Central Region Humanities Center Biennial Conference

Ancient Greek Influences on Thomas Jefferson’s Thoughts on Revolution

“Public Happiness” and Revolutionary Knowledge: Chastellux and Transatlantic Intellectual Exchange 

Abstract: Drawing on the recently rediscovered archive of François-Jean de Chastellux, this presentation explores how transatlantic intellectual and scientific networks shaped the American Revolution. Situating figures such as Manasseh Cutler within these exchanges, it highlights how knowledge, correspondence, and Enlightenment ideals reinforced political transformation across the Atlantic.

The Founding Fathers of the Northwest Territory: How Their Declaration of Independence Shaped the Ohio Country

Abstract: This paper investigates the complicated decisions made by the founding fathers of the Northwest Territory during the initial stages of westward settlement in the Ohio Country. Their actions determined who could and could not claim the ideals espoused in the founding documents of the United States.

No Inveterate Systems to Overturn?: Yankee, French, and Indigenous Wests After the Declaration 

Abstract: When Manasseh Cutler looked “West,” he imagined “no inveterate systems to overturn.” But there were. Both indigenous and French settlements were well entrenched, as were white squatters. This talk will address how the Declaration’s ideology was tested by the ethic, religious, and racial complexities of the early Ohio Valley.

(De)constructing the Grid: The Public Land Survey System and the Production of Abstract Space in the Early Republic

Abstract: This paper offers an alternative interpretation of the meanings encoded in the design and implementation of the U.S. Public Land Survey System (PLSS). Framed within the paradigms of settler colonialism and Lefebvre’s spatialization theory, the PLSS is contextualized as a peculiarly American response to specific historical conditions regarding the commodification of land in the trans-Appalachian West and as a material manifestation of Enlightenment ideal(s).

Independent Indigenous Ohio: Kukwethakextun and the 14th State

Abstract: Kukwèthakèxtun, often referred to as Captain White Eyes, was a Lenape leader who negotiated the first treaty between the United States and an Indigenous Nation. Signed in 1778 but never implemented, this treaty invited the Ohio Lenape to join the U.S. as a sovereign state. The diplomatic and constitutional process that Kukwèthakèxtun drove to ensure its success was far older and more significant than is acknowledged.

The Evolution of Freedom: Free People of Color in the Age of Revolution

Abstract: This paper explores the changes in the social and political situation of free people of color in the U.S. during the age of Revolution. It explains how revolutionary ideas about liberty and human rights led to an explosion in the number of free people of color and reshaped freedom’s meaning.

Immigrants and the Building of Citizenship and Community in Ohio, 1776-2026

Abstract: In the past 250 years, many people have migrated to Ohio, building lives and communities and forging citizenships. This paper will examine the choices of people who migrated to Ohio, and investigate how migrants formed differing kinds of citizenship as both local and national conditions changed.

Black Perseverance, Migration, and Historical Erasure along the Ohio River and Point Pleasant, West Virginia

Abstract: Focusing on Point Pleasant, West Virginia, situated directly across the river from Gallipolis, Ohio, this paper examines the often-invisible history of Black Appalachian communities striving for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness in the face of enslavement, systematic oppression, and beyond. This paper focuses on the examination of cemeteries, migration routes, and historic landmarks.

From Coal Mines to a Museum: The Tablertown Story

Abstract: Michael Tabler became infatuated with a girl enslaved on his family’s plantation. Fathering six children to Hannah, they moved to what would be known as Tablertown and grew through their booming coal mining and iron ore industries. The Tablertown People of Color Museum showcases artifacts that chronicle the history of the Tablers and Tablertown.

Reclaiming Independence: Continuing Legacy Through Media

Abstract: This presentation examines the role of documentary film in preserving and elevating local history through the Black Wall Street Athens series. It links the founding ideals of the Declaration of Independence to contemporary efforts toward equity, demonstrating that independence is an active, evolving pursuit. By highlighting untold community stories, the session underscores how media can inspire future generations and reinforce a shared commitment to justice.

Liberty’s IOUs: How the War for Independence Sparked the United States’ First Real-Estate Boom

Abstract: During the Revolutionary War, cash-strapped patriot governments paid Continental soldiers in part through military land bounties — promises of future land grants. This talk explores how those IOUs both reflected the political principles of the Declaration and helped cause a mania for land speculation that swept the new republic during its first quarter-century.

Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Freedom: The Escape of Dave and Pleasant and the Underground Railroad in Appalachian Ohio

Abstract: This paper examines the 1845 escape of Pleasant and Dave through the Appalachian foothills of Ohio, including their passage through Athens County. Their newly recovered story demonstrates how freedom seekers and local residents enacted the Declaration’s principles of liberty and equality. Underground Railroad networks in southeast Ohio formed part of a “geography of resistance,” where antislavery ideals were transformed into lived action.

Benjamin Banneker Assists in Configuring the Capital; Jemima Banneker’s Children Construct the Lett Settlement: Black Pioneers in the Legacy of a New Nation

Abstract: This presentation considers the Banneker family involvement in the formation of the nation following the Declaration of Independence. Benjamin Banneker (1731-1806) was a free person of color who worked on the survey team to lay out the new capital. His sister Jemima Banneker (1733-1799) had several free born children who co-founded the Lett Settlement and pioneered the new Northwest Territory.

Happiness, Self-evident

Abstract: In 1771, Benjamin Franklin sat down to compose the story of his life. Before he was interrupted by the task of founding a nation-state, he managed to produce a charismatic autobiography with profound wisdom on the challenges not just of pursuing happiness, but, with any luck, achieving it, too.

A Revolutionary Revolution: The Radicals of 1776 and the Founding of Our Nation

Abstract: There have long been revolutions, but creating a nation is a different story. Dr. Cox will reveal how the Declaration of Independence inspired many diverse founding citizens to create opportunities for equality, before backlash erased those rights and the memory of them.

The Strange Death of Public Happiness

Abstract: My paper traces the history of the idea of public happiness and its eventual decline. By looking at numerous primary sources extant during the final decades of the 18th century, I show that this notion of public happiness began before the formation of the United States, before the ratification of the constitution, and indeed before the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

Connecting America 250 at the Local Level: How Engaging the Legacy of the American  Revolution Can Create a Sense of Place for Local Communities

Abstract: Through an examination of partnership opportunities, events, and public programs, this presentation explores ways in which Public Historians engage their local partners to examine how the legacy of 1776 manifested and continues to evolve at the local level to create a sense of place.

The Legacies of the Declaration of Independence in Early Ohio: From the Northwest Territory to Statehood

Abstract: Examining the legacies of the Declaration of Independence in early Ohio from the Northwest Territory to statehood through the lens of local history in Athens and Marietta. Discussion will include conflict, education, and life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness as they unfold in a new country’s frontier.

The Revolution We Need Today

[Abstract: In this talk, Prof. Neem will examine how Americans at the founding understood the promise and limits of the American Revolution, why we are so divided over the Revolution today, and how we might find our way back to a Revolution that belongs to all Americans.

In the 250 years that followed the Declaration of Independence, the people of Southeast Ohio from all walks of life helped to define the meaning of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Their stories of realizing the promises of the Declaration of Independence shaped our past and inform our present.

This Stories in the Park Exhibition (Richland Avenue Park) shares some of these stories with help from historic and cultural institutions from across Athens County.

This exhibition was curated by Ohio University students who participated in the CRHC-NEH Summer Internship program in partnership with the Athens County Public Library. It was made possible in part by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Join Ohio University Libraries for the opening of a new exhibition highlighting the life, work, and lasting influence of Manasseh Cutler. Over the past year, students and staff have digitized and transcribed materials from the Manasseh Cutler Collection, uncovering the story of a remarkable figure whose impact extended far beyond his role as a minister.

The Southeast Ohio History Center will offer a special viewing of its exhibition -- Ohio Settlement: Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness -- on Sunday, September 13, from 10:00AM to Noon as part of the events of the CRHC Conference 250 Years: The Promises and Legacy of the Declaration of Independence.

Curated by Ohio University students who participated in the CRHC-NEH Summer Internship Program, the exhibition explores the efforts Southeast Ohioans have made to realize the full impact of the  Declaration of Independence in the 250 years that followed it. Using items from the collection of the Southeast Ohio History Center (SEOHC), the exhibition showcases the how Americans have continuously strived to define the meaning of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness and to claim their unalienable rights.

This exhibition was made possible in part by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Participants of the CRHC Conference, 250 Year: The promises and Legacy of the Declaration of Independence, and community members are invited to join the Walking Tour of Uptown's Heritage Square.

The pursuit of unalienable rights to life, liberty and happiness and of the ideal that all men are created equal has a long history in our communities, one that has persisted far after the Declaration of Independence. The evidence of this rich past is all around us in the buildings and the monuments that memorialize sites of our city. Learn more and experience Athens' architectural history on a Walking Tour of Uptown's Heritage Square, featuring some of Southeastern Ohio's most iconic preserved structures. Your tour guide for this event will be Dr. Trevellya Ford, communications and media director at Mount Zion Black Cultural Center and professor emerita of West Virginia State University.

Participation is limited to 25 people. Register here to secure your spot!