CONCORD250 EVENTS
Concord250 Events
A Fight for Freedom: Patriots of Color Walking Tour FEB 22 1pm
Concord250 in collaboration with Minuteman National Park , The Robbins House and the Concord Visitors Center launches this new walking tour .
In celebration of Black History Month this inaugural tour will be free to the public and all ages are welcome.
https://visitconcord.org/visit/walking-tours/
A Fight for Freedom: Patriots of Color Walking Tour FEB 22 1pm
Between twenty and forty colonists who fought along the Battle Road on April 19, 1775, were of African descent or Indigenous . Although excluded from required militia service prior to the war, these individuals of color were the first of many to take up arms between 1775 and 1783.
By the end of the conflict, an estimated 5,500 African and Indigenous men served on the colonial side. Unfortunately, systemic racism and historical bias have erased or buried many records of Black and Indigenous people who played a prominent role in the founding of the United States.
In this 90 minute walking tour we will examine the known history and stories of these Patriots of Color who fought for freedom locally both during the American Revolution and beyond. Minuteman National Park , Robbins House and Concord Visitors Center staff will lead this tour examining the the incredible stories of the individuals who risked everything during their struggle for liberty, equality, and freedom for all.
In celebration of Black History Month the tour is being offered free of charge .
Tour meets at the North Bridge Lower Lot at 1pm on THU Feb 22. All ages are welcome
This walking tour is co sponsored by Minuteman National Park, The Robbins House, and The Concord Visitors Center as a Concord250 Event
Donations in support of Black History Month in Concord maye be made to The Robbins House here: https://robbinshouse.org/donate/
Learn More about Patriots of Color HERE
https://robbinshouse.org/wp-content/uploads/PatriotsofColor-web.pdf
“Enemies to their Country?” Concord Town Meeting, January 10, 1774
Wednesday, January 10, 2024
6 PM- 7 PM
Goodwin Forum Main Library
250 years ago, in the wake of the now famous Dec 16, 1773 “Boston Tea Party,” the people of Concord took steps that would lead them down a dangerous path toward rebellion. On January 10, 1774, Concord took up an article in town meeting to write a response to a letter from the Boston Committee of Correspondence that warned about the evils of the new Tea Act and the need to resist “in a most zealous and determined manner…” In the same meeting, those in attendance also considered an article “not to consume any tea in our respective families – and if agreed to – then to see if the town will adjudge those who will afterwards sell or use any tea in their families as enemies to their country…”
What did they mean by using the word “enemies”?
What would such a measure do to their community?
Join Minute Man NPS Rangers as they unpack this significant moment on the evening of the event 250 years ago . They will lead an interactive discussion about responses to dissent and disagreement at times of political crisis and explore the nature of protest in American History.
Co-Sponsored By Town of Concord 250 Events, Minute Man National Historical Park, the Friends of Minute Man National Park, and The Concord Free Public Library.
Registration is recommended but not required. This event is appropriate for ages 12 and up.
Beyond 1775: Concord and the Massachusetts National Guard
Special pre-Veteran’s Day tour, Nov. 9, 2023, 10 a.m. – a chance to be taken into the special collection of the Concord Armory to see rare artifacts and how materials are preserved.
Be one of the first to explore Concord’s 1915 armory and learn about the near 400-year history of the Massachusetts Army National Guard, the oldest component of the United States Armed Forces. Hear stories of remarkable service and view the objects that witnessed war. The tour will also offer participants a special glimpse into the Massachusetts National Guard Museum while it prepares to open to the public. Concord may be famous for April 19, 1775, but its service to the Commonwealth and Nation continue to this very day.
Tour meets at 91 Everett Street Concord
This tour is provided in partnership with the Massachusetts National Guard Museum.
Endorsed by Concord 250 Committee
Concord and the Vietnam War
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2023
2:00—4:00 PM
Goodwin Forum, Main Library, 129 Main Street, Concord, MA, 01742
Concord and the Vietnam War: Vietnam Veterans Recount the Protest They Staged at the Old North Bridge in 1971 and How it Led to One of the Largest Mass Arrests in Massachusetts History
On the opening night of Memorial Day Weekend in 1971, men wearing fatigues began to gather at the Old North Bridge in Concord to protest the ongoing war which they had just returned home from fighting. Their plan was to camp overnight and then march all the way to Boston Common. Photographs of them crossing the bridge were splashed across the region’s newspapers. For the liberal press, these were the new Minute Men.
On a panel moderated by Elise Lemire, author of Black Walden and Battle Green, Vietnam, three Massachusetts Vietnam veterans recall why they chose to stage their protests against the Vietnam War at New England’s most storied battlefields, their decision on the second day of the march to emulate Thoreau by occupying the Lexington Battle Green without permission, and their reception in Concord when they were tried in Middlesex Court for civil disobedience. This panel with Vietnam veterans Bestor Cram, Christopher Gregory, and Lenny Rotman, will explore the role of memorialized battlefields, the principles of civil disobedience, and the role protest can play in healing moral injuries.
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