable on Boston’s urban and street history, to the point that I felt we were moving too fast to take it all in. I was reminded of the enormity of studying history, and the complex picture of Boston (or any city for that matter) that is painted when one understands that each stretch of sidewalk is a landmark and has intimate historical significance.