Professor Ed Larson Delivers Keynote Address at MLK Day Celebration -- Brookline, Massachusetts

Professor Edward J. Larson delivered the keynote address on "Conflicting Voices of Liberty and Slavery, 1765-1795" for the MLK Day Celebration in Brookline, Massachusetts. The celebration took place on January 16 at the Coolidge Corner Theatre.

From Brookline MLK Day Celebration:

This year’s program promises a stirring celebration of the life and values of Dr. King with words, poetry and music to challenge and inspire.

Our keynote speaker, Pulitzer-prize winning historian Edward J. Larson, author of American Inheritance, Liberty and Slavery in the Birth of a Nation 1765-1795, reveals how the twin strands of liberty and slavery were joined in the nation’s founding. Was the American revolution waged to preserve slavery? Was the Constitution a pact with slavery or a landmark in the antislavery movement? Professor Larson brings to light the voices of unsung people of color, including those from Massachusetts, who spoke truth to the powerful. What was debated and written in 1765 through 1795 became the paradox between American ideals and American realties that Dr. King and all of us struggle with to this day.

Additional information may be found at Brookline MLK Celebration Committee