The Clemente Course in the Humanities
For many adults in Massachusetts, aspirations for higher education and engagement with the humanities are thwarted by socioeconomic circumstances. The Clemente Course in the Humanities provides opportunities for students (age 17 and older) from low-income backgrounds, to learn about literature, art history, moral philosophy, American history, and writing. Clemente participants earn college credit through tuition-free, college level instruction and develop the skills and confidence needed to express themselves.
AAS partners with the Clemente Course in the Humanities by hosting a class on American history and the annual graduation ceremony.
Learn more about the Clemente Course in the Humanities
Salisbury Cultural District
The Salisbury Cultural District (SCD) is home to some of the region’s most esteemed cultural, historical, educational, and religious organizations, as well as a thriving restaurant, retail, and art community. The district takes its name from the Salisbury family, whose history as merchants, entrepreneurs, and founders and benefactors of arts, cultural, and civic institutions in Worcester, dates from 1767. The SCD is one of 55 designated cultural districts in the state of Massachusetts.
The American Antiquarian Society, anchoring the Salisbury Cultural District on its northwest boundary, has been an active stakeholder since the district was created in 2015. AAS is featured on the SCD’s “Discover Cultural Treasures” self-guided walking tour.
Learn more about the Salisbury Cultural District
Worcester Black History Project
Founded in 2018, Worcester Black History Project (WBHP) recognizes and celebrates the experiences of Black people in Worcester and the surrounding area. WBHP encourages the preservation and sharing of this history through scholarly educational outreach and programming.
The American Antiquarian Society partners with WBHP on programming that advances the work of both organizations to collect and preserve local Black history.
Learn more about the Worcester Black History Project
American Studies Seminar
Since 1978, AAS has partnered with five Worcester colleges and universities (Assumption University, Clark University, College of the Holy Cross, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, and Worcester State University) to offer students a semester-long seminar on a topic related to AAS’s collections. The theme and leader of each year's American Studies Seminar change, but all provide a rare opportunity for undergraduates enrolled at one of the five participating institutions to do primary, in-person research in a major research library. Recent seminar themes have included: Water, Land, and Ecology: Doing Environmental History in Early America (2023), We Protect Us: Early American Histories of Mutual Aid and Community Care (2022), A Second and More Glorious Revolution: Protest and Radical Thought in the Nineteenth-Century United States (2021), and Pirates in Early America (2019).