Department of History hosts the 2026 Sid Easley Lecture

By Aviva Yasgur | Aug 7, 2026

MURRAY, Ky. — In recognition of the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States, the Department of History at Murray State University will host Dr. Emily Sneff for this year’s Sid Easley Lecture on Thursday, Sept. 10 at 7 p.m. in Wrather Auditorium. 

Sid Easley was a Murray State alumnus, a former Murray State University Board of Regents chair, the first Golden Horseshoe Award recipient and long-time supporter of the Murray State Department of History. Thanks to the generosity of the Easley family, the lecture is free and open to the public. A dessert reception and book signing will follow in the Charles and Anne Wrather Hoke Mezzanine on the second floor of Wrather Hall. 

Sneff is a historian of the founding era of the United States and a leading expert on the Declaration of Independence, which was written by Thomas Jefferson and ratified by members of the Second Continental Congress in July 1776. With a Ph.D. in history from the College of William and Mary, Sneff serves as a consulting curator for museum exhibitions marking the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence at the Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia and at the Historic Trappe site in southeastern Pennsylvania. She is also the author of the highly acclaimed When the Declaration of Independence Was News, published by the Oxford University Press. In her book, Sneff explains the methods by which Americans and Europeans learned about the Second Continental Congress’s ratification of the Declaration and analyzes responses to its passage on both sides of the Atlantic. The responses ranged from praise to indifference to condemnation. Based on her book, Sneff’s talk will illuminate the many conflicting views toward the movement for American independence and will enable attendees to better understand the revolutionary document on which the colonial struggle for freedom was based.  

“Dr. Sneff’s timely lecture promises to be a unique and informative inquiry into the beginnings of a document that over time became one of the great political writings of the modern world. Americans continue to view Jefferson’s bold assertions about human equality and ‘unalienable rights’ as aspirations not yet fully achieved in American society,” said Jim Humphreys, professor of history at Murray State University. “Understanding the Declaration’s origins and how its message was received in the 18th century will assist us in applying the document’s principles to today’s challenges.” 

For more information about the event, contact Dr. Jim Humphreys, Department of History at jhumphreys@murraystate.edu or Rebecca Dyer, Office of Development at rdyer@murraystate.edu. For more information about the Department of History, visit murraystate.edu/history.

Gifts to support the Sid Easley lecture fund may be made online at murraystate.edu/giving or by check made payable to the Murray State University Foundation and mailed to the Murray State Office of Development at 200 Heritage Hall, Murray, Kentucky, 42071.