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College of Arts and Sciences
Wilson Administrative, second floor, 204
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U.S. Declaration of Independence
Central Region Humanities Center Biennial Conference
2026 Biennial Conference | Sept. 10-13, 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

The Central Region Humanities Centerā€™s 2026 biennial conference celebrates 250 years of the Declaration of Independence on Sept. 10-13, 2026, in the Baker University Center.

Dr. Colleen Shogan

Keynote: 11th U.S. Archivist Dr. Colleen Shogan

The keynote event is a conversation with , 11th Archivist of the United States, is Friday, Sept. 11, 2026.

Call for Proposals

The conference organizers welcome paper proposals from faculty and graduate students. The submission deadline is March 20, 2026, 11:59 p.m.

Presentations by scholars and students in the humanities and by public humanities practitioners will explore the history, meaning, and legacy of the Declaration of Independence in Southeast Ohio and beyond. The conference will highlight people and communitiesā€™ centrality to the realization of the lofty sentiments articulated in the Declaration of Independence and tell a story of perseverance in the defense of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness that belongs to all Americans.

Call for Proposals: Submit by March 20

Faculty and graduate students are invited to submit paper proposals by March 20, 2026, 11:59 p.m.

Submission Details

Graduate students and early career scholars working in a humanities discipline or public humanities are invited to submit a paper proposal on topics related to the impact and legacy of the Declaration of Independence in Ohio, the Ohio Valley region, or the old Northwest Territory.

The conference will facilitate an exploration and discussion of the history, meaning, and legacy of the Declaration of Independence through academic and public humanities talks and exhibitions by community organizations. It aims to highlight the many ways people and communities from the Central Region realized the sentiments articulated in the Declaration of Independence in the 250 years since 1776. The conferenceā€™s main premise is that perseverance in the defense of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness is the shared story of Americans from a variety of backgrounds over multiple generations.

Possible paper topics, drawn from the text of the Declaration of Independence, include but are not limited to:

  • ā€œAll men are created equalā€: oppositions to discrimination since the Revolutionary Age.
  • Unalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
  • Government by consent.
  • Sufferable and insufferable evils, and the safeguards against them.
  • The public good, and the laws and government that serve it.
  • Migration, naturalization of foreigners, and ā€œthe population of these Statesā€.
  • An independent judiciary free from arbitrary interventions.
  • The ability to petition the government.

Proposal Submission

Please submit your paper proposal to the conference program committee by March 20, 2026, using our .

You will be asked to provide your contact information, professional affiliation, paper title, a 300-word paper abstract, and a 250-word short bio. Decisions about the submissions will be announced by April 15, 2026.

The CRHC has limited funds to support travel to the conference and will consider funding requests by accepted participants.

Confirmed Speakers

Princeton University
Michael A. Blaakman

, Associate Professor of History at Princeton University, is a historian of revolutionary and early national America.

Harvardā€™s Hutchins Center
Anna-Lisa Cox

is a historical consultant and researcher and a non-resident fellow at Harvardā€™s Hutchins Center for African and African American Research. She is the author of .

Southeast Ohio History Center
Jessica Cyders

is the Director of the Southeast Ohio History Center in Athens, Ohio.

Karsh Institute of Democracy
Iris De Rode

is a Fellow at the Karsh Institute of Democracy in the University of Virginia.

Marietta College
Brandon Downing

is Associate Professor at Marietta College.

Ashland County Historical Society
Sara Fisher

is Director of the Ashland County Historical Society.

OSU Wexner Medical Center
Amanda Flowers

is a postdoctoral fellow at OSU Wexner Medical Center.

Invisible Ground
Brian Koscho

is Director of Invisible Ground.

Western Washington University
Johann Neem

Johann Neem (Professor at Western Washington University

University of Texas Austin
Ana Schwartz

is Associate Professor at the University of Texas Austin.

11th U.S. Archivist
Dr. Colleen Shogan

became the 11th Archivist of the United States in May 2023.

Michigan State University
Edward Watts

is a Professor at Michigan State University.