California's American Revolution

Perspectives on the American Revolution shift the further west you go. While American revolutionaries were fighting for independence from the British, the Spanish were slowly advancing along the West Coast. During the Revolutionary War, Franciscan priests were constructing missions and settlements throughout present-day California. In 1781, as the Articles of Confederation were debated and ratified as the nation’s first Constitution, the city of Los Angeles was established.

To help show this different viewpoint, the University of Southern California partnered with six local organizations— the Autry Museum of the American West, Mission San Gabriel Arcángel, The Huntington, LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes, the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, and USC Special Collections — to form a special year-long initiative, LA2026.

With the help of an NEH grant, LA2026 is bringing together the public and humanities scholars for conversations about the history of America's West Coast and connections between exhibitions across the participating institutions. Discussions and lectures are framed around the Californian perspective of the American Revolution. Participants are encouraged to explore the themes of national identity, democratic participation, and more.