[Ohiodig] Free conference 9/10-13, Ohio University -Keynote by Colleen Shogan. 250 Years: The Promises and Legacy of the Declaration of Independence
Carleton, Janet (she/her)
carleton at ohio.edu
Mon Aug 17 12:09:21 EDT 2026
Central Region Humanities Center Biennial Conference - 250 Years: The Promises and Legacy of the Declaration of Independence
Sept. 10-13, 2026 | Baker Center Theater (In person)
https://www.ohio.edu/cas/central-region-humanities-center/biennial-conference
In 2026, we commemorate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. With this document, members of the revolutionary generation set in motion the struggle against political tyranny and in defense of "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." In the years following independence, generations of Americans, inspired by the Declaration, strove to cement the "self-evident truth that all men are created equal" and endowed with certain unalienable rights. The story of that pursuit shaped regions and communities like ours and informed the trajectory of our country and broader world.
This conference will facilitate an exploration of the history, meaning, and legacy of the Declaration of Independence. It will also highlight the many ways people and communities in the Ohio Valley and Northwest Territory helped to realize the lofty sentiments articulated in the Declaration of Independence in the 250 years since 1776.
Conference events include:
* Concert on the Green and Choral Reading of the Declaration of Independence on Thursday, Sept. 10, 6 p.m., College Green
* A Conversation with Dr. Colleen Shogan, the 11th archivist of the United States, about the importance of the Declaration of Independence as a historical artifact and foundational American text on Friday, Sept. 11, 5pm, Baker University Theater
* Conference presentations and student research posters on Friday, Sept. 11, and Saturday, Sept. 12, Baker Center Theater
* Public Exhibitions and other cultural activities on Sunday, Sept. 13, Richland Park, Southeast Ohio History Center, Alden Library, and other locations.
All conference events are free and open to the public. Free parking is available for conference participants on the Baker University Center surface lot (#122 on the OHIO parking map<https://www.ohio.edu/transportation-parking/map>).
The CRHC Biennial Conference 250 Years: The Promises and Legacy of the Declaration of Independence is made possible by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the generous support of Ohio University's Kennedy Lecture Series, College of Arts and Sciences, Honors Tutorial College, and College of Fine Arts.
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Schedule of Events:
THURSDAY, SEPT. 10
6-7 p.m. - Ohio University College Green - Concert on the Green and Choral Reading of the Declaration of Independence.
FRIDAY, SEPT. 11 - BAKER CENTER THEATER
- 9-10 a.m. - Welcome and Opening Remarks
Mariana Dantas & Matthew Ando, Ohio University.
- 10-11:40 a.m. - Self-Evident Truths: Intellectual Traditions and Pursuits in the Age of Revolution.
- Jessica Cyders, Southeast Ohio History Center - The Pursuit of Virtue: Education, Liberty, and the Northwest Territory.
- Iris De Rode, University of Virginia - "Public Happiness" and Revolutionary Knowledge: Chastellux and Transatlantic Intellectual Exchange.
- Fred Drogula, Ohio University, Ancient Greek Influences on Thomas Jefferson's Thoughts on Revolution.
- 11:40 a.m.-1 p.m. Lunch Break
- 1-2:40 p.m. - "To Effect Safety and Public Happiness": Territorial Organization and Colonization.
- Timothy Anderson, Ohio University - (De)constructing the Grid: The Public Land Survey System and the Production of Abstract Space in the Early Republic.
- Brandon Downing, Marietta College - The Founding Fathers of the Northwest Territory: How Their Declaration of Independence Shaped the Ohio Country.
- Edward Watts, Michigan State University - No Inveterate Systems to Overturn?: Yankee, French, and Indigenous Wests After the Declaration.
- 2:40-3 p.m. - Coffee Break.
- 3-4:40 p.m. - "To Assume Equal Station": Sovereignty, Autonomy and Citizenship.
- Warren Milteer, Jr., George Washington University - The Evolution of Freedom: Free People of Color in the Age of Revolution.
- John O'Keefe, Ohio University-Chillicothe - Immigrants and the Building of Citizenship and Community in Ohio, 1776-2026.
- Andrew Washburn, University of Cincinnati - Independent Indigenous Ohio: Kukwethakextun and the 14th State.
- 5-:15 p.m. - Keynote: Fireside Chat with Dr. Colleen Shogan, 11th Archivist of the United States (2023-2025).
SATURDAY, SEPT. 12 - BAKER CENTER THEATER
- 9-10:40 a.m. - Life and the Pursuit of Autonomy Among Black Communities of Appalachia.
- Amanda Flowers, Tablertown People of Color Museum - From Coal Mines to a Museum: The Tablertown Story
- Trevellya Ford, West Virginia State University - Reclaiming Independence: Continuing Legacy Through Media
- Avery Richardson, Ohio University - Black Perseverance, Migration, and Historical Erasure along the Ohio River and Point Pleasant, WV
- 10:40-1 a.m. Coffee Break
- 11 a.m.-12:40 p.m. - Liberty Won, Pursued and Constructed.
- Michael Blaakman, Princeton University - Liberty's IOUs: How the War for Independence Sparked the United States' First Real-Estate Boom
- Andrew Feight, Shawnee State University - Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Freedom: The Escape of Dave and Pleasant and the Underground Railroad in Appalachian Ohio
- Andrea Frohne, Ohio University - Benjamin Banneker Assists in Configuring the Capital; Jemima Banneker's Children Construct the Lett Settlement: Black Pioneers in the Legacy of a New Nation
- 12:40-2 p.m. Lunch Break
- 2-3:40 p.m. - Pursuit of Happiness: Private Ambitions, Equal Opportunities, Public Welfare.
- Ana Schwartz, University of Texas at Austin - Happiness, Self-evident.
- Anna-Lisa Cox, Harvard University - A Revolutionary Revolution: The Radicals of 1776 and the Founding of Our Nation.
- Thomas Scanlan, Ohio University - The Strange Death of Public Happiness.
- 3:40-4 p.m. - Coffee Break
- 4-5:40 p.m. - The Declaration of Independence: Promises, Meaning, and Legacy.
- Sara Fisher, Ashland County Historical Society - Connecting America 250 at the Local Level: How Engaging the Legacy of the American Revolution Can Create a Sense of Place for....
- Brian Koscho, Invisible Ground - The Legacies of the Declaration of Independence in Early Ohio: From the Northwest Territory to Statehood.
- Johann Neem, Western Washington University - The Revolution We Need Today.
- 5:40-6 p.m. - Concluding Remarks.
SUNDAY, SEPT. 13
Exhibitions (Times TBA)
- Historic Athens Walking Tour.
- "Life Before Ohio University": Manasseh Cutler Exhibition Opening - Mahn Center for Archives & Special Collections, Ohio University Libraries, 5th fl, 30 Park Pl, Athens.
- Ohio Settlement - Southeast Ohio History Center, 24 W State St, Athens.
- Stories in the Park - Richland Avenue Park, 8493 Dairy Ln, Athens.
- Tablertown People of Color Museum, 9035 St Rt 329, Stewart 45778.
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Janet M. Carleton | Interim, Libraries Communication & Marketing | Digital Initiatives Coordinator | Digital Initiatives | Mahn Center for Archives and Special Collections, Preservation & Digital Initiatives | OHIO University Libraries | Alden 333 | Athens, Ohio | 740.597.2527 | she/her | carleton at ohio.edu<mailto:carleton at ohio.edu> | Digital Archives<https://media.library.ohio.edu/> | Archives Finding Aids<https://archivesspace.ohio.edu/>
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