Audio Tour

The treasures gallery holds historical materials of national significance. Rare documents are preserved in climate-controlled cases designed by MIT engineers. We ask that you not take photographs in the Treasures Gallery and refrain from touching the display cases.

Paul Revere’s copper engraving plate for the famous Boston Massacre image is on display at the entrance to the gallery. This image is reproduced in the Revolution gallery and recognized even by young visitors to the museum. It often appears in textbooks. Later Revere received a commission to engrave paper currency. He created bills on the reverse side of the plate. Because it was used to print money the plate remains in the possession of the Massachusetts government.

Entering the gallery to the right, the charter for the Massachusetts Bay colony appears. Under authority granted by this charter Puritans founded Boston, Cambridge, and other settlements. King Charles I issued the charter in 1629. John Winthrop brought it to Massachusetts on the ship Arbella the following year.

For several decades the Plymouth Colony and Massachusetts Bay Colony existed side by side. In 1691, after England’s “Glorious Revolution,” King William and Queen Mary issued a new charter for the Province of Massachusetts Bay. It united the Plymouth and Massachusetts Bay colonies forming the basic shape of Massachusetts today. The charter played a role in the American Revolution. It included rules for governing the colony. In his portrait, reproduced in the Revolution Gallery, Samuel Adams point to this charter calling attention to British violations.

Many have visited the National Archives to see the Declaration of Independence, famously signed by John Hancock of Massachusetts. During the revolution Congress sent an official copy of the declaration to each state. For the first time most Americans learned the names of the signers. This is one of fourteen originals, one for Congress and one for each state. It bears the signature of John Hancock. Mary Katherine Goddard of Baltimore printed the documents.

This is one of fourteen original copies of the Bill of Rights. President Washington sent one to each state in 1789. The original fold marks remain on this world famous document. It also bears the signature of Vice-President John Adams. Surprisingly Massachusetts did not ratify until 1939. While favoring a bill of rights the state house and senate could not agree on the details. The Bill of Rights took effect anyway in 1789. It is central to the American system of government to this day and a great national treasure.

Drafted mainly by John Adams, Massachusetts still uses this 1780 constitution for governance. It was a very important model for the later federal constitution. Like that document it has a clear separation of powers into legislative, executive and judicial branches. It was drafted by a special constitutional convention and sent to the towns to ratify. That model was used in drafting the U.S. Constitution seven years later. A constitutional convention made it basic law, superior to a legislative document.

Seventeenth century Massachusetts is best known for two events, the landing of the Mayflower and the Salem Witch trials. In fact its history is far more complex and interesting.

The legacy of Native Americans can be seen daily in Massachusetts place names. More importantly the first people remain in Massachusetts to this day. (Place names are listed on the wall to the left.)

The influence of English Puritans is also deep and enduring. Although intolerant they were also “democratical” in the words of one prominent minister. Elections and public schools are part of their legacy. A preoccupation with good and evil led them to witch hunts but also to the beginnings of reform.

This gallery has two interactive exhibits. Visitors can explore seventeenth century documents using the touch table. Younger visitors can take the stand as a defendant in the Salem Witch Trials. (Adults may like this too.)

The Puritan’s Charter, establishing the Massachusetts Bay colony, is on display in the treasures gallery. It arrived on the ship Arbella in 1630.

Plymouth colony records include the Deed for the Sale of Cape Cod in 1679. The price included “2 brass kettles, six coates, twelve howes 12 axes, 12 knives and a box.” Native people retained “the right to set their wigwams on the said land and have such whales, blackfish, porpusses, and blubber as shall be cast on shore.” The agreement raises many questions. Did the native signers have authority to sell the land? Did both sides understand the agreement the same way? In traditional diplomacy Indian nations sometimes agreed to share land. Europeans believed in exclusive ownership.

Visitors often wonder if they can see the Mayflower Compact. Signed by the Pilgrims in 1620, it is America’s oldest agreement for self-government. Unfortunately the document was not preserved. Governor Bradford wrote the text in his journal, now kept at the Massachusetts State House. A scan is displayed on the rail.

Notice the map, it shows two English colonies, Plymouth settled by the Pilgrims in 1620 and Massachusetts Bay, founded by the Puritans ten year later. For many decades the two existed side by side, each with its own government.

The Puritans believed that everyone should be able to read the Bible and that leaders should have higher education. This 1647 law mandated the establishment of public schools to teach reading and prevent that “Old Deluder Satan” from denying knowledge of the Bible. The Boston Latin School, founded in 1635, is America’s oldest public school. The draft charter for Harvard, America’s oldest college, appears next to the public school law. The quest for education had a religious motivation but also had the long-term effect of promoting democracy.

The Puritans believed that public humiliation could help to maintain order. Offenders might wear the letter “D” for drunkenness, or “T” for theft. The best-known example is the letter “A” for adultery, made famous in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel The Scarlett Letter. The story has a historical basis in this 1694 law requiring that offenders “forever after wear a capital A of two inches long and proportional bigness” and be publicly whipped if appearing without it.

Massachusetts will forever be associated with the Salem Witch Trials. Even in the seventeenth century this injustice led to reform. Two period documents appear near the witchcraft display. “An act against conjuration, witchcraft and dealing with evil and wicked spirits” sound ominous. Actually it was a step back from the witch hysteria. The new law banned spectral evidence in trials. Next to it is an act establishing an appeals court to guard against future injustices. The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court traces its origins to this law.

In 1691 King William and Queen Mary issued a new charter for the Province of Massachusetts Bay. The charter set rules for governing and taxing the colony. It would play a role in events leading to the American Revolution.

In his famous portrait Samuel Adams points to this charter now on display just a few feet away in the Treasures Gallery. Adams is protesting British violations of the rules. Unlike many revolutionaries in other times and places Adams did not want to seize power. He worked to establish a democratic system to control government through elections and respect for individual rights.

To determine if you might have been a “Patriot or Tory” at the time of the American Revolution select a character at one of the interactive stations and make your own decision. Younger visitors might enjoy making a print at the Paul Revere engraving station.

Before the revolution the issue was not simply taxes but famously “taxation without representation.” Imposing taxes from London, with no representatives from Massachusetts, violated strong traditions of self-government. Still, the Stamp Tax riots of 1765 were shocking. Thomas Hutchinson was Lieutenant Governor and Chief Justice of the colony when his elegant home became the target of mob violence. Hutchinson submitted this account of damages and was reimbursed by the legislature. Some of Hutchinson’s papers, mud stained from the riots, remain in the vaults of the Massachusetts Archives.

John Hancock had the most famous signature in American history. As a younger man he signed this petition protesting unfair treatment of merchants. The curlicues under his name show that was experimenting with his signature. It is not yet the familiar version on the Declaration of Independence but clearly he was working on it.

Paul Revere was a great patriot but he did have expenses. He submitted this bill for riding to the Committee of Safety in 1775. It was not for the famous midnight ride but for a series of rides in April and May to publicize the battles at Lexington and Concord. Revere cited “expenses for self and horse during that time.” Prominent patriots including James Otis, Samuel Adams, and John Adams approved payment.

The treasures gallery holds the official copy of the Declaration of Independence sent to Massachusetts by the Continental Congress during the American Revolution. This cover letter from John Hancock, President of the Congress, anticipated the interest of future generations. Hancock requested that it “henceforth form a part of the Archives of your state.” Hancock’s words echo across the centuries and we honor his request.

Shortly after the Declaration of Independence Massachusetts negotiated America’s first treaty on behalf of the new nation. It provided for military support by native people in the war for independence. Representatives of the Saint John’s and Mi’qmac nations signed the agreement in Watertown using pictograms to represent their names. Although not ratified, warriors from these nations volunteered to fight for the American cause. This document, preserved in the Massachusetts Archives, has a unique place in the history of American diplomacy.

The themes in this gallery are at the heart of our exhibit. After the Revolution two new documents protected the rights of citizens, the Massachusetts Constitution of 1780 and the Federal “Bill of Rights.” Both originals are on display in the Treasures Gallery.

Then, as now, disadvantaged people cited these inspiring documents to claim their rights. When the new Massachusetts constitution took effect, two African-Americans, Mum Bet and Quock Walker, went to court to win their freedom. Because of their cases Massachusetts became the first of the 13 states to abolish slavery. These “foundation” documents continue to play a central role in the life of our nation.

For a fast paced introduction to constitutional issues, take the “Know Your Rights” video quiz. The travel game demonstrates the challenges of getting from place to place in the early 1800’s.

Among his many achievements John Adams was the primary author of the Massachusetts Constitution. During the Revolution he was an effective diplomat for the new nation. This 1778 letter warns of possible British naval action. Its provenance is most interesting. Written in Paris, it was brought to Massachusetts on a sailing ship, and saved for the archives by the revolutionary generation. Its bears the signatures of two of our greatest founding fathers: John Adams and Benjamin Franklin. To its left is the expense account submitted by Adams as a delegate to the First Continental Congress.

President Washington’s signature is clear on this letter transmitting the Bill of Rights to Massachusetts for ratification. This world historic document did not move the Massachusetts legislature at the time. Although favoring a Bill of Rights they could not agree on the details. Massachusetts did not ratify until 1939. Georgia and Connecticut followed Massachusetts in ratifying at that time.

In the seventeenth century Massachusetts was the first colony to legalize slavery. This 1754 census reveals that there were 25 slaves in the town of Marshfield. To the right is a 1777 petition from Prince Hall, a free black man, requesting an end to slavery during the American Revolution. His efforts were unsuccessful at that time. To learn more about Prince Hall listen to his story in the American Revolution gallery. An actor uses the actual words from Hall’s antislavery petitions preserved in the Massachusetts Archives.

Mum Bett was a slave who sued for and won her freedom under the new Massachusetts constitution. Quock Walker also took legal action to secure his freedom. Walker accused his master, William Jennison, of assault as reflected in this document. Jennison was indicted and convicted after Chief Justice William Cushing advised the jury that slavery was not consistent with the Massachusetts constitution. Walker was not a slave, but a free man. The cases of Mum Bett and Quock Walker effectively ended slavery in Massachusetts.

Should people have equal rights? Even in the 21st century many societies around the world seem to say no. America began to grapple with similar issues in the nineteenth century. Could slavery be tolerated any longer? Should women have the right to vote? Should immigrants have the same rights as those born in America?

The industrial revolution brought new questions. Should children work in factories or go to school? Do workers have a right to a safe workplace? Should government regulate the economy to promote the general welfare?

Visitors can listed in on nineteenth century debates by pressing a button at three stations along the rail. A highlight for young visitors is a chance to work on a textile factory machine.

Massachusetts was a center of the abolitionist movement. The legislature also received petitions for equal treatment of free black citizens living in the Commonwealth. This one requests that the ban on interracial marriage be eliminated as a violation of equal rights under the constitution. Among others it bears the signature of William Lloyd Garrison, the most famous of the Massachusetts abolitionists.

If Massachusetts has a distinct culture, its unique interest in education is surely at the core. The Puritans founded public schools and Harvard College Governor John Hancock advocated higher pay for teachers. In the nineteenth century Horace Mann placed the state in the forefront of American education once again. This 1837 document establishes a State Board of Education. As its leader Mann advocated compulsory education and established the grade system – one through twelve. Today many schools are named for Horace Mann.

As a young woman Dorothea Dix agreed to teach a Sunday class in the East Cambridge jail. She was shocked to see mentally ill patients imprisoned with hardened criminals. Dix conducted a statewide survey and presented a memorial to the legislature. “I proceed, Gentlemen, briefly to call your attention to the present state of insane Persons confined within this Commonwealth, in cages, stalls, pens! Chained, naked, beaten with rods, and lashed into obedience.” Her efforts led to the expansion of state mental hospitals. This document addresses the condition of (quote) “lunatic paupers” in Danvers, later the site of a state hospital.

Charles Francis Adams, descendant of two presidents, pioneered progressive regulation of business. Unlike some European radicals he favored private enterprise not government ownership. Rather than seize railroads, Massachusetts established a commission. Railroad executives, members of the general public, and legislators would study problems and seek common solutions. The Massachusetts General Railroad Act of 1874 strengthened the role of the Board of Railroad Commissioners.

Do you think that ballots should be printed in languages other than English? This kind of issue is not new. Before the 1915 state census these documents were printed in several languages to ensure wide participation. Descendants of turn of the century immigrant groups – once seen as foreigners - are now in the mainstream of American life.

The interactive display in this gallery allows visitors to explore the story of Civil War Massachusetts through documents preserved in the Massachusetts Archives. Massachusetts contributed over sixty regiments to the Union cause. Younger (and older) visitors might try their hand at sending telegraph messages using Morse code. Samuel F. B. Morse was born in Massachusetts. His telegraph played a big role military operations and news reporting during the Civil War.