Calendar of Events

Few imagined that when the 2012 Hollywood blockbuster'Lincoln' hit theaters, it would ignite a heated debate involving Connecticut’scontroversial Civil War history, a congressman, and a frazzled screenwriterworried about the prospects for an Oscar! Join Dr. Matthew Warshauer, professorof History at Central Connecticut State University, in our historic House ofRepresentative's chamber, as he plumbs the depths […]

Located in the heart of downtown Hartford, Connecticut's OldState House served as one of the capitol buildings of Connecticut until 1878.As the seat of the state's government, the Old State House holds manyconnections to several important stories related to the Connecticut FreedomTrail, including the Prudence Crandall, Amistad, and Nancy Jackson trials, the1818 Constitution and many […]

Black litigants regularly appeared in colonial Connecticut'scounty courts. Participating as plaintiffs, defendants, and third-partysubjects, free Black New Englanders in New London often relied on the courts toprotect their economic and social interests, especially when discrimination inthe community limited their ability to settle disputes informally. For the mostpart, Blacks entered a judicial process that tended to […]

First in a limited series, The Amistad Trilogy.In 1839, 53 captive Africans rebelled aboard the Spanish schooner La Amistad. They took over the ship, but were captured by the US Navy in Long Island Sound and taken into custody. They then allied with local abolitionists in Connecticut to fight for their freedom through the US […]

Second in a limited series: The Amistad Trilogy.In 1839, 53 captive Africans rebelled aboard the Spanish schooner La Amistad. They took over the ship, but were captured by the US Navy in Long Island Sound and taken into custody. They then allied with local abolitionists in Connecticut to fight for their freedom through the US […]

Speaker: Dr. Joseph Coll, Visiting Assistant Professor of Politics at Sewanee: The University of the South  During elections, most of us are used to voting for just one candidate per office. The candidate that gets the most votes wins. But there is an alternate form of election that has started to gain the public and […]

Speaker: Dr. Steven B. Smith, the Alfred Cowles Professor of Political Science and professor of philosophy at Yale University Join us in conversation with Dr. Steven B. Smith as he examines the concept "Patriotism" as a virtue in line with the core values of democracy and an expression of belonging, loyalty, and pride. What does it […]

Saddle your horses and take a midnight (but really early evening) ride to Connecticut's Old State House for A Night at the Public House: The Regulars Are Coming Out - an event all about the Revolutionary War. Special guest historian Matthew Reardon of the New England Civil War Museum will tell the story of Connecticut’s response […]

Third in a limited series: The Amistad Trilogy.In 1839, 53 captive Africans rebelled aboard the Spanish schooner La Amistad. They took over the ship, but were captured by the US Navy in Long Island Sound and taken into custody. They then allied with local abolitionists in Connecticut to fight for their freedom through the US […]

In 1839, 53 captive Africans rebelled aboard the Spanish schooner La Amistad. They took over the ship, but were captured by the US Navy in Long Island Sound and taken into custody. They then allied with local abolitionists in Connecticut to fight for their freedom through the US court system, and ultimately won. Over 150 […]

Featuring:Tammy Denease, Outreach Director, Connecticut Freedom Trail Charles Warner, Jr., Chair, Connecticut Freedom TrailAdrienne Joy Burns, Board Member, The Amistad CommitteeIn 1839, Connecticut’sOld State House was the site of the first of the famous Amistad trials. Thetrials grabbed international headlines, but after the US Supreme Court resolvedthe case in 1841, the story faded from collective memory. […]

Join us on Saturday, May 13th to wish a very happy birthday to something important - Connecticut’s Old State House! On May 13, 1796, Connecticut’s Legislature held their first session in their newly-constructed Hartford State House, and it has become the day that we celebrate this important building. Connecticut’s Old State House is iconic in […]