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June 10, 2026 • 9:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. • State Library Seminar Center, 701 N. 4th St., Baton Rouge
The State Library of Louisiana and Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser invite the public to “America 250: Louisiana at the Frontier of a New Nation”, an initiative commemorating the 250th anniversary of American independence from Louisiana’s historical perspective.
Programming launches the morning of Wednesday, June 10, 2026, with a historical seminar at the State Library, the opening of a special exhibition drawn from the Library's Louisiana Collection, and the release of a curated reading list with titles available for checkout throughout the year.
The seminar features two distinguished speakers. Ray Berthelot of the Louisiana Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism will examine how nearly four decades of Spanish rule, beginning in 1762, shaped Louisiana's enduring culture, law, language, and traditions. Chris Achee will follow with "La Marcha de Galvez," a costumed reenactment-lecture in which he portrays Governor Bernardo de Gálvez — the Spanish colonial governor who, on the orders of King Carlos III, armed the American Revolution from New Orleans and led a multicultural army that drove the British from Baton Rouge.
The accompanying exhibition, curated from the Library's Louisiana Collection, presents historical maps and documents from the Spanish colonial period and the years leading to statehood in 1812. The exhibition opens June 10 and remains on view throughout the summer. A complementary reading list of titles spanning the colonial era, the American Revolution, and Louisiana's path into the Union will also be available for checkout at the State Library.
All programs are free and open to the public.