In conjunction with the exhibition "To Fly to the Aid of Humanity: Benjamin Franklin and the Lodge of Nine Sisters," this season's Lowell Lecture Series will explore the history of American diplomacy, focusing on key events and policies that have shaped America's view of itself and its relationship with the rest of the world.
Lexington, MA (PRWEB) April 25, 2008 -- Considered America's first diplomat, Benjamin Franklin was particularly effective at building allies for the American colonies and their burgeoning government during the Revolutionary War. Now, in the 21st century, we reflect on our nation's tradition of policy-making and international relations. Have our diplomats strayed from or maintained Franklin's legacy? In conjunction with the exhibition "To Fly to the Aid of Humanity: Benjamin Franklin and the Lodge of Nine Sisters," this season's Lowell Lecture Series at the National Heritage Museum will explore the history of American diplomacy, focusing on key events and policies that have shaped America's view of itself and its relationship with the rest of the world.
Lecture on the Emergence of the Peace Corp on May 17, 2008 by Elizabeth Cobbs Hoffman of San Diego State
The National Heritage is located at 33 Marrett Road in Lexington. Admission and parking are free. For further information contact the Museum at (781) 86- 6559 or visit the web site. This lecture series is made possible by a grant from the Lowell Institute, and all talks are free.
Sunday, April 27 at 2 p.m.
Benjamin Franklin: America's First Diplomat
Benjamin Franklin's values of realism and idealism are embedded in the American consciousness, and represent the ideals and principles of our nation in its formative years. How did he apply these values to the world of politics? Gordon S. Wood, Professor of History at Brown University, will discuss Franklin's diplomatic mission to France and the qualities that made him such an effective emissary for the United States. Free.
Saturday, May 10 at 2 p.m.
The Monroe Doctrine and the Geography of U.S. Empire
In 1823 President James Monroe issued a proclamation that over time evolved into an influential foreign policy statement for the new United States. Gretchen Murphy, Associate Professor of English at the University of Texas at Austin, will examine the source of the Monroe Doctrine's power and its flexible appeal to coexisting American ideals: isolationism and expansionism. Drawing on 19th-century sources, Murphy shows how the Monroe Doctrine has helped shape the U.S. empire and conceptually locate the United States as a world power in the past and today. Free.
Saturday, May 17 at 2 p.m.
Flying to the Aid of Humanity: Hope and Reality in JFK's Peace Corps
Elizabeth Cobbs Hoffman, the Dwight E. Stanford Chair in U.S. Foreign Relations at San Diego State University, will discuss the emergence of the Peace Corps, John F. Kennedy's most enduring legacy. Conceived in the optimistic, "can-do" spirit of the 1960s, it embodied America's long pursuit of moral leadership on a global scale. Traversing four decades and three continents, this lecture will explore the story of the Peace Corps and American idealism at work amid the hard political realities of the second half of the twentieth century. Free.
Thursday, June 5 at 7 p.m.
Speak Softly and Carry a Soft Stick
American foreign policy at the start of the 21st century has been muscular, and at times aggressive. Foreign policy practitioners advocate a new emphasis on soft power, smart power and other forms of traditional public diplomacy to generate a new and purposeful foreign stance more suitable to today's political and economic interdependence. Crocker Snow, Jr., a veteran international journalist and director of the Edward R. Murrow Center of Public Diplomacy at the Fletcher School, will discuss the case for a soft power approach as the next chapter of U.S. foreign policy. Free.
The National Heritage Museum is dedicated to presenting exhibitions and programs on a wide variety of topics in American history and popular culture. The Museum is supported by the Scottish Rite. The National Heritage Museum is located at 33 Marrett Road in Lexington, at the corner of Route 2A and Massachusetts Avenue. Hours are Monday through Saturday from 10 am-5 pm, and Sunday, noon-5 pm. Admission and parking are free. Heritage Shop and Courtyard Café on site. For further information contact the Museum at (781) 861 6559 or visit the web site.
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