Myra Kraft Transitional Year students celebrate the Stamp Act

Photo/Jarret Bencks

From left: Joseph Figueroa as Thomas Hutchinson, Vanio Dos Santos as Benjamin Franklin and Christian Nuñez as Samuel Adams.

Students in the Myra Kraft Transitional Year Program presented an exhibit and performance to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Stamp Act.

Donning colonial garb, Joseph Figueroa '19, Vanio Dos Santos '19 and Christian Nuñez '19 wrote and performed a scene depicting conversation between Thomas Hutchinson, Benjamin Franklin and Samuel Adams, with Figueroa playing Hutchinson, Dos Santos as Franklin and Nuñez as Adams.

The Stamp Act of 1765 required certain documents to be printed on stamped paper from Great Britain that carried a tax. It was met with protest from many American colonists.

Students put on the performance and created the exhibit as part of History lecturer Craig Bruce Smith's course, "Preserving Boston's Past: Public History and Digital Humanities." The event Monday in Rapaporte Treasure Hall was titled "The 250th Anniversary of the Stamp Act: A Revolutionary Exhibit and Performance." To create the exhibit, students combed through archival materials to find compelling images, find out where the images came from and create captions for them.

"It was a real test of the eye, it had to be something that would really grab your attention," said Kenneth Hong '19.

The Transitional Year Program was established in 1968 and was renamed in 2013 for Myra Kraft ‘64, the late Brandeis alumna and trustee. It provides small classes and strong support systems for students who have had limitations to their precollege academic opportunities.

Categories: Humanities and Social Sciences, Student Life

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