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“Affectionate Friends and Humble Servants” is a constructed conversation between Martha Washington and Mercy Otis Warren. These dear friends only had the opportunity to meet in person twice, on two consecutive days in 1776, but maintained that friendship throughout the course of their lives. This conversation is a narrative that links Martha and Mercy’s actual correspondence, adding personality and emotions to their prose, bringing these important women to life, right in front of you.Martha Washington was the quiet presence that supported George Washington in his roles as Commander of the Continental Army and as President of the United States. She assumed the mantle of public life in partnership with her husband and in service to her country by acting as the General’s Lady and later as the first First Lady. In each role, Mrs. Washington set the standards for leading the new United States of America, creating homes and headquarters and procedures for acting in each arena. Throughout the Revolution, she actually spent more than half the war with her husband, and with the Army, in each of their winter encampments.
Mercy Otis Warren was a poet, playwright, and social critic during the era of the American Revolution, a time when women were expected to remain silent about politics. In defiance of that norm, Mercy’s friendship with patriotic figures like John and Samuel Adams led her to become an outspoken commentator and historian of the Revolution and early republic. Her incredible quest for knowledge and debate, as well as her innate ability to create relationships with whomever could provide her with such knowledge and debate, made her a leader in revolutionary thought not only locally, but throughout history.
Join us for this woven tapestry of Martha and Mercy’s friendship. Following the presentation, Martha and Mercy will take questions for a few minutes before reverting back to their modern selves to answer further questions.
SNOW DATE: SUNDAY FEBRUARY 7TH
BIOGRAPHIES
Sandy Spector is the Founder of Historic Conversations, Inc. a 501(c)(3) dedicated to forging connections between historical scholarship and human experience. Sandy spends most of her time researching and interpreting Mrs. Washington and has been portraying Martha – alone or with George – in numerous states and venues for the past 12 years, including the National Park Service’s Washington’s Headquarters’ in Cambridge, MA, Valley Forge, PA, Jockey Hollow (Morristown, NJ), and Newburgh, NY. Through Historic Conversations, she presents for museums, classrooms, libraries, historical societies, and various associations throughout the US. She brings Martha to life through formal presentations and informal visits for all ages through emotional depth, humanity, and a sense of humour. Currently, Sandy is writing two books about Martha Washington and recreating Martha‘s extant clothing to educate her guests and to be used in future programming.
Michele Gabrielson is an award winning history teacher and historic interpreter of the 18th century. She specializes in interpreting the history of colonial women printers, of 18th century chocolate makers, and revolutionary playwright and poet Mercy Otis Warren. Gabrielson additionally serves as the secretary for the nonprofit Mercy Otis Warren Society, and is a board member of the Friends of Minute Man Park. She was awarded a Rising Star Award for Public History by the Massachusetts History Alliance for her programming titled, “The Revolutionary Classroom,” and named a finalist for the Massachusetts History Teacher of the Year. Gabrielson has additionally been acknowledged as Teacher of the Year from the Massachusetts Daughters of the American Revolution and from the Massachusetts Society of the Cincinnati.
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Event venue
117 Cabot Street, Beverly, MA, United States, Massachusetts 01915
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