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

Date: Monday, Jun 29, 2026

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. In this lecture, Carolyn Eastman, Ph.D., reexamines the Declaration of Independence in the context of the political, cultural, and social forces shaping the revolutionary moment.

Liberty in a Land of Slavery

Date: Monday, Jun 15, 2026

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. This lecture by Michael L. Dickinson, Ph.D., examines the central contradiction of the Declaration of Independence.

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

Date: Monday, Jun 1, 2026

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. This lecture by Ryan K. Smith, Ph.D., 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."

Reluctant Revolutionaries: From Loyal Subjects to Fledgling Citizens

Date: Monday, May 18, 2026

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. This lecture by Sarah Hand Meacham, Ph.D., explores the surprising loyalty of many colonial Americans before the Declaration of Independence.