2025 Conrad M. Hall Symposium for Virginia History

This year, the Virginia Museum of History & Culture will seize a once-in-a-generation opportunity to mark the important role Virginia played in the American Revolution. Give Me Liberty: Virginia & the Forging of a Nation examines Virginians both iconic and ordinary who brought about the American Revolution and a world changing democratic government. At the same time, Un/Bound: Free Black Virginians, 1619-1865 explores how Black Virginians achieved freedom and persevered against a system unwilling to grant them the rights promised by the Revolution. The VMHC’s varied and vibrant program of events will embrace this historic anniversary while highlighting our nation’s unfinished pursuit of a more perfect union.

Virginia led in the American Revolution. Innovative ideas flowed from pens and presses, incendiary oration inspired action, and volunteers fought off the world’s most powerful military. As colonists overthrew a king, a revolution from below saw countless enslaved Virginians enact their own declarations of independence. Virginia then debated what rights the United States should guarantee its citizens as the Revolution’s ramifications rippled around the world. But revolutionary action did not end there. Rebellions shook the system of slavery as civil war approached while Readjusters reimagined Virginia in the Reconstruction era. The Equal Suffrage League demanded women’s access to the ballot and the Civil Rights movement saw activists sit in and stand up from Cherrydale to Hopewell. To this day, Virginia Indians fight for rights previously denied to them. Virginia’s moderate reputation belies its citizens’ willingness to challenge the status quo. But revolutions are not always overtly political: economies, transportation, culture, science, and much more, have all experienced moments of dramatic change over the course of Virginia history, and our symposium embraces a broad definition of the term.

2025 will see a return of the VMHC’s Conrad M. Hall Symposium for Virginia History, a one-day event where historians, practitioners, and members of the public gather to explore our shared past. Featuring panels and presentations that highlight groundbreaking research into Virginia history, tailored gallery tours that celebrate revolutionary Virginian’s and their ideas, and a special keynote lecture, the symposium links past with present to inspire future generations.