National Museum of Bermuda (NMB) will be hosting the second lecture in its four-part series Bermuda and the Atlantic World via Zoom on Thursday, July 23, 2020, at 5pm AT. The series, which is guided by NMB’s Education Strategy, reframes Bermuda history within 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. This lecture series will uncover these links and the global forces throughout the Atlantic World that helped shape Bermuda as we know it.

The first lecture began Bermuda’s story in 1250, examining the historical context that put Bermuda on the map. Building on this foundation, Bermudian historian Dr. Clarence Maxwell will now take Bermuda’s story from 1609 to 1800. Dr. Maxwell’s lecture will focus on the early settlement and economic growth of the Island and ask the question: What critical relationships and adaptations during this period helped shape Bermuda?

In this free, virtual lecture, Dr. Maxwell will examine the maritime communities and maritime state built by Bermudians and the ways in which Bermudians forged their place in the Atlantic World during this period. To support the lecture, NMB will provide a free syllabus with additional reading material and video resources so that participants can dive deeper into the content. Dr. Deborah Atwood, NMB Curator, who helped create the syllabus said: “Developed by members of the NMB Education Committee and Staff, the syllabus includes a number of questions to consider before, during, and after the lecture, offering an opportunity for participants to critically analyse history through their own personal lens.”

Upcoming lectures in the series will take Bermuda’s story through the nineteenth century to present day and will be presented by 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. Times and dates for these lectures will be forthcoming.

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 one of many ways that the Museum is providing historical context to help us better understand contemporary challenges.”

This series is also part of NMB’s four module Teacher Professional Development Course, which is endorsed by the Department of Education. Teachers receive professional development credit from the Bermuda Education Council for participation in both the lecture and workshop.

In the Teacher Professional Development workshops, local educators have the opportunity to explore, refine and unpack their understanding of Bermuda’s diverse past and experiment with multi-disciplinary approaches to history to help respond to the needs of today’s students. NMB Director of Learning & Engagement Lisa Howie facilitates this programme.

Dr. Maxwell is an Assistant Professor of Caribbean and Latin American History at Millersville University in Pennsylvania, and 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.

To register, please visit: https://bit.ly/38evs6e. For questions about the lecture or workshop, please email NMB Director of Learning & Engagement Lisa Howie at education@nmb.bm.

• Press release from the National Museum of Bermuda