May 28

An Intellectual Hotbed, Strong Abolitionist Roots

Located 20 miles west of Boston, Concord was a center of intellectual ferment and political activism in the mid-nineteenth century. Louisa May Alcott wrote her highly influential protofeminist novel Little Women. Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau and others hammered out the elements of Transcendentalism. And, after initial reluctance, Emerson and Thoreau joined with Concord native Mary Merrick Brooks in fighting for the abolition of slavery, going so far as to provide financial support to the firebrand John Brown.

Plan for Lunch: Midway through our tour of Concord, we’ll be in the center of town, where you will find a bunch of options for lunch. If you’re on a budget, you can order a lunch to-go from BU Dining (after all, you’ve paid for it!) You just need to place the order by 6pm the night before. Note that lunch orders can’t be picked up until 10am (our bus leaves at 9:30) so you’ll want to request a breakfast to go, rather than a lunch.

Be ready to leave Miles Standish Hall at 9:15 on Friday, May 28. Return bus departs from the Louisa May Alcott Orchard House at 2:30, with an expected arrival BU at 3:30