College of Humanities and Sciences

Sept. 9

What if the most famous line in American political thought wasn't new—and wasn't even Jefferson's? This talk, led by Dr. Bernardo Piciché, associate professor in the Department of English, argues that "All men are created equal" belongs to a much older and broader intellectual tradition than most Americans assume. 

Piciché calls for a sound relativism that resists American exceptionalism and the mythology of manifest destiny, situating the nation's founding within a much broader cultural and intellectual history. Central to his argument is Filippo (Philip) Mazzei, an Italian philosopher and close ally of Jefferson, whose own political and financial entanglements placed him at the heart of the transformation from a loose confederacy into the United States. Particular attention will be given to Mazzei's ideological rejection of enslavement, revealing how the era's most defining ideas took shape through influences far beyond the thirteen colonies.

September 1

As the nation prepares to commemorate its 250th anniversary, the L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs and the College of Humanities and Sciences at Virginia Commonwealth University will convene a conversation on Virginia's role in shaping the nation. Featuring former Virginia governors L. Douglas Wilder and Jim Gilmore, and political analyst Larry Sabato, and moderated by Bob Holsworth, the discussion will reflect on the commonwealth's contributions to American democracy and civic life while exploring the opportunities and responsibilities that will help define its future.

The College of Humanities and Sciences at VCU is commemorating the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence with a new summer webinar series. Join faculty from the Department of History as they explore Colonial America, the debates around independence, the founding ideals and tensions, and the story behind the Declaration itself.

Reluctant Revolutionaries: From Loyal Subjects to Fledgling Citizens

May 18

This lecture by Dr. Sarah Hand Meacham explores the surprising loyalty of many colonial Americans before the Declaration of Independence. Despite fifteen months of open warfare, many American colonists remained proud subjects of Britain. Debates over independence unfolded in taverns, churches, and courtrooms, largely among white men, while enslaved people and women navigated the revolution in their own ways, supporting wartime efforts and seeking freedom. This lecture examines the social, political, and psychological forces that made rebellion unlikely, what ultimately pushed colonists toward independence, and the limited immediate changes that followed.

Speaker Bio: Sarah Hand Meacham (Ph.D., University of Virginia) is an Associate Professor and Associate Chair of the Department of History in the College of Humanities and Sciences at Virginia Commonwealth University. She is the author of Every Home a Distillery: Alcohol, Technology, and Gender in the Early Chesapeake (Johns Hopkins University Press) and “Pets, Status, and Slavery in the Late-Eighteenth-Century Chesapeake” in The Journal of Southern History. She is currently writing a book about emotions in early America, including articles on the American invention of cheerfulness and on emotional expectations placed on enslaved men and women.

From "Nature's God" to "Divine Providence": Faith and the Founding of the United States

June 1

This lecture by Dr. Ryan K. Smith explores the role of religious faith in the founding of the United States and what the revolutionaries meant by terms such as "Nature's God" and "Divine Providence." The discussion considers the diversity of religious groups in the colonies, the beliefs of key founders, and the documents that shaped both religious freedom and national identity. These questions remain deeply relevant in contemporary debates.

Speaker Bio: Ryan K. Smith (Ph.D., University of Delaware) is a professor in the Department of History in the College of Humanities and Sciences at Virginia Commonwealth University. He specializes in American religious history, material culture, and historic preservation. His work includes studies of Shaker furniture, American church architecture in the nineteenth century, the adoption of the Latin cross as a Christian symbol, the spiritual meaning of historic lighthouses, and the landscapes of cemeteries. His book Death and Rebirth in a Southern City: Richmond’s Historic Cemeteries (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2020) explores the cultural and historical significance of burial landscapes.

Liberty in a Land of Slavery

June 15

This lecture by Dr. Michael L. Dickinson examines the central contradiction of the Declaration of Independence. While proclaiming that all men are created equal, the emerging nation upheld systems of slavery and racial exclusion. The session explores how people of African descent navigated this tension, contributed to the Revolutionary War, and challenged the boundaries of freedom in pursuit of the American promise.

Speaker Bio: Michael L. Dickinson (Ph.D., University of Delaware) is an associate professor in the Department of History in the College of Humanities and Sciences at Virginia Commonwealth University. His research focuses on African American history, particularly Black life and labor in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries across the United States and the Atlantic World. He is the author of Almost Dead: Slavery and Social Rebirth in the Black Urban Atlantic (University of Georgia Press, 2022), which received the Paul E. Lovejoy Book Prize for excellence and originality in slavery scholarship.

Was the Declaration of Independence Really a Matter of Common Sense?

June 29

In this lecture, Dr. Carolyn Eastman reexamines the Declaration of Independence in the context of the political, cultural, and social forces shaping the revolutionary moment. From the influence of Thomas Paine’s Common Sense to debates over slavery, religion, and relationships with Native nations, this session challenges common myths and offers a deeper understanding of the document’s origins and impact.

Speaker Bio: Carolyn Eastman (Ph.D., Johns Hopkins University) is a professor in the Department of History in the College of Humanities and Sciences at Virginia Commonwealth University. She is a scholar of early America and the Atlantic world and serves as president of the Society for Historians of the Early American Republic. She is the author of the prizewinning A Nation of Speechifiers: Making an American Public after the Revolution (University of Chicago Press). Her book The Strange Genius of Mr. O: The World of the United States’ First Forgotten Celebrity (University of North Carolina Press) received the 2021 James Bradford Best Biography Prize and the 2022 Library of Virginia Literary Award for Nonfiction. She is currently developing a new book on New York’s yellow fever epidemics during the founding era.

April 8

Join the College of Humanities and Sciences and the Global Education Office for a conversation with Carly Fiorina, National Honorary Chair for the Virginia American Revolution 250 Commission (VA250), who is leading the efforts to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. As Chair and CEO of Hewlett-Packard, she was the first woman at the helm of a Fortune 50 company and led HP to become the largest technology company in the world. 

Both government and the private sector have sought out her expertise and she has advised the Department of Defense, the Central Intelligence Agency, the State Department, and the Department of Homeland Security. She founded Carly Fiorina Enterprises to bring her expertise to private sector teams, and the Unlocking Potential Foundation to allow those in the social sector to benefit from her experience. She is the author of three best-selling books on leadership as well as a frequent speaker to teams and executives of many industries all over the world.

As a former presidential candidate, Carly Fiorina believes that citizens and leaders in civil society have an important role and an enormous opportunity to drive positive change. She serves as Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, as Executive Chair of The Williamsburg Institute, which prepares future leaders, and on the Board of Visitors for James Madison University.

As a student of history and philosophy at Stanford University, Carly Fiorina first began to appreciate the power of ideas to drive change and the impact of history on the present and future. She believes that a deeper understanding of our nation’s full history, as well as the ideas upon which America was founded is particularly important during the current climate of division, discord, and political dysfunction. Her stated priority is to ensure that our nation’s founding is widely understood, accurately depicted, and commemorated in a way that resonates broadly with people from all across the nation, especially as we approach the United States Semiquincentennial this year.

This event is hosted by Dr. Catherine Ingrassia, Dean of the College of Humanities and Sciences, and Dr. Jill Blondin, Vice Provost for Global Initiatives as part of the “America at 250” series and the Globe Speakers Series. Welcome remarks will be delivered by VCU President Dr. Michael Rao and Interim Executive Vice President and Provost Dr. Arturo Saavedra. The speaker will be introduced by Dr. Robyn Diehl McDougle, Associate Dean of the L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs, and the conversation will be moderated by Dr. Marcus Messner, Associate Dean of the College of Humanities and Sciences and Professor of Journalism at the Richard T. Robertson School of Communication.

March 25

This #VA250 Public Square event at VCU will bring college students, high school students, faculty, community members, and public officials into a brave space and guided conversation touching all sides of a challenging issue. The Braver Angels format of debate is non-competitive and provides a deep experience of civil discourse. Conducted in a light parliamentary style, and guided by an experienced moderator, it teaches participants to engage with each other respectfully, listen carefully, and allow themselves to be touched and even changed by each other's ideas. Participants emerge with greater empathy and appreciation for diversity of thought.

Co-sponsored by Brightpoint Community College, Reynolds Community College, Institute for Humane Studies, and the Baldacci Institute, this debate is free and brought to you by the College Debates and Discourse Alliance, a partnership of Braver Angels, the American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA), and BridgeUSA, non-profit organizations that amplify the power of free expression and promote respectful exchange of ideas on America's college campuses.

March 19

At its founding in the 18th century, the United States only allowed white male landowners to vote in its first elections. The 14th and 19th Amendments to the Constitution and the Voting Rights Act greatly expanded the electorate and representation in our democracy over the last two centuries. Join a panel of VCU faculty in the College of Humanities and Sciences as they discuss the state of voting rights, representation and threats of sliding backwards as the country prepares to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence this summer. The panel will discuss voting and democratic participation, barriers to democratic participation, representation of minorities, voting rights restoration, immigration, and LGBTQ+ rights.

Featured faculty members: Liz Canfield (Gender, Sexuality and Women’s Studies), Eli Coston (Gender, Sexuality and Women’s Studies), Dawn Johnson (Gender, Sexuality and Women’s Studies), Gabriela León-Pérez (Sociology), and Amanda Wintersieck (Political Science).

February 19

How does American domestic policy impact international relations? In a time of shifting alliances, deteriorating trust, and eroding international cooperation, join political science faculty as they explore the global effects of what our government does at home. This panel will include experts on both domestic and international issues and they will accept questions from the audience. The town hall event is organized and hosted by the Department of Political Science.

Featured faculty members: Bill Newmann, Hollie Mann, Michael Paarlberg, Andrea Simonelli, Allie Reckendorf, John Froitzheim, and Chris Saladino.

February 12

The United States turns 250 years old this year as the Declaration of Independence was signed in 1776. But are we living up to the promise of the founding of American democracy—or are we falling short?

Join a panel of VCU faculty in the College of Humanities and Sciences as they discuss the biggest questions facing our democracy right now. From voting rights to political polarization, from social media chaos to the power of protest—this is your chance to hear experts debate what is happening right now and what comes next.

Featured faculty members: Aspen Brinton (International Studies), Alix Bryan (Robertson School of Communication), Alexandria Davis (Political Science), Alex Keena (Political Science), and Bill Newmann (Political Science).

This panel will launch CHS’ series of events highlighting the role of Virginia and Virginians in the building of our country.

February 5

In this lecture Dr. Brooke Newman presents from her latest book, "The Crown’s Silence: The Hidden History of the British Monarchy and Slavery," which examines the historical links between the British Crown and slavery from the sixteenth through the nineteenth century. She traces the extent to which British monarchs and members of the royal family invested in and defended the transatlantic trade in African captives and the expansion of colonial slavery in the Americas before pivoting to embrace anti-slavery during the age of Victoria.

Newman's work reveals how Crown involvement in slave trading and slavery evolved as the institution of the monarchy and the exercise of royal power transformed over the centuries.

February 5

As Virginia solidifies its role as the nation’s political bellwether, the "rules of the game" are changing as fast as the players. Join us for an intimate chat with John C. Fortier, senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and one of the country’s foremost experts on election administration and the Electoral College.

Following the historic turnout of the 2025 Virginia elections, we dive deep into the data: Is the Gen Z surge a temporary wave or a permanent realignment? From the logistics of "no-excuse" absentee voting to the philosophical debate over the Electoral College, Fortier will pull back the curtain on how the mechanics of our democracy are being tested by a new generation of voters.