The Politics of Memory: Some Ways to Think about Jefferson’s Declaration for America’s 250th

In conjunction with the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence our Fall Program Series is connected to the ideals of the nation’s founding. The first event in the series will be a lecture by Matthew Crow on “The Politics of Memory: Some Ways to Think about Jefferson’s Declaration for America’s 250th” on Thursday, September 24 at 7 p.m. at the Geneva History Museum.

Professor Crow will talk about the role that history and memory play in Jefferson’s thinking, especially in the Declaration, and how we can think about history and memory more productively today.

Matthew Crow is a professor of history at Hobart and William Smith Colleges. He is the author of several articles and essays on Jefferson, including most recently in the Cambridge Companion to the Declaration of Independence (2026). His book Thomas Jefferson, Legal History, and the Art of Recollection came out in 2017, and later this year his second book, Even in the Lawless Seas: Legal Imagination and the Oceanic History in the World of Herman Melville, will be published. Both books are from Cambridge University Press. He is currently working on a new book, The Ocean and the American Mind.

The program series will be held at the Geneva History Museum at 543 South Main Street in Geneva and is open to the public. There is a suggested donation of $5 to support our programming.

2026 marks the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Historic Geneva is commemorating the anniversary with exhibits, programs, and blog articles. “The Politics of Memory: Some Ways to Think about Jefferson’s Declaration for America’s 250th” is part of the 250th commemoration.