WILLIAMSBURG — The Omohundro Institute of Early American History & Culture (OI), in partnership with William & Mary and The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, recently announced the third conference in its highly successful five-year “For 2026” series.
“Virginia’s Revolutionary Histories & Beyond” will examine the Commonwealth’s distinctive role in the American Revolution of 1776-1783 and its influence on local and global communities. according to organizers.
The conference will run Oct. 25–26. A pre-conference day of workshops and experiences for K- 12 teachers and museum educators will take place on Oct. 24.
“As our country’s first university, William & Mary shaped the ideals of our early republic. Today, we are united by our commitment to sustain this pluralistic democracy in the 21st century, through open debate, fierce pursuit of facts, and above all, respect for one another,” said Katherine A. Rowe, President of William & Mary, told W&M News. “Year three of our ‘For 2026’ series uncovers new histories of the U.S. Revolution. Along with our partners in Williamsburg, we aim to illuminate our nation’s future by expanding our understanding of its past.”
“Colonial Williamsburg is uniquely positioned to bring together academic history and public history, translating the world-class work of our staff historians, curators, archaeologists and preservationists into public-facing programming that inspires people to get curious about their own history,” added Cliff Fleet, president and CEO of The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. “As we look forward to the 250th anniversary of American independence in 2026, Colonial Williamsburg is honored to contribute our expertise to the ‘For 2026’ conference to make history more accessible and more relevant to an ever-widening audience.”
In the lead-up to the American Semiquincentennial, the “For 2026” series explores the nation’s founding. Scholars, public historians, educators, students and community members come together for robust conversations about our shared history and the challenges our country faced then — and still faces today, according to W&M News reporting.
“Virginia’s Revolutionary Histories & Beyond” will investigate political, intellectual and social change in the Old Dominion and how those changes impacted the nation and world. The conference showcases a mix of researcher-to-researcher panels, public audience events, roundtable discussions, site visits, workshops and plenary sessions.
Scholarly daytime panels at the W&M School of Education will include a wide range of topics, it added, such as the legacies of Williamsburg Bray School students in Revolutionary Virginia, the formation of the Virginia Gazette and “Lawyers, Guns, and Money.”
Highlights of the conference will include two evening plenary sessions covering historic research in varying ways.
Fleet will introduce “Beyond Words: Bringing History to Life Responsibly,” a panel discussion moderated by Katharine Pittman, Colonial Williamsburg Nation Builder who portrays Martha Washington, on Friday.
Panelists will include Colonial Williamsburg Foundation colleagues Amanda Keller, Curator of Historic Interiors and Household Accessories, and Hope Wright, Actor-Interpreter. Joining the trio from Colonial Williamsburg will be Tiffany Momon, Public Historian, Professor, Founder and Co-Director of Black Craftspeople Digital Archive, and Mary V. Thompson, Research Historian Emerita, George Washington’s Mount Vernon.
The panel will focus on the topic of using multidisciplinary approaches to address imbalances in the historical record responsibly and practical methods of using historical content to create engaging and relevant stories for the public.
On Saturday evening, Rowe will introduce an address by noted American historian and author Alan Taylor, Thomas Jefferson Foundation Chair at the University of Virginia.
Taylor’s address, “Tower Hill: A Plantation on the Edge” will discuss the proximate causes of the locus of Nat Turner’s attempted 1831 revolution in Southampton County, highlighting environmental collapse, epidemic disease, economic failure, family madness and resistance efforts by the enslaved.
“The OI, the nation’s pre-eminent center for early American history, is delighted to support this unique conference series,” said Catherine E. Kelly, Executive Director of the Omohundro Institute, told W&M News. “‘For 2026’ continues to set the bar for bringing scholars, educators, and museum professionals together to explore cutting-edge history.”
Returning this year to “For 2026” is the Revolutionary Educators (RevED) Teacher Summit, a convening of K-12 teachers, teacher educators, and museum and historic site educators that will share strategies for interdisciplinary pedagogical practices, convened by Mark Hofer, Senior Director of the Learning & Design Lab at W&M.
“For RevEd this year we have doubled the number of sessions available and have a great balance between K-12 teacher, museum educator, and university-based educator presenters,” Hofer told W&M News. “Sessions will range from a focus on civic engagement, shining a light on hidden histories, to the responsible use of AI in the teaching of history.”
Passes to “For 2026” Revolutionary Educators and the Slate Seminar are available online.
Full conference registration through the Omohundro Institute is available at low-to-no-cost for Colonial Williamsburg staff and William & Mary faculty, staff and students.
All “For 2026” registrants receive a ticket voucher to Colonial Williamsburg’s Historic Area and Art Museums good for the duration of the conference.
Read the full story at W&M News.
