Better Arguments: Free Speech

Better Arguments: Free Speech

by | Sep 15, 2023

18th Century Printed page with an early draft of the preamble of the constitution

Date: November, 14, 2023
Time: 6:30 p.m.
Location: Folsom Tavern, 164 Water St., Exeter, NH
Cost: FREE thanks to Service CU

American civic life doesn’t need fewer arguments; it needs better arguments.

At this free discussion, presented by Service CU, AIM invites members of the community to have a better argument. Using tools from the Better Arguments Project, community members are invited to join us for an evening of conversation.

Here, we will learn techniques to have difficult conversations and to talk and listen to others who have differing viewpoints than ours. These techniques will be used to discuss the idea of Free Speech.

We invite all to attend and learn how to have a Better Argument. Community members will be asked to adhere to the five principles of a better argument:

  1. Take winning off the table,
  2. Prioritize relationships,
  3. Pay attention to context,
  4. Embrace vulnerability, and
  5. Make room for transformation.
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Onsite to help facilitate discussion will be: Sarah Jaworski, Program Manager American Independence Museum; Julia Lantern, Assistant Director Exeter Public Library; and Laura Simoes, Executive Director of Nackey S Loeb School of Communication.

The Better Arguments Project is a national civic initiative created to help bridge divides – not by papering over those divides but by helping people have Better Arguments. In this sense, arguments don’t have to drive us apart. Better Arguments can bring us together.

About American Independence Museum

Located in Exeter, NH, the American Independence Museum features a rare collection of historic artifacts that shed light on the Revolutionary War. Examples of popular items in our exhibits include a dragoon pistol, brown bess musket, and 18th century powder horn. Many of our programs offer insight into civic duties, civic engagement and civic responsibility, while we also feature a variety of things to do in NH, such as camps for kids, festivals, summer festival, reenactments, and homeschool programs. Perfect for a day trip or weekend trips, we believe in inclusivity and inclusive history and the spirit behind the phrase, ‘we the people’.

Ghosts of the Past – Tavern Open House #2

Ghosts of the Past – Tavern Open House #2

by | Sep 15, 2023

18th Century lady talking to child

Date: October 21, 2023
Time: 10:00 am to 12:30 p.m.
Location: Folsom Tavern, 164 Water St., Exeter, NH
Cost: FREE

Exeter’s Halloween Parade is scheduled for October 21st. Starting and ending at Swasey Parkway, the parade marches right around the Independence Museum! So we’re opening up Folsom Tavern for a free open house and trick-or-treat. Get in costume and come play in the 18th Century.

New_Hampshire_Humanities_Logo_in_Color_for_Web (2)
This program is made possible by a grant from New Hampshire Humanities. Learn more at www.nhhumanities.org.

About American Independence Museum

Located in Exeter, NH, the American Independence Museum features a rare collection of historic artifacts that shed light on the Revolutionary War. Examples of popular items in our exhibits include a dragoon pistol, brown bess musket, and 18th century powder horn. Many of our programs offer insight into civic duties, civic engagement and civic responsibility, while we also feature a variety of things to do in NH, such as camps for kids, festivals, summer festival, reenactments, and homeschool programs. Perfect for a day trip or weekend trips, we believe in inclusivity and inclusive history and the spirit behind the phrase, ‘we the people’.

Ghosts of the Past – Tavern Open House #2

Ghosts of the Past – Tavern Open House

by | Sep 15, 2023

18th Century lady talking to child

Date: October 21, 2023
Time: 10:00 am to 12:30 p.m.
Location: Folsom Tavern, 164 Water St., Exeter, NH
Cost: FREE

Exeter’s Halloween Parade is scheduled for October 21st. Starting and ending at Swasey Parkway, the parade marches right around the Independence Museum! So we’re opening up Folsom Tavern for a free open house and trick-or-treat. Get in costume and come play in the 18th Century.

New_Hampshire_Humanities_Logo_in_Color_for_Web (2)
This program is made possible by a grant from New Hampshire Humanities. Learn more at www.nhhumanities.org.

About American Independence Museum

Located in Exeter, NH, the American Independence Museum features a rare collection of historic artifacts that shed light on the Revolutionary War. Examples of popular items in our exhibits include a dragoon pistol, brown bess musket, and 18th century powder horn. Many of our programs offer insight into civic duties, civic engagement and civic responsibility, while we also feature a variety of things to do in NH, such as camps for kids, festivals, summer festival, reenactments, and homeschool programs. Perfect for a day trip or weekend trips, we believe in inclusivity and inclusive history and the spirit behind the phrase, ‘we the people’.

Rebels in the Republic

Rebels in the Republic

by | Sep 7, 2023

18th Century lady talking to child
Date: November 11, 2023
Time: 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Location: Folsom Tavern, 164 Water St., Exeter, NH

This is a living History event set in 1786 where Folsom Tavern will be full of reenactors in costume portraying the different sides of the Paper Money debate in the months after the “paper money riot”. You are welcome to walk through the tavern at your leisure and hear from people with different viewpoints on topics like: the war, debt and currency, and who should make laws for the new land.

The three sides represented will be:

1. Exeter Politicians and big wigs.
2. Farmers from the surrounding towns.
3. Locals, the Folsoms, and other non-participants.

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Conceptual backdrop to program: After the Revolutionary war and before the US Constitution, there was a period of time where our government was in flux. Would the young United States be able to pull off freedom and independence? Part of the growing pains of a young New Hampshire was the argument over currency, debt and who should pay for the war just won.On one side were the army’s officers, now the state’s politicians and big wigs who were tasked with paying off the state’s debts incurred during the war. On the other side were the army’s soldiers, now the state’s farmers and rural inhabitants who were trying to pay off their own debts while also paying taxes.

In the first decades of the United States, there was no US currency and the individual states’ currency was hard to come by. Also under consideration are those whose voices did not count in decision making: women, children, Indigenous Americans, Black Americans, religious minorities, etc. As disagreements were voiced and brought before the young state government, the role of violence in the state and country was up for debate.

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New_Hampshire_Humanities_Logo_in_Color_for_Web (2)

This program is made possible by support from Service Credit Union.

About American Independence Museum

Located in Exeter, NH, the American Independence Museum features a rare collection of historic artifacts that shed light on the Revolutionary War. Examples of popular items in our exhibits include a dragoon pistol, brown bess musket, and 18th century powder horn. Many of our programs offer insight into civic duties, civic engagement and civic responsibility, while we also feature a variety of things to do in NH, such as camps for kids, festivals, summer festival, reenactments, and homeschool programs. Perfect for a day trip or weekend trips, we believe in inclusivity and inclusive history and the spirit behind the phrase, ‘we the people’.

American Independence Museum to Host Constitution Comic Workshops

American Independence Museum to Host Constitution Comic Workshops

by | Sep 7, 2023 | Events, Family Friendly, Free, Programming, We Are One

On Saturday, September 16, the American Independence Museum (AIM) will host a series of free Constitution Comic Workshops designed for educators and families.

The workshops begin at 10:00 a.m. for educators where well-known NH-based cartoonist Marek Bennett will instruct participants on how to integrate the use of comic making into the classroom to explore primary sources. Educators will receive 1 CEU for attendance.

At 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m., participants will instruct families and kids (ages 7+) on basic techniques of cartooning. “It will be fun and free,” said AIM Executive Director Jennifer Carr.

The workshops represent AIM’s Building Community initiative, part of the museum’s ongoing We Are One campaign. “All voices, all perspectives matter, and everyone is welcome here—this is our core organizational message,” added Carr.

Home to a world-class collection of 3,000 historic artifacts, the American Independence Museum develops programs, events, and exhibits that honor and invite inclusive and diverse perspectives.

AIM’s Constitution Comic Workshops take place on Saturday, September 16 at 10:00 a.m. for educators and 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. for families and children. Space is limited and pre-registration is encouraged.

Preregister

About American Independence Museum

Located in Exeter, NH, the American Independence Museum features a rare collection of historic artifacts that shed light on the Revolutionary War. Examples of popular items in our exhibits include a dragoon pistol, brown bess musket, and 18th century powder horn. Many of our programs offer insight into civic duties, civic engagement and civic responsibility, while we also feature a variety of things to do in NH, such as camps for kids, festivals, summer festival, reenactments, and homeschool programs. Perfect for a day trip or weekend trips, we believe in inclusivity and inclusive history and the spirit behind the phrase, ‘we the people’.

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