Columbus, OH (March 17, 2025)— America 250-Ohio (AM 250-OH), the official state commission responsible for spearheading Ohio’s celebrations and commemorations around America’s semiquincentennial in 2026, announced today that it is launching a new webinar series, Ohio & the Revolution. The first episode will take place on Thursday, March 20 from 7:00-8:15 p.m. ET. It will be held using the Microsoft Teams platform, and is free and open to the public, although registration is required to receive a link to join the webinar. 

The quarterly webinar series, moderated by Todd Kleismit, America 250-Ohio executive director, will be an in-depth discussion about what the territory that became Ohio looked like, who lived here, what their lives were like and what was happening here during the lead up to the United States declaring its independence from Britain in 1776. Future episodes are planned for 2025 include the following topics (all 7-8:15 p.m. ET): 

  • The People in Ohio Country, a focus on Ohio tribes (Thurs. May 15)
  • The French and Indian War and Other Conflicts in the Ohio Country (Thurs. August 21)
  • The Revolution Begins, Lexington and Concord, the Declaration of Independence (Thurs. November 13)

Todd Kleismit, Executive Director, America 250-Ohio

“Ohioans have a remarkable history, and each episode of this webinar will be a chance to discover and learn about the different aspects of that history. Our first episode will cover what the state looked like in the lead up to the American Revolution

“With the launch of the Ohio and the American Revolution webinar series, we will create a virtual forum for people across the state to learn about Ohio’s past circa 1776, and how it informs the future of the state as we celebrate our nation’s semiquincentennial in 2026.”

The webinar series will feature a cross section of subject experts from academia, Tribal representatives, historical societies, and authors. The panel of experts in the inaugural episode will include Chief Glenna Wallace, Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma; Dr. Mary Stockwell, historian and author; Logan York, Tribal Historic Preservation Office for the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma; and Madison Bastress. Ph.D. candidate at New York University.

Registration for the webinar is free and open to the public. Registration is required to get a link to join the webinar. Clickhere to register. To learn more about the Ohio & the Revolution webinar series throughout this year, please visithttps://america250-ohio.org/2025/03/ohio-and-revolution/.

# # #

About America 250-Ohio:

In 2026, the United States will celebrate its semiquincentennial, which is the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Each state has been encouraged to create a celebration and commemoration of this anniversary to reflect the unique character and contributions of each state to the nation over the past 250 years. Ohio is fully embracing this opportunity. The Ohio Commission for the Semiquincentennial (aka America 250-Ohio Commission or AM250-OH) was created by the Ohio legislature and launched on March 1, 2022. The charge of the AM250-OH Commission is “…to plan, encourage, develop, and coordinate the commemoration of the two hundred fiftieth anniversary of the founding of the United States and the impact of Ohioans on the nation’s past, present, and future.” — Ohio Revised Code (149.309). More information can be found at America250-Ohio.org.