FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 22, 2026
WASHINGTON, DC — History and historical interpretation have frequently dominated the headlines over the past year, often in fraught contexts. At a moment when the meaning of history is being debated across the country, communities are responding with a simple but powerful message: We want more history.
This weekend, on September 25 to 27, thousands of people will gather at more than 200 historic sites, schools, parks, libraries, museums, and other community spaces across the country to participate in We Want More History!, a national weekend of place-based history programming.
A broad coalition of history, humanities, and social studies organizations; libraries and parks have provided the framework, toolkit, and resources for the weekend and invited historic sites, libraries, museums, parks, universities, community organizations, and others to organize affiliated events. The response was tremendous, and organizations and community groups across the country have developed an array of creative programs—from history walks and exhibits to community conversations and film screenings—that invite people to encounter and engage with history in the places where they live, work, and gather.
The scale of the response offers a powerful demonstration of the public’s interest in the past. We Want More History! makes that interest visible by bringing together programs that reflect the histories and experiences of communities across the country.
The weekend also comes as communities continue to mark the 250th anniversary of the US Declaration of Independence. By encouraging a diverse range of programming, We Want More History! creates opportunities to explore and reflect on the full, complex story of the people and places that make up the United States. The weekend also coincides with National Public Lands Day, highlighting the history embedded in the landscapes and public spaces Americans share.
Events include Virginia Tech’s Department of History’s screening and discussion of Matewan; Sonoma Valley History’s The Legacy of 1776: Sonoma and Statehood; the Minnesota Historical Society’s History on Two Wheels: Historic Fort Snelling and the Upper Post; Historic Ithaca’s Introduction to the Old Burying Ground at the Ithaca City Cemetery; and Fife Pierce County Library’s Voices of Valor: A Tapestry of Diverse Perspectives from Early America. These are just a few of the more than 200 programs organized by communities nationwide.
For a full list of participating organizations, as well as the full event calendar, visit the We Want More History! website. New programs are added daily.
The coalition organizing We Want More History! includes the American Historical Association, Organization of American Historians, Explore Kentucky, American Library Association, Urban Libraries Council, American Association for State and Local History, Association for Rural and Small Libraries, Association for the Study of African American Life and History, National Council for the Social Studies, National Council on Public History, Yale University’s Gilder Lehrman Center for the Study of Slavery, Resistance, and Abolition, the Association of Environmental Historians, the Culture Keepers Circle, and the Society of Architectural Historians.
Organizations can register events, access planning resources, and join the national weekend at WeWantMoreHistory.org.
Statements from Organizing Partners
“The response to We Want More History! has been extraordinary, and it is a powerful reminder that the American public’s passion for history runs deep,” said Sarah Weicksel, Executive Director of the American Historical Association. “At a moment when the meaning and purpose of history are being intensely debated, these communities are showing us that people don’t want less history, and they don’t want watered-down history. They’re showing us that their interest in history is vast and growing—they want more opportunities to explore, question, and understand the past.”
“Here in Kentucky, Mammoth Cave carries the stories of enslaved Black guides whose knowledge helped shape the exploration of one of the world’s great cave systems, while landscapes across the Commonwealth hold stories of people who risked everything in the pursuit of freedom on the Underground Railroad,” said Gerry Seavo James, founder of Explore Kentucky and former Deputy Campaign Director for Sierra Club Outdoors for All. “You don’t have to be a historian or work at a museum to help people encounter that history. An outdoor club, paddling group, park, library, neighborhood organization, or group of friends can bring people together to explore the stories held by the places around them. History is already present where we hike, paddle, gather, and explore. We Want More History! is an invitation to uncover those stories, share them, and ensure they remain part of how we understand these places.”
“History is a public good and central to our civic life,” says Beth English, Executive Director of the Organization of American Historians. “OAH is inspired by the enthusiasm of event organizers and communities across the country coming together around that shared conviction.”
“We Want More History! initiative demonstrates the deep yearning Americans have for understanding our collective past with all its nuance, ambiguity, and complexity. What a great museum does, what a good class does, what a historic site does is simply inspire a sense of history, why the past matters. The purpose of history is to enlighten us, inspire us, trouble us, bother us, sometimes make us angry. Americans have to keep going to the places they trust—public schools, public libraries, public parks, the Smithsonian. We have to keep those institutions trustworthy.” —David Blight, Director of the Gilder Lehrman Center for the Study of Slavery, Resistance, and Abolition and Sterling Professor of History, Yale University
“Social studies educators know the value of place-based learning and the impact that it has on students’ understanding of history, of their community, and of themselves,” says Kelly McFarland Stratman, Executive Director of the National Council for the Social Studies. “We are excited about the many events being planned across the country to allow communities to learn and make meaning together.”
Media Contacts:
Alexandra Levy
American Historical Association
press@historians.org
Gerry Seavo James
Explore Kentucky
gerry@explorekentucky.us
Beth English
Organization of American Historians
benglish@oah.org