Everything You Should Have Learned in High School about the Declaration of Independence

Everything You Should Have Learned in High School

about the Declaration of Independence

Presenter: Courtney Smith

Sunday, September 7, 2025 ~ 2pm

Historic Chatham County Courthouse, Pittsboro

In this entertaining and engaging program, Courtney Smith will discuss the men who wrote the Declaration of Independence along with the theory and context behind it. And she will translate the document into modern language. Refresh your memory about one of our government's foundational documents and learn interesting facts about people, places, and ideas that you should have been taught... but probably weren't. No homework and no tests.

Courtney Smith began her professional career teaching US Government and World Geography in the Richmond, VA metro area. She then created and managed a specialty toy store in Lewisburg, WV. In Lewisburg, she served on numerous nonprofit boards and assisted with many community programs and initiatives. This service led to her becoming the Executive Director of the Greenbrier Valley Community Foundation, an organization dedicated to ensuring that every local nonprofit had the financial and educational resources they needed. After returning to school for a Master's in Public History, she moved to Hillsborough in February 2020 and became the Exhibits and Programs Coordinator for the Orange County Historical Museum. Smith is also a writer of historical fiction. Nine of her plays have been produced and her three novels have all received excellent reviews by Kirkus Reviews. Her most recent book, The Hammer: Tales of Edward I was published in October 2024.