Military Historians Delve into the Declaration
The Military History of the Declaration of Independence Symposium
9:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. | Saturday, March 1, 2025
Baker School of Public Policy and Public Affairs
The event is free and open to the public, but registration is limited
Register here
With the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence on the horizon, nine military historians from across the country are coming to the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, on March 1 to present original research on the document.
During a daylong symposium, military historians will discuss the ways the Revolutionary War shaped the writing of the declaration. There will be presentations on the Continental Army and Navy. Speakers will cover George Washington and other famous commanders.
“There hasn’t been much scholarship on the military dimensions of the declaration, despite the fact that it was written one year after the start of the Revolutionary War,” noted UT history Professor Chris Magra, who organized the event as director of the Center for the Study of Tennesseans and War.
The center is sponsoring the symposium, along with the UT Department of History, the Baker School of Public Policy and Public Affairs, the East Tennessee History Center, and the Society for Military History.
The event is free and open to the public, but registration is limited.
Award-winning historian Ricardo A. Herrera, a visiting professor at the US Army War College, will give the keynote address His book Feeding Washington’s Army was a finalist for the American Battlefield Trust Book Prize for History.
As America prepares to celebrate the 250th anniversary of signing the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 2026, expect more attention on the foundational document of the United States, which laid out colonists’ arguments in seeking support at home and abroad.
“I have always been passionate about the American Revolution,” said Magra, who has taught a course on it for two decades and written two books on maritime aspects of the war. “I became a historian to research and teach this formative event.”
The Center for the Study of Tennesseans and War’s mission is to research, preserve, and share the stories of people in the region who have been involved in wars from 1700 to the present day. The March symposium will be recorded for those unable to attend in person.
By Amy Beth Miller