‘Terrains of Independence’

New exhibit re‐examines Boston’s revolutionary roots through maps and place
Antique map of Boston
“A new plan of ye great town of Boston in New England in America” by William Price (courtesy of the Leventhal Map & Education Center at the Boston Public Library) 

It’s no easy feat to challenge traditional narratives of the American Revolution when most Americans have firmly held ideas of how and why it started, and who the heroes were.  

But Suffolk University Professor Kathryn Lasdow, an expert in early American public history, has co-curated Terrains of Independence, a bold exhibit at the Boston Public Library’s Leventhal Map & Education Center, with the Center’s Executive Director Garrett Dash Nelson.  

The exhibit challenges some of the traditional narratives and instead looks at the pivotal role geography played in first sparking revolutionary fervor in Boston.  

Instead of well-worn tales lionizing the derring-do of pop culture heroes like Paul Revere and Samuel Adams, Lasdow’s exhibit instead puts place and geography at the heart of the Revolutionary story, by focusing on the geographic factors that shaped Boston’s revolutionary ferment. The exhibit treats maps as tools for uncovering the deeper “where” questions of revolutionary history, rather than as static backdrops for familiar stories of patriotic fervor.  

“I hope visitors will come away with a new way of looking at the American Revolution that combines people with place,” she says. ”I think Terrains is an exciting opportunity to show visitors where history happened—and that the important landmarks, territories, battlefields, and sites of the American Revolution go beyond silly marketing like ‘George Washington slept here,’ to the very real stories of ordinary people caught up in extraordinary times.” 

The preserved maps of Boston are particularly important because they help viewers see how people across the social and political spectrum understood Boston’s place at various geographic scales. Viewers get various views of Boston as a prosperous port city where different social classes lived alongside each other as well as a look at the features that made Boston both valuable to Britain—its deep harbor, network of wharves, and location in the New England region—and that eventually transformed it into a center of resistance. 

Professor Katy Lasdow flanked by five students at the Boston Public Library
Professor Lasdow takes honors students from her Public History in Practice course for a tour of the exhibit
Antique powder horn with a map etched onto it in the Terrains of Independence exhibit
A powder horn featured in the 'Terrains of Independence' exhibit

In partnership with the City of Boston Archaeology Lab, Terrains also displays archaeological artifacts excavated from important Revolutionary-era sites around Boston, demonstrating how the stories told by the maps on display had had tangible effects on people’s lives. 

The American Revolution wasn’t just fought on the battlefield, Lasdow says. It played out in civic landmarks and the intimate spaces of daily life.  

“Zooming in to the smallest scale allows us to think about how an abstract clash of values and ideals materialized in people’s individual worlds.” 

Terrains of Independence is free and open to the public and will run through March 2026, shortly before national celebrations of the country’s 250th anniversary culminate on July 4, 2026.  

Experience American history during Suffolk Weekend 2025

American History Friday on September 26 is a special part of Suffolk Weekend, honoring the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution. Experience Boston’s revolutionary spirit through themed programming, historical walking tours and interactive events that highlight the city’s pivotal role in America’s founding, including: 

  • A guided tour of the Leventhal Map & Education Center at the Boston Public Library with Professor Katy Lasdow. As co-curator of the Terrains of Independence exhibition, Lasdow brings the city’s geography and hidden histories to life through rare and dynamic cartographic collections. Register.  
  • A 90-minute walking tour of the Black Heritage Trail in Boston, led by National Park Ranger Elizabeth Glina, BA ’23. Register. 
  • Delve into history at Revolutionary Spaces and explore the American struggle to create and sustain a free society, singularly evoked by Boston’s Old South Meeting House and Old State House. Register.   

Attendees can also participate in a History Scavenger Hunt with Professor Robert Allison on Saturday, September 27. Explore the centuries of history that surround Suffolk, all within a block! Perfect for families, groups, or individuals. Learn more and register. 

Contact

Greg Gatlin
Office of Public Affairs
617-573-8428

Erica Noonan
Office of Public Affairs
774-286-9528