Category: Black History
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The People in the Pews: Rt. Rev. John Burgess
A Bishop Who Made History In 1970, John Melville Burgess was elected the bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts. As such, he also became the rector of Old North Church. Burgess had been the first Black suffragan bishop elected over a predominantly white diocese in the Episcopal church, and his election to diocesan bishop…
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The People in the Pews: Rev. William Levington
First Black Minister to Preach at Old North In a July 1833 issue of the abolitionist newspaper The Liberator, a notice announced that Rev. William Levington would speak at Old North later that month. Levington was the rector of the St. James’ First African Protestant Episcopal Church, a church he founded in 1824 as one…
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Allow History to Illuminate Your Journey
In the final episode of Illuminating the Unseen, Jaimie reviews some of the key themes from her previous videos, discusses the crisis facing history and social studies K-12 teachers today, and considers how our learning together can illuminate our collective journey toward a more equitable future. See below for the video, primary sources, and episode…
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Anti-Slavery and the Episcopal Church in the Antebellum and Civil War Era North
In this episode of Illuminating the Unseen, Jaimie examines how Episcopal churches in the northern United States, including Old North Church, responded to slavery and anti-Black racism between 1830 and 1865. Jaimie invites viewers to consider this guiding question: “How do civic institutions, like churches, become places that exercise control over marginalized people?” See below…
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People of Color as Children and Elders in 18th and 19th Century Boston
In this episode of Illuminating the Unseen, Jaimie considers what it was like to be a Black or Indigenous child or elder in 18th and 19th-century Boston. In the United States, being very young or very old can increase our vulnerability. As Jaimie explains, both Black and Indigenous children and elders found themselves in uniquely…
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Paul Revere’s Ride and the Mark of Urban Slavery
In this episode of Illuminating the Unseen, Jaimie explores an often-overlooked detail of Paul Revere’s ride. In a letter recounting his historic midnight mission on April 18, 1775, Revere mentions that he “passed Charlestown Neck and got nearly opposite of where Mark was hung in chains.” Who was Mark and why was he hanged? As…
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Old North and Black Freedom
In this episode of Illuminating the Unseen, Jaimie examines the struggle for Black freedom in Massachusetts from 1723 – 1795. Jaimie tracks what the lives of free and enslaved Black people at Old North looked like before slavery was abolished in Massachusetts and how their lives changed during the years right after slavery ended in…
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The Social Construction of Race in Early Massachusetts History
In this episode of Illuminating the Unseen, Jaimie examines the story of Beulah Speene, a mixed-race woman who was married at Old North Church in 1767. Curiously, Beulah’s birth record suggests that she was white, yet Old North’s marriage records indicate that she was a person of color. How does a person, over the course…
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Old North and Enslaved People in the British Colonial Period
In this episode of Illuminating the Unseen, Jaimie discusses slavery in Boston during the British colonial period. How did it differ from Southern slavery? How many enslaved people lived in Massachusetts? How did Old North congregants participate in and profit from slavery? Jaimie looks at a 1755 assessor’s report, a newspaper article, and tax records…
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Race and Evangelism in the Church of England
In the first official episode of Illuminating the Unseen, Jaimie explores the Church of England’s views on Black and Indigenous people in the American colonies during the early days of the Old North Church. Jaimie looks at a 1754 sermon delivered by Rev. Dr. Timothy Cutler, the church’s first and longest-serving rector. Cutler’s words reveal…