Category: bostonians fight for change series (4)

For most of the 19th century, Boston’s working women’s voices were not being heard. It would take the creation of the Women’s Trade Union League founded by Mary Kenney O’Sullivan in Boston to show women how to organize themselves into trade unions. On this tour, discover how women’s voices grew from the foundation laid by the Denison House and the WEIU (Women’s Education & Industrial Union). Learn about the proud, defiant women who led Boston’s women’s trade unionism and suffrage movements, and the struggles these movements faced, divided along class lines. find out more

The Road to the Vote for national woman suffrage was a long and arduous one. Along the way, countless suffragists, in Boston, and across the nation, organized, wrote, fundraised, marched, picketed, boycotted, and went on hunger strikes to call attention to their cause. Generations of women fought in the struggle, all the while hoping to open minds and move hearts. By the early 20th century women in Boston were being arrested and jailed for their convictions. It was 72 years from Seneca Falls to the time when American women voted in municipal, state and federal elections exercising the right provided to them in the 19th amendment. This tour celebrates the centennial of the ratification of that amendment and highlights the places, people and protests that helped win the vote for women. This tour was developed by the Boston Women’s Heritage Trail , a group that works to restore women to their rightful place in the history of Boston by uncovering, chronicling, and disseminating information about the women who have made lasting contributions to the City of Boston. find out more

Travel in the footsteps of Boston’s 19th and 20th century gay and lesbian friends. Explore Thoreau’s walks along the Common; Charlotte Cushman’s cross-dressing roles; World War II bars and baths; and the AIDS memorial quilt project. Learn about Boston’s flourishing gay and lesbian culture on this guided walking tour. This tour is presented in partnership with The History Project , a nonprofit organization that documents, preserves and shares New England's LGBTQ history. find out more

This tour returns to the lineup after a brief absence, timely topics of activism and civil unrest. Experience a most riotous tour through four centuries of protests, social violence and at times downright bad behavior. Known for the protests of the Stamp Act and Boston Tea Party, rebellions and uprisings have taken place throughout Boston's history. This tour examines many of the lesser known riots and street violence often fueled by the powerless who sought a voice over social, political, religious, and economic oppression. Take to the streets of Boston for a tour through anger, fear, rebellion, violence, and bad behavior! find out more