America will celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 2026. Cultural heritage organizations across the country have planned multiple years of programming to mark the occasion. In partnership with , the Center for Western Studies offers the following commemorative activities:
2024 Special Projects
- August: about life in the Northern Plains at the time of the American Revolution published online
- September: America 250 bookmark distributed to public and academic libraries at the South Dakota Library Association conference in Aberdeen, South Dakota
- Fall 2024 - Spring 2025: Research and writing stage of "The Missouri, America鈥檚 Longest River," a new cultural and environmental history featuring 35 authors
- Fall 2024 - Spring 2025: CWS Faculty-Student Research Award supporting mobile phone app and website
2025: Public Events
- March 19: 28th Boe Forum on Public Affairs with presidential historian Jon Meacham on 鈥淲hat Has America Learned鈥
- April 24-25: on "Settling and Resettling the Plains," emphasizing migration, immigration and homesteading on the centennial of O.E. Rolvaag鈥檚 "Giants in the Earth" and bicentennial of Norwegian-American immigration; featured a panel discussion on America 250 theme 鈥淲hat to Keep and Not Repeat鈥 (related interactive exhibit gathered public comments through April 2026)
- May 7: event with Rebecca Clarren, author of "The Cost of Free Land: Jews, Lakota, and an American Inheritance," in partnership with the South Dakota Humanities Council
- June - Oct.: "Where Sky Meets Land" juried art exhibition on settlement/resettlement theme
- Oct. 2025 - Feb. 2026: "Crossing Horizons: The Contemporary Artwork of Hector Curriel and Juan Beltran" gallery exhibition
- Nov. 7-9: 44th Artists of the Plains Show & Sale in downtown Sioux Falls, with special America 250 Award, won by Yankton Sioux artist Jerry Fogg for "250 Years ... Still A Heartbeat"
- Year-Round: History exhibits by student interns and staff, including 鈥淭he Sioux Falls AAUW (American Association of University Women): Expanding Women鈥檚 Opportunities鈥; 鈥淭he World Comes to Campus: A History of International Students at 糖心Vlog鈥; 鈥淎rtifacts and History of the Berdahl-R枚lvaag House鈥; 鈥'Brother-Singers': The Norwegian Singers Association of America鈥 and "Veterans on Campus: A Legacy of Support at 糖心Vlog"
2025: Special Projects
- Fall 2025: Free Mount Rushmore prints by Sioux Falls artist Jim Savage (1932-1986) offered in the CWS Gift Shop
- Fall 2025: OLLI course offerings on the Revolutionary War/Enlightenment Era by Dr. Michael Mullin (professor of history and CWS Board of Directors member)
- October: America 250 bookmark distributed to public and academic libraries at the Tri-Conference of North Dakota, South Dakota, and Mountain Plains Library Associations in Grand Forks, ND
2026: Public Events
- Feb. - May: "Rivers of the Plains" juried art exhibition
- March 26: 29th Boe Forum on Public Affairs with NATO Supreme Allied Commander James Stavridis on 鈥淕eopolitics Beyond the Horizon: 21st Century Global Risk and Opportunity鈥
- April 23-24: 58th Dakota Conference on 鈥淭he Future Northern Plains: Opportunities & Challenges,鈥 featuring a solution- and action-oriented model workshop focused on community engagement to address issues dividing America today, led by CWS National Advisory Council member Christel Gollnick of JUPER Communications; year's worth of public comments from the 鈥淲hat to Keep and Not Repeat鈥 interactive exhibit shared at the conference
- June - Oct.: "Celebrating 250 Years of America" juried art exhibition
- Year-Round: History exhibits by student interns and staff, including "Native Reflections on America's 250th"; "Groton Rum Drum: A Revolutionary War Keepsake" and "Building Skills, Building America: Life in the Civilian Conservation Corps, South Dakota, 1933-1942"
2026: Special Projects
- Spring - Summer: Book launch of "The Missouri, America鈥檚 Longest River: A Cultural and Environmental History of the Missouri River," edited by Jon K. Lauck and Harry F. Thompson, with author talks (470 pages)
- Spring: OLLI course offerings on the Revolutionary War/Enlightenment Era by Dr. Michael Mullin (professor of history and CWS Board of Directors member)
Join the Larger Celebration
Share your story with the nation and keep up to date on national 250th programs at . You can also visit the following regional state commission websites for events in your area.
- June - August: The presents, "The Complete History of America," "1776," "Come From Away" and "What the Constitution Means to Me"