History by Benjamin Shallop, Author

I hope you will be able to join me and members of the Mashantucket Pequot Nation on March 29th The House of the Seven Gables for this timely and important discussion on the role Salem played in the Pequot War, and the connection between that conflict, genocide, slavery, and the modern celebrations around the First Muster. This event is free but space is limited.

3 years ago after my book "The Founding of Salem; City of Peace" was published I learned that the people in Roger Conant's home town of East Budleigh, Devon UK, had erected a Blue Plaque to honor him. I used that as an opportunity to reach out to the people of East Budleigh to see if we could set up a zoom event to discuss our shared history. Since then our two communities have grown closer and thanks to the incredible efforts of Karen Scalia and Salem Food Tours we have just become Sister Cities! (or, as they call it in the UK, we have Twinned with East Budleigh). This will be formalized in June with Food at 400 (more info can be found here: https://www.salemfoodtours.com/food-at-400/ ).

I'm extremely proud to have played a small role in helping bring these two wonderful communities together 400 years after Roger Conant first came to what was then called Naumkeag in 1626 with a small party of settlers to build a fishing station here.

I firmly believe that the study of history should inspire us all to be good ancestors. In a time of such divisiveness it is more important than ever that we here at the local level build friendships and strengthen relationships with people all over the world....and if we can do that by celebrating our shared history and reestablishing centuries old connections with one another, so much the better.

You can buy my book at Wicked Good Books in Salem or order it here: https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-founding-of-salem-city-of-peace-benjamin-shallop/9522c2c598d7e440?ean=9781467152136&next=t

For the Salem The Salem News article on our first event in 2023 go to https://www.salemnews.com/news/400th_anniversary/budleigh-ly-love-salem-connects-with-conant-hometown-on-history/article_8a692f04-dd57-11ed-8fa2-43012a95229a.html

And for the recent article about our Sister City/Twinning with East Budleigh go to https://www.salemnews.com/news/local_news/salem-establishes-sister-city-with-roger-conants-birthplace-in-east-budleigh-england/article_cd924fe6-4b3b-43e5-aaf7-a5098055df24.html

On Wednesday November 19th I will be participating in a panel discussion at Salem State University on Salem's role in the Pequot War (1636-38) and the lasting legacy of genocide and slavery that resulted from that horrible conflict. The panel will be moderated by Thomas Green of the Massachusett Tribe and will include Connor Smith of the Pequot and Narragansett. Hope to see you there. Details below

Indigenous Peoples Month Panel Discussion and Dinner | Salem State University From Salem Common to Conflict: The First Muster and the Pequot War Panel & DinnerWednesday, November 19, 5:30 pm-7 pm | Ellison Campus Center Veterans HallJoin us for an evening of reflection, history, and community. Dinner will be served at 5:30 p.m., followed by the program beginning at 6:00 p.m.....

In my book “The Founding of Salem; City of Peace” I discuss how English, Norse, and Basque fisherman were regularly visiting North America likely as far back as the 14th Century. Here in the Musée de Civilization in Quebec City they have a figure of a European carved by an Inuit artist sometime around 1350 AD on Baffin Island. Photo isn’t great and the bf inure is very small, but it’s wearing a cross…a clear sign that it is European

Amazing story I saw in a Quebec English language newspaper from 1949. It’s an article about how the Canadian Police Union donated funds to striking miners in Asbestos Quebec during the 1949 strike there. This strike is an important milestone in Canadian labor and political history. It is also credited with beginning the political career of Pierre Trudeau. But what is most fascinating about this article is that the police union’s contribution to the cause here came on the heels of police being ordered to conduct mass arrests of strikers at gunpoint in order to reopen the mines.