“The past created the present, so if we want to know why things are the way they are, we need to understand history,” says State Historian Andy Horowitz. In a freewheeling lecture, “Why Connecticut 250 Matters,” Horowitz will explore how the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States offers a prism for making sense of the present and the future. The special NH250 event will be at the New Haven Museum on Wednesday, July 1, 2026, at 6 p.m. Reception at 5:30 p.m. Free with regular museum admission, register here.

Horowitz will begin with an account of how the American Revolution mattered to people – European, African, and American; men and women; rich and poor; free and enslaved – in Connecticut 250 years ago. “I prepared this talk with two kinds of people in mind,” Horowitz says. “The first are people who already care about Connecticut history; the second are people who think Connecticut’s history is boring. For both groups, I’m bringing stories they won’t have heard before, at least not this way.” He adds that the “shockingly interesting combination of people who comprised Connecticut in the 1770s can give us a necessary perspective on our contemporary period of pluralism and discord.”

“As state historian, my goal is always to convince people that Connecticut’s history is worthy of attention – but that’s especially so now, when the study of history is so politically fraught and scrutinized from every quarter, and when national issues threaten to overwrite local ones, “ Horowitz says. “We need to rebuild our national narrative, but that story has to start at home, with true stories that expand our sense of who we are and what our local communities are capable of.”

Horowitz’s lecture will be a fitting companion piece to the NHM’s new exhibition, “New Haven’s Unfinished Revolutions,” which offers an immersive environment exploring key moments when freedoms were expanded or restricted in New Haven. The exhibition includes original objects, enlarged photographs, and an exciting interactive that connects visitors to New Haven’s role in national movements that transformed ideas about human rights and liberty. Visitors are welcome to arrive early, review the exhibition, and stay for the reception and lecture.