2026 Shattuck Colonial American History Symposium

The 2026 Shattuck Symposium in Colonial American History was a vibrant celebration of scholarship, creativity, and public engagement, bringing together historians, students, artists, and community members at California State University, Sacramento. Marking the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, this year’s symposium embraced the theme “Becoming Americans,” inviting participants to reflect on how conflicting identities, personalities, and peoples shaped the history of the United States of America.

The symposium featured a remarkable gathering of expertise, with over 20 scholars from across the California State University system presenting stimulating and original research, joined by distinguished scholars from institutions across the nation. The event also drew an enthusiastic audience, with well over 400 students in attendance, highlighting the symposium’s strong educational impact and its role in inspiring the next generation of historians.

At the heart of the program was a dynamic blend of academic inquiry and public history. A public reading of the Declaration of Independence offered a powerful, collective moment to hear the founding text anew, whilst a theatrical interpretation of Thomas Jefferson’s hallowed parchment invited audiences to engage critically with its promises and contradictions.

The symposium further celebrated the intersection of history and the arts through four curated art exhibits, each exploring themes of identity, resistance, memory, and belonging in early America. Attendees also had the opportunity to experience a special exhibit of the Peter H. Shattuck Library, showcasing a collection of rare eighteenth and nineteenth-century books.

Together, with a powerful keynote delivered by Dr. Carter L. Hudgins (Clemson University) and the organizers of the Freedom Seekers project, the 2026 Shattuck Symposium not only honored the past but also fostered meaningful dialogue in the present, demonstrating the enduring relevance of early American history and the continuing process of its theme: “Becoming American.”