2026 New Jersey History Conference
About this Event
The New Jersey Historical Commission (NJHC) and RevolutionNJ are pleased to present the 2026 New Jersey History Conference, which will be held tentatively on Friday, October 30, 2026 at Kean University in Union, New Jersey.
250 years ago, revolutionary ideals of freedom, justice, and equality fueled an independence movement that formed a nation and shaped the world. The American Revolution was more than battles alone. It was a revolution of ideas that shaped the people, events, politics, and philosophies of the period. Over the past 250 years, these ideas endured to inspire activism, art, and the continued pursuit of happiness in New Jersey. Based on the RevolutionNJ interpretive theme “Revolutionary Ideals”, the 2026 New Jersey History Conference theme, “Revolutionary Legacy,” will explore the American Revolution in New Jersey, its impact over throughout the past 250 years, and how the history field can capitalize on the momentum of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
The New Jersey History Conference is an annual program that highlights the importance of studying and sharing state and local history by inviting established and emerging scholars, educators, public historians, and a broad spectrum of social science and humanities researchers to present new research that facilitates greater public awareness of New Jersey history.
Agenda
🕑: 08:00 AM - 09:00 AM
Registration and Breakfast
🕑: 09:00 AM - 09:15 AM
Welcome
🕑: 09:15 AM - 10:15 AM
Keynote Roundtable: Revolutionary Impact
Info: This year’s keynote roundtable will feature an interdisciplinary discussion on how the revolutionary ideals of freedom, justice, and equality have impacted social and political movements, art, and public spaces over the past 250 years.
Moderated by Dr. Andy Urban, Director of the NJ Monuments to Migration and Labor Project.
Speakers:
Dr. Leslie M. Alexander, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Professor of History at Rutgers-New Brunswick,
Dr. Paul Farber, Director and Co-Founder of Monument Lab,
Layqa Nuna Yawar, Multidisciplinary Artist,
🕑: 10:30 AM - 11:45 AM
Tools of Resistance
Info: Since the founding of the New Jersey colony, residents have resisted inequitable circumstances. This panel will explore how political rebellion, the legal system, and domestic work have been used to subvert the status quo and push forward the Revolutionary ideals of freedom, justice, and equality. Papers:
“The Outsider-Within the Household: Rosan keen’s Combative Resistance amid New Jersey’s Geography of Unfreedom” by Taylor Brookins
“New Jersey’s First Revolution: The Rebellion of 1672 Revisited” by Timothy Crist
“Revolutionary Response in Print: Adam’s Fight for Freedom in Newspapers and Court” by Miriam Morton
🕑: 10:30 AM - 11:45 AM
Non-Sites and Fragments: Reconstructing Revolutionary Lives
Info: This panel examines how public historians can interpret Revolutionary-era lives in the absence of intact historic sites. Traditionally, historic houses have served as the primary spaces for public history and interpretation, grounding narratives in preserved structures and coherent landscapes. But what happens when those structures are lost? Using two New Jersey case studies—the lost landscape of the Beverwyck plantation in Morris County and the now-vanished Ross Hall in Middlesex County—this project explores how architectural fragments, archival records, and partial material remains can be used to reconstruct complex and often contradictory experiences of freedom.
🕑: 11:45 AM - 12:45 PM
Lunch
🕑: 01:00 PM - 02:15 PM
Remembering the Revolution
Info: Contemporary needs shape how each generation shapes the story of America’s founding. This panel will explore how the narrative of the American Revolution has evolved in history textbooks and public commemorations and reflect on how to update these narratives for a contemporary audience. Papers:
“Revolution Remembered: How High School Textbooks Shape the Legacy of the American Revolution” by Christina Connor
“Revisiting the Bicentennial with the Monmouth County Archives” by Julia Telonidis
“Legacy of the Bicentennial in Public History” by Olivia Chaudhury
🕑: 01:00 PM - 02:15 PM
Merging Landscape Design and History
Info: Across Westfield, the legacy of the American Revolution endures not only in the archives, but in the landscapes people move through every day. Commemoration here is an active process – shaped through heritage tourism, monumentality, placemaking, performativity, and ritual. This session will share how the Town of Westfield, Westfield Historical Society, and students from the Rutgers Landscape Architecture Program engaged the Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route to create an active place of remembrance.
🕑: 02:30 PM - 03:45 PM
New Perspectives on Known Stories
Info: New Jersey was a complicated and divided place during the Revolution. Frequently nuanced experiences of the Revolution are flattened to construct a cohesive narrative. This panel uplifts undertold perspectives of the American Revolution in New Jersey, particularly the histories of Loyalists, Black communities, and Hessian soldiers. Papers:
“The 1759 Vought House: Addressing the Stigma of Loyalism during the American Revolution” by David Overaker
“Paper Trails and Historical Silences: Tracing South Jersey’s Black Revolutionary Descendants from Cooper’s Creek to Snow Hill” by Dolly Marshall
“’It must appear very strange that a Brigade of these troops should be forced to give themselves up:’ An examination of the Hessian enquiry regarding their loss at the Battle of Trenton” by James Domalewski
🕑: 02:30 PM - 03:45 PM
Creating a “Grand” 250th Event
Info: The panel will discuss how the event committee for the 250th Anniversary reenactment of the “Ten Crucial Days” in December 2026, consisting of Washington Crossing Historic Park (Pennsylvania), Washington Crossing State Park (New Jersey), the Old Barracks Museum, Princeton Battlefield State Park, local historians, and reenactors, has formed new collaborations to create a robust and immersive commemoration. to create more than a schedule of events, including shared interpretive themes and goals, reenactor accuracy and safety guidelines, and a website and event guide for both participants and the public. They will also share some of the challenges of working together for the first time while maintaining their own voice and how to continue this momentum for the rest of the 250th and beyond.
🕑: 04:00 PM - 05:00 PM
Networking Hour
🕑: 04:00 PM - 05:00 PM
Publishing in New Jersey Office Hour
Info: Receive expert advice on how to get your research on New Jersey history published in journals and in print.
Where is it happening?
Event Location & Nearby Stays:
USD 10.00 to USD 120.00
