Published on: January 30th, 2026

Hillsdale in D.C. to Host Events Celebrating America’s 250th Anniversary

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Hillsdale College’s Washington, D.C. Campus is hosting a variety of events this year celebrating the 250th anniversary of American independence. Events will focus on the Declaration of Independence, the American Revolution, American culture, and more.

“At Hillsdale in D.C., we seek to equip citizens and statesmen to restore America’s founding principles and revive American self-government,” said Matthew Spalding, vice president for Washington operations. “Through these events, we will look at what made America great and what it is that we are trying to restore.”

The first event will be a lecture by Spalding on his new book, “The Making of the American Mind: The Story of Our Declaration of Independence.” The event, which will take place on Wednesday, February 11th, will be the first in Hillsdale’s newly renovated D.C. facility.

The Making of the American Mind

Wednesday, Feb. 11
Matthew Spalding (Hillsdale in D.C.)

‘No Man Will Think Himself Bound to Fight’: The Crises of Supply During the American Revolution

Tuesday, March 10
Dave Stewart (Hillsdale College)
Hosted in conjunction with Hillsdale College’s Center for Military History and Strategy

Education and America at 250: A Conversation with Sec. Linda McMahon and Dr. Larry Arnn

Thursday, March 12
Linda McMahon (U.S. Secretary of Education) and Larry P. Arnn (Hillsdale College)

Rediscovering Liberty in an Age of License

Tuesday, March 31
Brad Littlejohn (American Compass)

The Revolutionary War in Its Geopolitical Context: The Contributions of the Dutch, the French, and the Spanish to the American Victory

Monday, April 13
Andrew O’Shaughnessy (University of Virginia)
Hosted in conjunction with Hillsdale College’s Center for Military History and Strategy

The Declaration’s Role in Constitutional Interpretation

Wednesday, April 22
Kevin C. Walsh (The Catholic University of America), Brad Watson (Hillsdale in D.C.), and Matthew Mehan (Hillsdale in D.C.)
Hosted in conjunction with The Catholic University of America’s Center for The Constitution and the Catholic Intellectual Tradition

The Readers and Leaders of Revolutionary America

Monday, April 27
Kevin J. Hayes (University of Central Oklahoma)

The Compleat Victory: Saratoga and the American Revolution

Monday, May 11
Kevin Weddle (U.S. Army War College)
Hosted in conjunction with Hillsdale College’s Center for Military History and Strategy

The American Book of Fables

Tuesday, May 19
Matthew Mehan (Hillsdale College)

From Yorktown to Philadelphia: Geopolitical Imperatives and the American Constitution

Monday, June 8
Paul Rahe (Hillsdale College)
Hosted in conjunction with Hillsdale College’s Center for Military History and Strategy

The Music of the Revolution

Tuesday, June 16
David Hildebrand (Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University)

Classical Architecture and the American Idea

Tuesday, July 14
James McCrery (The Catholic University of America/McCrery Architects)

 

For photos of Hillsdale in D.C., click here. For photos of Hillsdale College, click here. For a high-resolution copy of the Hillsdale College clocktower logo, click here.

About Hillsdale in D.C.

Hillsdale in D.C. is an extension of the teaching mission of Hillsdale College to Washington, D.C. Its purpose is to teach the Constitution and the principles that give it meaning. Through the study of original source documents from American history—and of older books that formed the education of America’s founders—it seeks to inspire students, teachers, citizens, and policymakers to return the America’s principles to their central place in the political life of the nation.

About Hillsdale College

Hillsdale College is an independent liberal arts college located in southern Michigan. Founded in 1844, the College has built a national reputation through its classical liberal arts core curriculum and its principled refusal to accept federal or state taxpayer subsidies, even indirectly in the form of student grants or loans. It also conducts an outreach effort promoting civil and religious liberty, including a free monthly speech digest, Imprimis, with a circulation of more than 5.7 million. For more information, visit hillsdale.edu.