An (Un)Civil Action?: Springfield and the Revolutionary Model of Armed Resistance

On October 16, 1859, John Brown led an armed attack on Harper's Ferry Armory. He was hanged for murder and treason on December 2 of the same year. On January 25, 1787, Daniel Shays led an armed attack of veterans and militiamen on the United States arsenal in Springfield. Condemned to death for treason, Shays was pardoned in 1788 and died in 1825.

Mass Humanities will present a film, tour, and discussion program about citizenship, arms, and civic violence, beginning at the D'Amour Museum of Fine Arts, Davis Auditorium, Springfield Museums. This program will feature excerpts from the documentary, John Brown's Holy War, and a special guided tour of the Springfield Armory. Then join historian Kevin Sweeney for a discussion of how might a citizen army play a role in the revolutionary model of resistance? What does it mean when citizens of a democracy resort to violent action? Should violence have a role in the political discourse of a democracy? What separates revolution from rebellion from terrorism?

Free and open to the public. Park at the Springfield Museums. Roundtrip bus service provided to the Armory and STCC. Bus space is limited, so register today at: www.masshumanities.org.

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