Revolutionary Spaces connects people to the history and continuing practice of democracy through the interwoven stories of Boston’s Old State House and Old South Meeting House.
Upcoming Events
- Massacre and Memory Tour
A half-mile guided walking tour that illuminates the circumstances and events that led to the Boston Massacre.Read more → - Disunion Among Ourselves: The Perilous Politics of the American Revolution
JUNE 9: Join Revolutionary Spaces for the launch of Eli Merritt’s new eye-opening book.Read more → - Benjamin Franklin, Rattlesnakes, & Pepe the Frog
JUNE 29: Join us for a conversation with Dr. Joan Donovan on her new book, “Meme Wars: The Untold Story of the Online Battles Upending Democracy in America.”Read more →
What’s On
- Polly Sumner Doll: Conventional & Controversial Cargo
Books, dolls, and other goods that connected Boston to the wider world were also on board the merchant ships carrying the tea that was destroyed on December 16, 1773.Read more → - Gallery Talks
Join Revolutionary Spaces staff for brief gallery talks highlighting the key stories and themes in each of our gallery spaces.Read more → - The Humble Petitioner
In Colonial America, those without the right to vote were forced to pursue other avenues to have their voices heard.Read more → - Council Chamber
Once an exclusive space for the most powerful men in Massachusetts, now all are invited to connect to our nation’s history in this meticulously-restored 18th-century room.Read more → - Voices of Protest
Discover compelling people who made a difference at Old South Meeting House and the history of protest and free speech that continues to this day.Read more → - Colony to Commonwealth
Your first stop in Boston! See how Massachusetts and its residents played a pivotal role in the birth of America.Read more → - Essential Questions Discussion Series
In-person and virtual discussions that confront key issues that sit at the heart of the American experiment in self-government.Read more → - Revolution is Brewing: Immersive Roleplaying Game
A 90-minute immersive experience for students grade 8 and up developed in partnership with the award-winning education game designers Gigantic Mechanic.Read more → - Unfinished Business Film Series
A film series exploring the legacy of protest, representation, and revolution embodied in our historical sites.Read more →
Boston Reconsidered Blog
- Interview with Dr. Jacqueline Beatty
Sitting down with Dr. Jacqueline Beatty to talk about her book “In Dependence: Women and the Patriarchal State in Revolutionary America.”Read more → - Meet Polly: The Polly Sumner Doll Reproduction Project
In early 2022, Revolutionary Spaces received a generous gift from Rick Wiggin, former Executive Director of the Bostonian Society, to create a reproduction of the Polly Sumner doll.Read more → - 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?Read more → - 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.Read more → - 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.Read more → - On Protest in the Streets of Boston
By Nathaniel Sheidley, President & CEO 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. On August 14, 1765, a crowd protesting the hated Stamp Act walked this same path. They began at Liberty Tree, a great elm ...Read more → - How to Care for Your Home Library
By Nicole McAllister, Special Collections Librarian 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. And there’s no better time to think about how to ...Read more → - Conserving the Memory of Crispus Attucks
By Jill Conley, Registrar & Collections Manager; and Nicole McAllister, Special Collections Librarian 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.” In the autopsy ...Read more → - 18th Century vs. Today
Margaret Kemble Gage & Meghan Markle During the Revolution, many Colonists found their loyalties tested due to the strain between being legally and socially British citizens yet also being American colonists. This tension was felt across all social classes, and one example is the complicated position wherein Margaret Kemble Gage found herself. Born to a wealthy ...Read more →
