CCA IV: 1776

March 1-4, 2026

This year marks the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, which its author Thomas Jefferson characterized as “an expression of the American mind.”  As part of Hillsdale’s yearlong commemoration of America’s founding document, this CCA will consider the central ideas and arguments that led America to declare independence, economic and military aspects of the American Revolution, and recent controversies over the meaning and importance of 1776.

The Story of Our Declaration of Independence


Matthew Spalding
Author, The Making of the American Mind: The Story of Our Declaration of Independence
Mar 1, 2026