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The State Library of Louisiana is commemorating the 250th anniversary of American independence with “America 250: Louisiana at the Frontier of a New Nation”, an initiative focusing on Spanish colonial Louisiana's role in the American Revolution.
The celebration kicked off with a historical seminar on June 10, 2026, along with the opening of a special exhibition drawn from the Library's Louisiana Collection and the release of curated reading lists with titles available for checkout in Louisiana public libraries.
Our seminar features two distinguished speakers. Ray Berthelot of the Louisiana Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism illustrated how nearly four decades of Spanish rule, beginning in 1762, shaped Louisiana's enduring culture, law, language, and traditions. Chris Achee of the Ascension Parish Library presented "La Marcha de Galvez," a costumed reenactment-lecture in which he portrayed 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 will remain on view throughout the summer.
Our recommended reading lists of titles spanning the colonial era, the American Revolution, and Louisiana's path into the Union, are available for download here: Louisiana Summer Reading recommended titles | State Library recommended titles.