Educators, students, and community members filled McGuire Hall for the 2026 Humanities Symposium: Life, Liberty, and the Unfinished Work of Democracy. For the keynote speech, the crowd listened to public historian and Pulitzer Prize winning author David Blight explore the foundation of the United States government.
This year’s symposium’s theme derived from the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, coupled with Fredrick Douglass’ ‘What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?’ The lecture reflected on the fact that most republics do not last as long as the United States has. However, we continue to see the longevity of our democracy due to constant revision.
“Democracy by definition is always unfinished. Revolutions are always unfinished as well. History itself is an unfinished debate,” Blight said.
As the discussion took a deep dive into the political world of 2025, Blight raised questions based on the United States’ principles of democracy: liberty, equality, and consent. He opened the discussion on ways that democracy must be taken care of in order to grow and stay stable. Blight says that we should not fear revision, as it is needed for the United States to keep going.
After Blight’s keynote speech, the crowd gave him a strong round of applause. Afterwards, people asked questions until the keynote facilitator informed the crowd that the event had come to an end. Students and community members said that they appreciated the event’s educational tone.
Biochemistry major Georgette Annan ‘27 says she attended the event to fulfill a class requirement, but learning about the nation’s founding documents made her reflect on the political landscape around them.
“I think there needs to be more education on knowing who our local representatives are and being more vocal and involved in the decisions being made. Our local representatives are the ones who carry our voices into higher places, and they can influence the president, the Senate and the House to make policies that reflect what people want,” Annan said.
The audience also included parole agent and Towson University graduate Brittany Nelson, who said she heard about the event from a friend. Overall, she enjoyed the event complimenting some of Blight’s ideas.
“As a Black woman, I attended this event to hear the thoughts of democracy and ideas surrounding the future of the country. It was nice to hear critiques and open discussions surrounding the examination of the 250th year of the constitution” said Nelson.
The symposium created a space for reflection and dialogue amongst its attendees. It encouraged critical thinking about the role that each person may play in our future democracy and how all of the historical context of the United States is important. Blight’s discussion emphasized that democracy is not passive and it is important for all people to pay attention to it.
July 4th, 2026, will mark 250 years of the Declaration of Independence. The 2026 Humanities Symposium and David Blight reminded us of those debates of freedom, equality, and consent that transcend time.