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years and with its independence. our speaker tonight is michelle kaufman the author of one colonial world. in the book she will be speaking on tonight. she recently served as a guest curator from the women of plymouth but then in the birthplace in any museum so without further ado please join me to welcome to speak this evening. >> thank you very much for arranging this talk at thank you to the massachusetts historical society for this

wonderful opportunity. i have been using the resources for years and their collections and exhibitions the program and the staff is outstanding. so tonight as a historian i studied early american women. to be significantly underrepresented in telling america story. and about how half the population laid the foundation, we are not getting a full and accuratecc picture. i'm surprised she wasn't better-known but she was one the most powerful women in

history. and when the pilgrims arrived and last until from massachusetts bay. so that recent penalty is that it's only been fairly recently and those didn'tto take place in the around. that they were worthy of study. but also like most of her contemporariesie did not leave behind in the way of personal writing and as a subject of my first book the diaries and details of s penelope's life and then to leave behind what was referred to as material culture.

and those that range from surviving to personal possessions and ideological artifacts and then the written sources to help shed light and with the development of new england. so that the biography of penelope born 1633 in a village 20 miles outside of london. and then his third great-grandmother that was referred to as the other and

then after delaware was named and that was very important to her. that of these penalty homes. this is the maternal grandparents home. and then to have a grand estate but it is actually smaller than it used to be. and then queen elizabeth in 1651 and then we were fortunate enough and then to

get a good idea. >> i'm sorry to interrupt but i think your powerpoint if you could put into presenter mode because we are still on the first slide. >> . >> sorry about that. >> i'm sorry about that. >> the cursor doesn't seem to be moving. >> thank you for bearing with the technical difficulties. and then undergoing renovation at the time that we visited. so they are straight to get

the idea of what the world look like. and not as grand a small bridge with this impressive dwelling for thehe time period. and then to show how those barriers extend back into very large buildings. and then it shows us surrounding landscape as far as the eye could see. with those architectural barriers. and then in her interest to settle local grievances and

then with the site to reinforce that sense of social economic and political importance. but at five years old and to move to massachusetts. even a merchant adventurer and then too die on the journey but was quite successful in cambridge. and early on acquired land and

also became harvard's first treasurer. and then tois settle some property disputes and then to attend harvard cannot be self and then to have the best relationship with her stepmother and then to be shortly after arriving inam cambridge. and at this time moved in with her father's sister and her husband was a citizen of boston was governor over several terms.

near working strapless today. with those that expect the nation's those that would have been overseen when those that testify. but we do know at some point she metow winslow here on the left. and then with harvard. he didn't graduate and they were well known to each other. and then in that from your

loving wife susanna. both edward and susanna were married to other people on the mayflower voyage. ande then took place in the colony. so i want to talk to you for a minute about religion. and those that we call the peerages in. and with the separatist to separate from the church of england. and those protestants and have a lot of points.

then we have these lingering starters and fantasies. and then they work at these with the ideas. so then we see josiah so that was very fashionable at the time but we don't of the artist was so that was very fashionable so with their starched white colors and then they have bold castles so at this time social status was

extremely important and a hierarchy the prohibiting people from dressing above their station so in that portrait trying to make a statement about their well in social status. so in at the painting at the time it was coming to an end in two years previously those that were executed. and with the supporters of the puritans.o and then to very similarly to the wife and the daughter of

king charles the first. and then to see the fabrics. and also princess mary stuart has the necklace and her hair style is very similar to mary stuart.. she is aligning herself with the upper echelon of society. so shifting backk to plymouth colonyny come and those were maintained for generations until the late 18 hundreds. and then to have the preeminent collection of possession.

and those that are associated. and then the shoe was formally this, you can see it is very elaborate. and that was warned and donated in the 19th century. and then in the 19th century. and then arranged to be shown together. but recently interpretation it shifted dramatically they were actually made for a man.

so when i first started researching penelope had a conversation. >> so then we have to follow up on that of those historic fashion experts and it was made in the mid- 15 hundreds for a man. there is a lesson here to be very careful about bringing contemporary gender. 's historical artifacts and

then also with the study of earlier american women. and then you sources of information that knowing the story of the shoe return as the other slippers. but then it is displayed to

those shoes that were worn by a josiah. but then they confirmed but not sure she actually made it on a voyage. it is the silver blunt edge but penelope would have use that at the time to just take the close on that them out when they were pregnant. and then there was easy time

having children. and 13 years after and then going 60 and 70 and then following their marriage. we are fortunate in that archaeological expedition at the site. but then where edwards the way we desire. and then to become involved in cromwell's government.

and then on behalf of cromwell. in the first archaeological expedition in 1940 and then to look at this violator archaeologist and then to have aas typical layout. and where daily life took place. that not only also there but that was the distinction between formal, i'm sorry with

public and private like we do now. and men working therm businesses from their home so it is true with the acknowledgment and that familiarity with the husband's business. and then they recognize because women were so cognizantt so in josiah's case but also very active influential government and also becomes a successor to myles standish and then eventually becomes governor. and so we have to think that

this is taking place from the home so she has a role as a gatekeeper to acknowledge influence men come to the house she can mediate asked - - access to him that she has a lot of power in this respect this is something we rarely think about but to seek favors and opportunities with that other community of women and interacting to have a larger government and that something to take into consideration. >> and with those daily possessions to round out this

picture with the social economic status and then we can see josiah perched but it speaks so with larger and not connected to the outside world but there is a lot of trade going on but also in the archaeological artifacts that and nowhere much more economic

backgrounds but ceramic that have definitely been imported so this was brought by susanna white was the first english child born been passed down from the winslow family so that vast collection of artifacts with that plantation and then to acknowledge that one influence in the area so that archaeology that rounds out the information from those

portrait so connecting penelope to passion and then in this case the archaeologist contain the pins and also then of course we cannot be 100 percent sure under that high status specifically to iron ruffles. and then on the property with the use of the colonies but then to identify the bones and

that insight fromor the written leverage in the archaeology records we see that with beef and pork so this is a silver whistle. now what is wonderful that some of these artifacts it's another way to get into their

culture and history. but then to speak to the history of cross-cultural exchange so those that were taken to be traded with a continent one —- the commons and then they take that apart but then down here because you can tell the user it's also when it's also the most friday a person's and then to be some sort of two oh and then the

archaeological site so there is a history of an exchange of technology and information that archaeologist are continuing to work on this. so those of you have to talk about the families in the plymouth colonies with that relationship with native people. so that friendship with the native person so the interpersonal relationships and then to talk about the

languages. that they do not have the same personal interest and also don't have the same diplomatic skills. and with that second-generation the community of encroachment and pressuring native peoples so all of that tension eventually corrupts into 1675. it's a devastating conflict there is just great destruction. now there are two events leading to be pivotal with the outbreak.

although her presence at these events but the first event takes place 1662. and as a military leader. and those also with alexander so essentially to follow the terms of the treaty but then he's with his wife so it is decided that they will spend

the night at josiah's house before going on to plymouth. . . . to go home and turn it

another time to enter these charges it's made by his brother and also that he believed he had been poisoned by the doctor so fast forward to lead to 74 and a native christian minister named

john arrives and so we can just imagine possibly serving him refreshments but absolutely the nature of the visit with her husband afterwards in light of what happened as a result, so he tries to warn him and he has received even though he says i fear for coming here and so he leaves in a few months later his body is found and it's believed that he's been murdered by agents and shortly thereafter, three native men with ties to philip are arrested, imprisoned, tried and executed and not long

afterwards knowing they had that personal b animosity in a dramac letter he decides that penelope and their 11-year-old daughter so to stay with your sister in salem and like many people on both sides become refugees so they write this letter and what's chilling is the testimony bears this out because they show there are numerous types from this time period.

there are bullets, pieces of guns, armor, belt buckles so it's so fascinating how you can get this other layer of insight in combination with the written record so they come to a close the following year and it's have a devastating impact. there's been great loss of life, loss of poverty. it takes years to recover financially. the consequences are that much more dire. there is lots of traditional

homeland. they are broken up and sold into slavery. things are never the same as for the native people so it's just this watershed moment. so she comes home and uses her personal connection to try to help prepare his relationship with king charles. king charles wants to know why this terrible conflict broke out, so he writes this report and also arranges to send philip who's been killed during the war, this military to king charles. now this was done 100 years later and so penelope has a law

degree and has inherited these items because the items never make it there. they are very important to the people and so when my husband and i discussed what they knew because there was this degree around but there is a scholar felt a lot of research and has

been looking for them and so i hope she is able. it took a terrible toll and he died four years later at the age of 62. penelopeor goes to commemorate s passing and this is a very high styleig rain. we can see the remnants of what is presumably his hair. there is no inscription so even though it passed down to the family, it is quite possibly true but we can to be sure. but we do know that it was a very difficult time with his passing. there was a survival letter from the secretary that is in the

collections. it is a wonderful document. at this time, a third of the personal property and real estate he's in charge of everything and has great abilities and land management which would have shown during the years that he was governor and traveling.

penelope does rise to the occasion. she overcomes her grief and manages to educate her children and also wages legal battles late in life to reclaim family properties. one of them as late as 1703 before her death and massachusetts governor joseph dudley so again it's an amazing document that shows the legal matters and education she must have had what naturally happens the stories that have burned

down so again she may have lived here for the final years of her life we are not sure there is a strong attachment to the lineage so it's interesting how her heritage and influence had generations of wind flows that continue. in particular they care for the family history, the heritage.

this is very true in families that women are the preservers of the family heritage and history but also larger pieces of the historical record, and i just want to show you one last item having to do with fidelity's story. this is a commemorative marker at the home sites of both families and so at the landfill or penelope is so heavily symbolic of women's history that's taken place over a few years and so in conclusion i feel that the use of material culture in addition to the written w records not only has e power to shed light on an

individual elite like penelope but also moree ordinary people. there are so many important stories that we need to recover, and it's up to us to tell a way to find the stories. thank you very much, and i would be happy to take your questions. >> thank you very much forak a veryr informative talk. i would like to remind the audience members that we use the q and a function. if you are using a mac or pc at the bottom of the screen and a tablet it may be off to the side. we have a couple of questions although i would certainly encourage others to submit more. it's difficult for those that haven't led the papers. do you have a moment of feeling like you found the voice of penelope or is it just sort of a an allik ha moment?

>> spending some time that he gave me a lot of insight to try to reclaim these family inheritances. shenc is a woman that's claimed this land and feels that she has a strong right to it and has a strong sense of herself. seeing the portrait and legal documents were the efficient ones where you could really hear her voice for the privileges and the life that she thought she was entitled to. >> we also had a question that

said how do you feel your work -- >> very inspired by the work very early on. in fact, the diary got me so interested that let me surf with my first book which is a very old diary that begins in the 17th century so there are just so few women's diaries that exist but so few of them have been published. so again, yes it's looking at not only women in writings but also she is said to have popularized the micro history so looking at one individual life

or topic but with the larger happenings of what's going on at the time in the world and so that is an approach i also like to take to connect with what else is going on and what are they doing that's affecting other people is there community support or circumstances or children? >> some rights they didn't have so one example i mentioned about

typically given her husband was really there if a widow felt like she wasn't given her proper and she would refer to it, she could go to court and they would take her claim very seriously but also they took over their husband's business, so this is true for the colonies in the businesses you might not typically associate with. printers or even all kinds of professions that they kind of

fall into to help their families so it's not that they are setting out i don't want to project to say women are growing up saying that's not the case but others like healers, midwives, teachers. they did have rights, and you find several wealthy well-to-do widows. >> in a more complex picture she was very well known for the property she accumulated and the perspective of the community.

>> another question, where would one find that during this time period? if that person wants to get in touch with me, i can send them a list of some places to look. i do have a website and so my e-mail address is on the website. if there's anyone who wants to get in touch with questions afterwards, i am happy to help them out. >> i think judging by the time of the year that we are in, we have to ask. we have thanksgiving next week. what do you think penelope would have thought about how we celebrate thanksgiving today

considering her experience with native people and how the story is presented? >> it's so complex. from generation to generation and region depending on people's religious background and ethnicity, thinking about the birthplace and how even abigail adams and first lady penelope winslow would be able to talk to each other so there's generations difference between them and just societies viewpoints have changed, over

the colonial period there is so much to change. that answer is one of my takeaways in that it is such a complex period of time so we really can't come at this lowithout looking at the details and specifics. >> speaking of details and the specifics as a witness to any deeds or wells or releases for landfills by her husband that is a great moment that i found this deed that was witnessed by penelope and another woman who was probably just visiting. first it didn't look that interesting. it had to do with the maintenance of a bridge that is

actually a really important piece of the colony infrastructure so it just showed how women are participating behind the scenes so because of these different business activities and government activities or other families that witnessed things. at the time she had a half-brother that visited and yeah that is great to learn about that time period and who is putting the documents in progress and witnessing these things, so who is in the

background. it's a matter of getting to a differents perspective, trying o think about these events from a multitude of perspectives. >> are there other women in the colony during the time that you're interested in researching and i know these are often large undertakings and it's hard to track these people down. >> i did a lot of research in conjunction with the women of plymouth exhibit. they are opening this weekend. they've been closed. it's a great exhibit.

it's fascinating but also my next book project when i was working on the book i got interested in thinking about the colonial governors a wives, how did they exert power so i'm looking at the other original 13 colonies so so many stories up there. >> would you remind us of the

relationship? >> the son of susanna white and her first husband and then she married a headwind was low. a new book has just come out published by the historical society, so if you are interested it is a great story done by the former. if you're interested in that, contact the historical society. >> thank you very much for an informative talk. >> weekends on c-span2 are an intellectual feast. every saturday you find events and people that explored the past on american history tv and a sunday booktv brings the latest with nonfiction books and authors. it's television for serious readers. learn, discover, explore.

mr. gorbachev, tear down this wall.

a debate between educating for american democracy project author danielle allen and critic of emory university about the best way to teach american history. >> why is it that you think teachers are going to be teaching all of this from a liberal frame and that's got any lot g of votes.

that is the thing that is going to be discussed but is it possible that most in america. what would you say to that? >> you would know more about those grades than i would but do you think the social studies teaching profession is nonpartisan, that there is not an ideological slant and social studies teachers, professional organizations? >> when the people are teaching kids they try to help them learn norms in the classroom. sat the end of the day it's abot people coming together we do

think collectively you need a word for that group. erthat's what's going on in thoe earlyly grades and conversation. >> good morning, friends. how are you doing