2025 News and Events
Fall 2025
In anticipation of the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States, on November 10 "USA Today" published an article on Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad. Prof. Daniel Broyld, who helped design the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historical Park center in Maryland, was one of the scholars consulted for the article. One can read this article, "We explored the 'uncomfortable' and inspirational truths about the Underground Railroad," online.
On October 16, the History Department's collection of thirty-eight Hellenistic and Roman coins was the subject of a university article published online: "Ancient Coins Donated to University by Collector." The History Department received this coin collection in spring 2025. The coins range from the 3rd century before common era (BCE) to the 4th century common era (CE). The coins mostly feature Roman emperors and their wives, and include coins from Roman Britain that came from the "Little Busby Hoard." Following a presentation on the value of coins in teaching by Prof. Jane Sancinito for the American Numismatic Society in New York, David Menchell, a notable coin collector and philanthropist, acquired the coins to support UMass Lowell's teaching of the ancient world. The coins, which will be stored in O'Leary Library, will be available for classes and directed studies starting in fall 2025. Please contact Professor Jane Sancinito by email: Jane_Sancinito@uml.edu for more information or to handle the collection yourself.
Summer 2025
In anticipation of Juneteenth 2025, Lowell Community Charter Public School hosted “Reading Frederick Douglass Together” on June 12. This inaugural event featured students and members of the greater Lowell community reading Frederick Douglass’ speech, “The Meaning of the Fourth of July for the Negro.”Professor Bob Forrant, the project scholar, opened the program and led a discussion after the reading. This event was the subject of an "Inside Lowell" article online, "Reading Frederick Douglass Together."
Spring 2025
On Monday, May 5, the "World Turned Upside Down" podcast released its fourteenth episode, which is about North Carolina's Regulator Rebellion (1766-1771). Professor Abby Chandler, who published an article on the Carolina Colonies' Regulator movements in the "Oxford Research Encyclopedia of American History" in 2022, was one of the speakers to contribute to the podcast.
On Thursday, April 10, History alum Daniel Mandel visited UMass Lowell to give a talk about his career teaching history. He graduated from UMass Lowell with a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in History in 2021 and a master's in Education in 2022. He completed his student teaching at Lowell High School in spring 2022 before beginning work at the Collegiate Charter School of Lowell in fall 2022. In his talk, Dan explained how he became a History teacher. This was followed by time for students to ask questions as they think about their own lives after UMass Lowell. The talk took place in Coburn Hall, Room 150, from 5-6 p.m.
In commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the publication of J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Return of the King," the third book in the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy, Medieval and Renaissance Studies hosted a "Return of the King" book club on Thursday, March 27, from 4-5:30 p.m. in Coburn Hall, Room 275. All were welcome to participate in an open discussion about the book and the March 24th lecture by Tolkien scholar Professor Michael Drout.
In commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the publication of J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Return of the King," the third book in the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy, Medieval and Renaissance Studies hosted a special lecture. On Monday, March 24, Professor Michael Drout (Wheaton College), an expert on the works of Tolkien, came to UMass Lowell to give a talk entitled "Making I = Eye: How the One Ring Works in J.R.R. Tolkien's 'The Lord of the Rings.'" In this lecture, Professor Drout explored how the One Ring is an object of enormous but evil and corrupting power. This event took place from 4-5:30 p.m. in O'Leary 222.
On Thursday, March 20, History alum Joshua Vollmar ('23) gave a talk at the Groton Public Library about the American feminist, philosopher, journalist, and literary critic Margaret Fuller (1810-1850). This talk, "Margaret Fuller and the Groton Connection," focused on Fuller's years in Groton.
On Thursday, March 20, Professor Gregory Callaghan (Union College) came to UMass Lowell to give this year's Zamanakos Lecture. Professor Callaghan's talk, "Seeking Sponsors in Hellenistic Greece: Why and How Greek Communities Embraced Attalid Patronage," explored how the Attalid dynasty of the new and rising Kingdom of Pergamon used the metric of "status" to achieve an authority within the Greek world that far exceeded its military and territorial power. The lecture took place in Coburn 255 from 6-7 p.m. A reception followed from 7-8 p.m.
On Friday, March 7, Adjunct Professor Shawn Driscoll, a doctoral student in UMass Lowell's Global Studies Program,successfully defended his dissertation: "Funding the Fight: The History of the United States Servicemen's Fund." The United States Servicemen's Fund (USSF) provided significant financial support to the Vietnam antiwar movement during the early 1970s and helped shift public opinion about the war. Professor Driscoll's dissertation traces the creation, actions, challenges, disbanding, and legacy of the USSF from the late 1960s through the late 1970s. While completing his doctoral program, Professor Driscoll taught several History and Political Science courses: US History to 1877, US History since 1877, The American Presidency, The Age of Nixon, United States in the 1960s, The Vietnam War, and Introduction to American Politics.
On Friday, January 31, Visiting Faculty Lecturer Christine Su attended the Cambodian American Studies Conference (January 31-February 1) in San Jose. This was part of a series serving to introduce the new Cambodian American Studies Model Curriculum (CASMC), of which Professor Su is one of the writers, to K-12 teachers in California. Su's presentation, "Reconstructing Identity and Community: Cambodia's Tangible and Intangible Heritage," focused on the importance of both tangible and intangible heritage for Cambodians in rebuilding and healing in the aftermath of the Khmer Rouge genocide. It also addressed the looting of thousands of statues from the monuments of Angkor that have ended up in museums around the world, and recent efforts to repatriate them to Cambodia.
In anticipation of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence in 2026, Associate Professor Abby Chandler has been editing an essay collection for H-Net called "Remembering the American Revolution at 250." On January 23, two more essays were published: G. Patrick O'Brien's "'Men Who Deserve Nothing Better from a Wronged and Insulted Country than Exile': The Loyalists and Popular American Misunderstanding," as well as "A Living Classroom: Ongoing Revolutions at Boston's Old North Church and Historic Site," by Jaimie Crumley, Catherine Matthews, and Emily Spence. "Remembering the American Revolution at 250" is bringing together historians, public historians, and other practitioners from around the world to consider this moment in American history in an ongoing collection of research essays, reflective essays, and lesson plans that will be published over a multi-year period.