William Fowler

Why Are There So Many Wild Turkeys on The Loose in Massachusetts?

William Fowler, distinguished history professor emeritus at Northeastern University, tells me that Franklin liked to kid, and it’s not so much that he was lobbying for the turkey as he was mocking a French society that had an eagle as its emblem.

The Columbus Day holiday is under attack, and so are statues honoring the famed explorer

“They are two elements of America that have been romanticized and ingrained in our cultures over the years,” said William Fowler, a longtime professor of American history at Northeastern University in Boston. “Over time, the facts may not change but the way we interpret them certainly has.”

National Post

Beyond the duck: The man who saved slaves from George Washington to forge Canada’s legacy of human rights

Given Carleton’s close connection to Canada, plus the fact that many of those former slaves ended up in Halifax, his bold defence of their human rights in the aftermath of war seems deserving of a far more prominent place in the Canadian pantheon. What respect he garners today, however, comes largely from the U.S. rather […]

Boston Herald

Flynn: Immigrants vital to Boston’s history

It’s no secret that listening to lectures about the history of Boston is one of my favorite pastimes. That’s why it was such a treat to attend a recent lecture at the Massachusetts Historical Society in the Fenway led by Northeastern University Professor William M. Fowler, who detailed the courageous and challenging history of the […]

The untold story of Boston’s iconic Citgo sign

It became a near-instant — and unlikely — icon after it was switched on in December 1965, the enormous oil company logo glowing high above Kenmore Square. The Citgo sign, said to be the largest illuminated sign in New England at nearly 60 feet by 60 feet, has been called this city’s Big Ben or Eiffel Tower. Nationwide television […]

Captain uncourageous: abandoning ship long seen as a crime

Cowardice comes in many forms, but there’s a special sense of shame reserved for captains who abandon ship. South Korean authorities Capt. Lee Jun-Seok, who was one of the first to flee from the ferry as it sank on Wednesday. “I can’t lift my face before the passengers and family members of those missing,” Lee […]