History Week Lecture presented by Bob Lammey

This summer marks the 150th anniversary of President Grant’s historic visit to the campground in 1874. Join Bob Lammey for 60 minutes to share his ongoing research of the unprecedented steps Grant took during this visit to address his most pressing national issues, and how the individuals who accompanied the President to Martha’s Vineyard thwarted those efforts, ultimately leading to his political demise and, in turn, the surrendering of civil rights for people of color.

Also discussed are overlooked national figures of the 19 century who had profound roles during Grant's trip to MV, including U.S. Vice President Henry Wilson, railroad tycoon John Murray Forbes, Mayor of Providence Amos Barstow, and the Methodist Bishop Gilbert Haven, whose cottage Grant stayed in the Campground and whose crusade for equal rights for formerly enslaved Americans in the South led to desperate attempts to personally save Grant's Presidency, leading to the Bishop's own untimely death.