The discussion will begin with introductory remarks from Professor Robert A. Gross about enslavement in New England. Following that, each panelist will present highlights from their research. After the presentations, the panelists will engage in a roundtable discussion and respond to questions from the audience.

Robert A. Gross is the James L. and Shirley A. Draper Professor of Early American History Emeritus at the University of Connecticut. He is the author of The Minutemen and Their World (1976), which won the Bancroft Prize; Books and Libraries in Thoreau’s Concord (1988); and The Transcendentalists and Their World (2021). With Mary Kelley, he is the coeditor of An Extensive Republic: Print, Culture, and Society in the New Nation, 1790–1840 (2010). A revised edition of Gross’s The Minutemen and Their World was published in 2022 in commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution.

Prof. Donald L. Hafner is the author most recently of Entangled Lives, Black and White: The Black Community, Enslaved and Free, of 18th Century Lincoln, Massachusetts. His prior books include William Smith, Captain: Life and Death of a Soldier of the American Revolution, a biography of the brother of Abigail Adams, and Tales of the Battle Road April 19, 1775. Prof. Hafner is a member of the Guild of Historical Interpreters, a volunteer group of 18th-century re-enactors who support educational programs for the public in Minute Man National Historical Park. He is also a member of the Board of the Lincoln Historical Society.

Jane Sciacca is a retired National Park Ranger with a degree in History Education from Simmons University. Her work as an interpreter for the National Park Service in Concord, Boston, and Cambridge led to her interest in researching enslavement and abolition in her community of Wayland. She is the author of Enslavement in the Puritan Village: The Untold History of Sudbury and Wayland, Massachusetts. She has published articles on the start of the American Revolution, a children’s book for the Lowell National Historical Park, and guidebooks for Minute Man National Historical Park. Jane has been an active member of the Wayland Historical Society  and researched and presented programs on slavery, woman suffrage, and Lydia Maria Child.

Beth van Duzer is an independent historian based in Concord, MA. She holds a bachelor’s degree in English from Montclair State University and a master’s degree in History, focused on Public History, from Southern New Hampshire University. As an educator at the Concord Museum, she enjoys sharing the history of Concord with visiting students. Beth is co-chair and clerk of the Concord250 History & Education Subcommittee. Over the past two and a half years, she has focused on identifying individuals who served in the Revolutionary War from Concord. Additionally, she owns Concord Walking Tours, a company that offers history research and guided tours. You can find her articles about visiting Concord and its history in Discover Concord magazine.