The National Museum of Bermuda (NMB) is holding a free public lecture on Thursday, March 12, 2020. Bermudian historian Dr. Clarence Maxwell will be presenting on “The Early Atlantic Age (1250-1609): Why and how did we get here?”. The lecture will take place from 5:30 – 7pm in the North Hall at Bermuda College.

This inquiry-based lecture will begin with Bermuda’s story in 1250, with the construction of the Atlantic System that led to the Island’s discovery and continue through to the arrival of the first man of African descent, Venturilla, and the wreck of the Sea Venture.

It is the first of four free lectures in a lecture series hosted by NMB entitled “Bermuda and the Atlantic World”. The series will take place over the course of this year and explore the links and the global forces throughout the Atlantic World that helped shape Bermuda as we know it today.

Having launched a new Education Strategy last year and added a Director of Learning and Engagement to staff, NMB is working on reframing Bermuda history in a larger Atlantic World context. Whether cultural, familial, social or political, Bermuda has links with Latin and North America, the Caribbean, Africa, UK and Europe: the Atlantic World.

When asked about the lecture series, Executive Director Elena Strong said “knowing, understanding and appreciating our history enables us to effectively navigate the present, to shape our identity and to strengthen our purpose in the world. This lecture series is an important way to connect with the community and share the new ways in which the Museum is thinking about Bermuda’s history and heritage”.

The other lectures in the series will be: “Early Settlement & Economic Growth (1609-1850): What are the critical stories and events that have shaped Bermuda?”; “Bermuda’s Emancipation & Evolution (1800-1900): How did Bermuda transform from a regional to global island”; and “Modern Bermuda (1900-today): What can we learn from the past to shape a better future?” with lecturers Dr. Theodore Francis, Assistant Professor of History, Huston-Tillotson University and Dr. Kristy Warren, University of Leicester, School of History, Politics and International Relations, Post-Doctorate, joining Dr. Maxwell. Times and dates for these lectures will be forthcoming.

These lectures are part of the NMB Teacher Professional Development Course which is endorsed by Department of Education, and through which teachers can receive professional development credit from the Bermuda Education Council.

Dr. Maxwell is an assistant professor of Caribbean and Latin American History at Millersville University in Pennsylvania. Also a Trustee for the National Museum of Bermuda, he specialises in topics concerning Bermuda, the Caribbean and Latin America, the African Diaspora, and the history of Atlantic enslavement.

For more details, visit www.nmb.bm/lecture. Seating is on a first come, first served basis for the public. For teachers interested in registering for the Teacher Professional Development Programme, please email info@nmb.bm.

• Press release from the National Museum of Bermuda