Search Results


Pilgrim Monument Completed in Provincetown

August 21, 1909
August 21, 1909

Pilgrim Monument Completed in Provincetown

On this day in 1909, two young girls, using ropes and a pulley, helped haul the last stone into place to complete the Pilgrim Monument in Provincetown. The town's Yankee residents had long been seeking...

Indian Rights Activist Born in Amherst

October 15, 1830
October 15, 1830

Indian Rights Activist Born in Amherst

On this day in 1830, an Amherst College professor and his wife rejoiced at the safe delivery of their second child, Helen Maria Fiske. A lifelong friend of Emily Dickinson and a talented poet in...

Mashpee Indians Sue for Recognition

October 17, 1978
October 17, 1978

Mashpee Indians Sue for Recognition

On this day in 1978, a trial began on Cape Cod to determine whether the Mashpee Indians met the legal definition of a tribe. If they did, they could sue for the return of land...

Missionary Opens School for Mohican Indians

November 5, 1734
November 5, 1734

Missionary Opens School for Mohican Indians

On this day in 1734, the Yale-trained missionary John Sergeant opened a school for Mohican Indian children in Great Barrington. About 50 members of the Housatonic tribe of the Mohicans joined four English families on...

Sculptor Edmonia Lewis Displays Work in Boston

November 11, 1864
November 11, 1864

Sculptor Edmonia Lewis Displays Work in Boston

On this day in 1864, sculptor Edmonia Lewis exhibited two of her early pieces at the Colored Soldiers' Fair in Boston. The daughter of a Native American woman and a black man, Lewis was the...

First "National Day of Mourning" Held in Plymouth

November 26, 1970
November 26, 1970

First "National Day of Mourning" Held in Plymouth

On this day in 1970, a group of Native Americans attending a Thanksgiving feast in Plymouth walked out in protest. The Indians and their supporters gathered on a hill overlooking Plymouth Rock near a statue...

Longfellow's Wife Dies

November 29, 1835
November 29, 1835

Longfellow's Wife Dies

On this day in 1835, 28-year-old Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was devastated by the death of his beloved young wife, Mary. The couple had been traveling in Europe as the poet prepared to begin teaching literature...

Mass Moments is a project of Mass Humanities, whose mission is to support programs that use history, literature, philosophy, and the other humanities disciplines to enhance and improve civic life throughout the Commonwealth.

Please consider helping us towards our goals with a donation today.

Interested in sponsoring Mass Moments?

Please calculate 2 plus 2.