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 America's 250th South Dakota, the Center for Western Studies offers the following commemorative activities:
2024 Special Projects
- August: Selective reading list 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’s Longest River," a new cultural and environmental history featuring 35 authors
- Fall 2024 - Spring 2025: CWS Faculty-Student Research Award supporting Plains History mobile phone app and website
2025: Public Events
- March 19: 28th Boe Forum on Public Affairs with presidential historian Jon Meacham on “What Has America Learned”
- April 24-25: 57th Dakota Conference on "Settling and Resettling the Plains," emphasizing migration, immigration and homesteading on the centennial of O.E. Rolvaag’s "Giants in the Earth" and bicentennial of Norwegian-American immigration; featured a panel discussion on America 250 theme “What to Keep and Not Repeat” (related interactive exhibit gathered public comments through April 2026)
- May 7: One Book South Dakota 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 “The Sioux Falls AAUW (American Association of University Women): Expanding Women’s Opportunities”; “The World Comes to Campus: A History of International Students at Augustana”; “Artifacts and History of the Berdahl-Rölvaag House”; “‘Brother-Singers: The Norwegian Singers Association of America” and "Veterans on Campus: A Legacy of Support at Augustana"
2025: Special Projects
- 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
- February - May: "Rivers of the Plains" juried art exhibition
- March 26: 29th Boe Forum on Public Affairs with NATO Supreme Allied Commander James Stavridis on “Geopolitics Beyond the Horizon: 21st Century Global Risk and Opportunity”
- April 23-24: 58th Dakota Conference on “The Future Northern Plains: Opportunities & Challenges,” 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 “What to Keep and Not Repeat” interactive exhibit shared at the conference
- June- October: "Celebrating 250 Years of America" juried art exhibition
- Year-Round: History exhibits by student interns
2026: Special Projects
- Spring - Summer: Book launch of "The Missouri, America’s 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 - Summer: 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 america250.org. You can also visit the following regional state commission websites for events in your area.