Yale Public History Institute: Our Composite Nation: Honoring Public History in 2026

We are a country of all extremes, ends and opposites; 

the most conspicuous example of composite nationality in the world.

We have for a long time hesitated to adopt and carry out the only principle which can…give peace, strength and security to the Republic, and that is the principle of absolute equality.

- Frederick Douglass, “Composite Nation” lecture, 1869

The 2026 Yale Public History Institute (Yale PHI) is a convening designed to support the practices of history education in the public sphere. As we commemorate the 250^th anniversary of the U.S. Declaration of Independence, we honor the dynamic historical narratives that convey the growth of this land and its people. Throughout the nation, state and federal parklands, waterways, and historical sites, rural and urban, represent spaces of history and memory, trauma and healing. Multiple truths are embedded in our natural and built environment, offering understandings of the past and possibilities for the future. For decades, large institutions such as the National Park Service and the Smithsonian as well as smaller cultural institutions and historical sites have made great strides in creating shared national narratives that represent accurate and complex histories. In this composite nation, we uplift the multiple, sometimes contested meanings of this land and its people.  

The Yale PHI will provide a forum to analyze and discuss the state of the field of public history in 2026. Our goals are to help build networks of support and develop practical tools to uphold the continued integrity of public history institutions in the present and for the future. We invite public history practitioners, museum and library staff, advocates for parks and cultural institutions, and members of the public to join us for this important gathering. 

The Yale PHI will take place in Shepherdstown, West Virgina, on the campus of Shepherd University. Overlooking the Potomac River, the town and region are rich in beauty and history. The three states of Virginia, Maryland, and West Virginia are a large landscape full of American public history sites, and the surrounding Shenandoah Valley has long provided the backdrop as well as pathway to the nation’s most compelling stories. The stories of Indigenous communities, the American Revolution, agricultural and industrial economic growth and decline, the Civil War, and African Americans’ ongoing struggle for freedom are etched in the land, waters, and built environment of the area. Antietam National Battlefield and Harper’s Ferry National Historical Park are 10—20 minutes from the town. Washington, DC and Baltimore, MD are one-and-a-half to two-hour drives away. 
 

PROGRAM SCHEDULE

SUNDAY, JUNE 14

4:30pm—6:30pm  |  Reception: 6:30pm—7:30pm

Keynote Conversation

Public History: Contemporary Challenges

The opening panel will discuss the current state and future directions of the practice of public history in troubled times when all manner of institutions, sites, creativity, and free expression are under duress. The panel and institute will give voice to how and why public history is so important during this national anniversary year, and how and why it is indispensable to a functioning democracy.

Moderator: David W. Blight, Sterling Professor of History, Yale University; Director, Gilder Lehrman Center

Speakers:

• Lonnie G. Bunch III, Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution
• Edward Ayers, Tucker-Boatwright Professor of the Humanities and President Emeritus, University of Richmond
• James Grossman, Emeritus Director, American Historical Association
• Colleen Shogan, Senior Advisor to More Perfect; former Archivist of the United States
• Alan Spears, Senior Director of Cultural Resources, National Parks Conservation Association

MONDAY, JUNE 15

9:00am—9:30am:         Coffee and Registration

9:30am—11:00am

Morning Panel Discussion: Revisiting the “Imperiled Promise” National Park Service Report 

In 2011, at the request of the National Park Service, the Organization of American Historians (OAH) completed a report titled: “Imperiled Promise: The State of History in the National Park Service.” Fifteen years after this publication was issued, we invite panelists to reflect on the questions raised, progress achieved, and the challenges of today. 

Moderator: Kate Masur, John D. MacArthur Professor of History, Northwestern University

Speakers:

• Susan Ferentinos, Public history consultant; former public history manager of the OAH
• Robert Sutton, National Park Service Chief Historian, 2007—2015
• Paul Zwirecki, former OAH liaison with NPS
• Hilary Green, James B. Duke Professor of Africana Studies, Davidson College

11:00am—11:45am      Coffee break and small group discussions

12:00pm—1:30pm        Lunch Break

1:30pm—3:00pm

Morning Panel Discussion: Public History Lives! Institutional Resilience in Challenging Times

Moderator: Cynthia Copeland 

Intended Speakers:

• Sylvia Cyrus, Executive Director, Association for the Study of African American Life & History
• Beth English, Executive Director of the Organization of American Historians; affiliate faculty in the Department of History at Indiana University
• Nicole A. Moore, Senior Director of Education for the National Center for Civil and Human Rights; Vice-President, National Council on Public History

• Sarah Weicksel, Executive Director, American Historical Association

   

3:00pm—4:30pm          Small-Group Workshops