In conjunction with the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, Historic Geneva’s Fall Program Series explores themes connected to the ideals of the nation’s founding.
The first event in the series will be a lecture by Hobart and William Smith Colleges Professor Matthew Crow titled “The Politics of Memory: Some Ways to Think About Jefferson’s Declaration for America’s 250th.” Professor Crow will discuss the role that history and memory played in Jefferson’s thinking, particularly in the Declaration of Independence, and consider how we can engage with 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 a contribution to the Cambridge Companion to the Declaration of Independence (2026). His book Thomas Jefferson, Legal History, and the Art of Recollection was published in 2017, and later this year his second book, Even in the Lawless Seas: Legal Imagination and Oceanic History in the World of Herman Melville, will be published. Both books are published by Cambridge University Press. He is currently working on a new book, The Ocean and the American Mind.
The program 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.
