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Virginia American Revolution 250 Commission

American Revolution 250th Update

July 27, 2024
by Peter Feinman
Graphic by America 250.

Are you counting the days? Actually, the American Revolution 250th is already here. 1774 was the year of the First Continental Congress. It was a time when colonists began to take sides for the record as rebel or loyalist. Families would be divided. Neighbor would be against neighbor. The war was underway except for the fighting. So what are you doing to remember the 250th anniversary of 1774?

What are you doing for the 250th? The following is not a comprehensive report on what is going on throughout the country. That would be too big a topic for a blog and I don’t know the answer to that question either. What I can is report on some events which I know about from in-person, newsletters (both print and email), and announcements.

NATIONAL AND THE 250TH

STATES AND THE 250TH

Let’s look at what some of the states are doing.

Virginia

The following comes from the Commonwealth of Virginia where they take the American Revolution 250th seriously.

The Virginia Department of Historic Resources received $20,000,000 in the 2024-2026 Virginia Biennial Budget to initiate a grant program to support improvements at significant historic sites and history museums in Virginia in anticipation of the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution and the 1776 United States Declaration of Independence

Fund Establishment Language

“Out of the amounts in this item, $20,000,000 the first year from the general fund is provided to establish a competitive grant program to support improvements at significant historic sites and history museums in Virginia in anticipation of the country’s Semiquincentennial. The department shall develop guidelines and establish procedures for awarding this funding, which shall include eligibility criteria for applicants, a minimum one-third match from grantees, and any other criteria the department determines reasonable to carry out the provisions of this paragraph. Of the amount authorized, the department is authorized to recover costs incurred in administering this program. Any balances for the purposes specified in this paragraph which are unexpended on June 30, 2025, shall not revert to the general fund but shall be carried forward and reappropriated.”

Eligibility is not limited to properties related to the American Revolution. Any historic site or museum that meets all the requirements is eligible to apply.

This webpage has been created to provide communications regarding the administration of this program within the Department of Historic Resources. Please check this webpage frequently as we will be making updates as we launch this new grant program.

The Preapplication is open now and linked here.

Grant Timeline

July 16, 2024—Preapplication opens
August 30, 2024—Preapplication closes
September 9, 2024—Full application released (for applicants with an eligible preapplication)
October 14, 2024—Full application deadline
Late 2024—Grant Awards Announced

Grant Guidelines

The grant guidelines document is linked here. Please read through it thoroughly before filling out a preapplication.

Application Process

The first step in the application process is the Virginia 250 Preservation Fund Preapplication. The form will help determine if the project meets minimum eligibility requirements as set out in the budget and grant guidelines. The Preapplication is due by August 30th, 2024.

The full application will open to applicants notified that they have an eligible preapplication on September 15th, 2024. This application will be completed on DHR’s WebGrants page (website currently under construction). Please see grant guidelines for additional information.

Virginia appears very serious about the 250th. The state has allocated real money on behalf of the event. How does this compare to what your state is doing?

New Jersey

My local newspaper in New York had a big article on what New Jersey is doing. In the fall of 2022, the Governor announced a $25 million plan to improve 10 Revolutionary War sites. However implementation has been slow. Roger Williams, historian for the New Jersey Society of the Sons of the American Revolution, said:

So far, Virginia, Massachusetts, and South Carolina are all doing a better job of planning and touting their efforts to commemorate America’s birth.

Sara Cureton, executive director of the New Jersey Historical Commission, said RevolutionNJ has been working behind the scenes with an association of history museums and groups to develop a variety of programs to make America 250 “a whole state experience.” A manual has been distributed on how to plan events. The big event is the Battle of Trenton on December 26, 2026.  New Jersey should be at the head of the table according to state historians and government officials so one expects the pace will pick up in 2026 as people plan their heritage vacations.

Connecticut

On the H-Connecticut internet list serve, Connecticut posted the following announcement to members. (Does your state have one?)

ConnecticutHistory.org: Call for 250th Related Content

ConnecticutHistory.org invites prospective authors to submit pitches for content related to the themes developed by the America 250 | CT Commission for the United States’ Semiquincentennial (250th) anniversary. Proposed content does not need to be strictly about the American Revolutionary period, but should consider how its questions of freedom, representative democracy, and societal change continue in other aspects of Connecticut history. We are looking for pitches for the following types of content:

Encyclopedic Entries: Simple, straightforward description of the basic facts or life story of an important person, event, group/organization, or place in Connecticut. We are especially interested in entries that focus on diverse aspects of Connecticut’s history that are not yet included on ConnecticutHistory.org.

Interpretive Articles: Concise, compelling narratives that explore some aspect of Connecticut’s history. Examples include, but are not limited to:

  • How the history of a particular event has been documented and remembered
  • Using specific collections or artifacts to explore aspects of Connecticut history
  • Analysis of data sets like census records, population data, or other compiled information

Digital Projects: Creative, born-digital ways of communicating or analyzing an aspect of Connecticut’s history. Examples include, but are not limited to:

  • StoryMaps
  • Interactive timelines
  • Mapping projects

All accepted authors are compensated for their published content. Encyclopedia entries (approx. 350-1,000 words) are compensated at $150 and interpretive articles (approx. 500-1,200 words) at $200 each. Digital project compensation is determined after discussion and is based on the scope of the project. All content is expected to be well-researched, factually accurate, and offer balanced, authoritative historical interpretations.

Pitches

Pitches should be 1-3 paragraphs in length and include a description of the topic, form of proposed content (encyclopedic entry, interpretive article, or digital project), and how it connects to one (or more) of the America 250 | CT themes. If you would like to contribute but do not have an idea to pitch, please contact us expressing your interest—we can provide options and content gaps that we would like someone to develop!

Please submit your pitches via email to connecticuthistory@cthumanities.org. Pitches are accepted on a rolling basis and submission is not guarantee of content acceptance.

America 250 | CT Themes

Tell Inclusive Stories: The 250th serves as inspiration for the people of Connecticut to deal with and share stories that represent all of its people, past and present.

Power of Place: Connecticut is comprised of 169 towns and cities, five recognized tribes, and countless communities with unique identities and contributions.

Doing History: Inviting audiences to engage with historical methods can help them become more comfortable with the ambiguous, contested, and always-evolving nature of history.

For the Common Good: The 250th anniversary offers an opportunity to reconsider the origins of our government, democratic institutions, and broader civic life, and a chance to reflect on the ways we have changed them over time.

For more information on the themes and the America 250 | CT Commission, please see this planning guide resource.

This announcement seems like an excellent way to engage the entire Connecticut community in the 250th. One hopes that CT Humanities is geared up to handle the submissions and the state website is ready to go.

Utah

Utah is not an Atlantic coastal state and did not participate directly in the American Revolution. That does not mean that nothing was happening in the state in 1776. It was the time when Fray Fransisco Atanasio Dominguez and Fray Silvestre Vélez de Esclante led an expedition through the Rocky Mountains and Utah in search of a route from Santa Fe to Monterey, California. The Spanish and Mexican members of the expedition were the first Europeans to enter the state.

In 1976, the Utah Historical Society published The Peoples of Utah. Now the Historical Society will revisit that publication to widen the lens of the people to be included. The new publication will include people who were not included in the first one plus the people who have arrived since then. It seeks to share the story of Utahns to foster a sense of engagement and belonging among everyone who calls the state “home” and to include their stories as an integral part of America’s ongoing journey.

New York

New York has authorized the creation of a state commission. That is a requirement for the disbursement of federal funding in the event there should be federal funding. The commission itself is not fully staffed as the Governor has declined to designate her appointees. It also has no money.

A public meeting was held at NYS Museum anyway. Most of the meeting had to do with establishing the rules whereby the commission will operate. The October meeting may have something more substantive.

New York Counties

Various counties are doing things in addition to Saratoga and Westchester which I have written about before.

Clinton County

Clinton County held is first steering committee meeting in 2022. The effort now includes local historians, arts and cultural organizations, museums, libraries, local media, municipalities, researchers along with the DAR, SAR, and Battlefield Memorial Gateway Park. The Battle of Valcour Island (Arnold was still a hero then!) figures prominently in the planning. The Clinton County Historical Association doesn’t provide any financial information or events yet. It will have a Planning Manual and Toolkit for individual organizations. A county master calendar will be created. The programs and events are expected to begin in 2025.

Putnam County

I recently attended a meeting of the Putnam County 250th. It is following in the path of Clinton County as the meeting I attended included a wide range of people not solely from history organizations.

Fort Ticonderoga

Fort Ticonderoga is not a county but I am including it here. Fort Ticonderoga Launches America’s 250th Commemorations

“A Revolutionary Anthology,” Fort Ticonderoga’s five-year-long commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States, opened June 27 with the first of five annual exhibitions. The 2024 exhibition, “Power of Place,” will be on view through October 27. “We’re absolutely thrilled to unveil the first in the series of 250th anniversary exhibitions,” Fort Ticonderoga’s president and CEO, Beth Hill, said at the June 27 opening. “It has been a decade in the making, if not longer.”

According to Hill, the exhibitions and complementary programming will enable visitors to Fort Ticonderoga to understand the people and the events of the American Revolution through new perspectives, including those of ordinary individuals who experienced the momentous events of the Revolution in their personal lives.

“Rare artifacts, tactile experiences, public tours, and a robust digital presence with audio and video content will ensure universal accessibility and an enhanced understanding of the Revolution’s significance for all guests,” said Hill.

“Power of Place” has as its theme the influence of geography on history, said Dr. Matthew Keagle, Fort Ticonderoga Curator. “Geography shaped the Revolutionary struggle in ways that gave places far from population centers a profound significance and had a lasting effect on individuals as well as nations,” said Keagle, who said the exhibition explores nine places that played a critical role in the conduct of the Revolutionary War, the Champlain Valley included.

This year, Fort Ticonderoga’s living history programs will explore daily life at Fort Ticonderoga in 1774, when it was in the hands of the British. “Our interpretive programs are laser-focused on what was happening every day, week and month 250 years ago,” said Keagle. “Come back next year, and you will see something altogether different.”

In 2025, 250 years after the capture of Fort Ticonderoga by Ethan Allen, Benedict Arnold and the American irregulars known as the Green Mountain Boys, America’s first victory in its war for independence will be featured. And every year, other artifacts will be displayed, enabling Fort Ticonderoga “to explore the breadth, the complexity, and the diversity of the experience of the American Revolution as it unfolded over several years,” said Keagle.

New York City Boroughs/Counties

To the best of my knowledge there is no New York City American Revolution 250th committee.

To the best of my knowledge none of the five boroughs have an American Revolution 250th committee.

To the best of my knowledge there are no American Revolution 250th activities beyond what is normally done annually (THE FIRE WORKS!) or what an individual organization is planning.

The failure of New York City can easily be shown in comparison to what is being done elsewhere.

1 Remember the Boston Tea Party event last December? That was a big media and tourist spectacular supported by the state, the city, and a slew of history organizations. A great deal of planning went into the event.

What about the toppling of the statue of King George III in lower Manhattan? Is there any reason why that could not be made in a major event comparable to the Boston Tea Party event?

2 What about the Battle for New York/Brooklyn/Long Island? Many sites are gearing up to military battles which occurred at their location. Meanwhile New York City arguably has biggest battle of 1776 when 30,000 British troops landed in Manhattan and remained for seven years. Without the occupation of New York City, Burgoyne’s three-pronged attack that was stymied at Saratoga never would have happened. There are people who commemorate the battle annually but that is as a local event, not a tourist event that would draw people from around the country.

3 What about the mini-battles surrounding New York City? For example Westchester County will celebrate the Battle of White Plains in October 2026 but what about the Battle of Washington Heights at Fort Washington.

These examples contrast what New York City is not doing compared to what other areas are doing. What the city is doing is celebrating the Tall Ships. This will be a big extravaganza in early July 2026 with ships from multiple countries. A great deal of planning and effort is going into making it happens. The fact that it has nothing to do with the American Revolution is irrelevant. It will be a great show. As for the ships bringing the 30,000 British troops to occupy the city, who cares.

This blog demonstrates the wide range of responses to the 250th. There are states which have put their money where their mouth is and states which have done nothing. There are counties which have or are planning ambitious programming and counties which have done nothing. There are sites which have undertaken significant projects and sites which are crying for leadership and funding. Meanwhile the clock keeps ticking. The 250th anniversary of 1774 will be drawing to a close soon so if nothing is planned it is probably too late now.

The American Revolution 250th Update

April 6, 2024
by Peter Feinman
Graphic by America 250.

Can you feel the excitement mounting? We keep getting closer and closer to the 250th anniversary of the birth of the United States. The anticipation rises. What a glorious day that will be on July 4, 2026. If only we can get past the upcoming presidential election and have a country as we know it to celebrate the event … or if you prefer to commemorate it.

In this blog I wish to present some developments in the 250th. It does not cover everything, but it does touch upon some of the highlights. We should keep in mind that 2024 is the 250th anniversary of 1774. There is no prohibition in having local events this year just as Boston did last year for the Tea Party.

What, to Americans Today, Is the Fourth of July?

By Nancy Spannaus / In American Revolution, News / March 25, 2024

A Report and Reflections on the Virginia250 Conference held in Williamsburg, March 18-20

It was my pleasure to join my husband in attending the annual conference of the Virginia American Revolution 250 Commission last week. Under the title “A Common Cause to All,” the Commission, in partnership with the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, brought together 450 individuals from 37 states and all around Virginia, to discuss plans for commemoration and celebration of our nation’s 250th birthday, July 4, 2026. We were lavishly wined and dined, and able to meet and discuss with individuals devoted to celebrating American history.

This is a big conference. I wonder whether any other state or even national organization is or plans to host a comparable dedicated national conference. Clearly Virginia is thinking big time. Remember the AMC series Turn about the spy ring based in New York? The show not only was filmed in Virginia but was advertised by Virginia with nary an I LOVENY commercial in sight. Virginia takes its American Revolution seriously.

The situation today is quite different from 1826 and 1976.

All sought in their own way to address the problem of how to do justice to this momentous event, and bring national unity, in this time of historic political polarization and documented indifference or even hostility from the younger generation.

These words cut to the core of the challenge facing organizers of the American Revolution 250th. It is a time to strive for national unity as Americans, to recognize that we cannot take the Declaration of Independence or Constitution for granted anymore. The reality is we live in a time when these documents have been weaponized as if they do not apply to all American citizens.

I would argue that the second most stirring presentation during this conference was given by Dr. Danielle Allen, the author of the 2014 book Our Declaration: A Reading of the Declaration of Independence in Defense of Equality. Dr. Allen’s advocacy for the Declaration has inspired a citizens’ movement to sponsor public readings of the founding document every July 4 – a movement that my husband and I have participated in for the last several years in our small town.    

In a previous blog, I asked what is your ceremony of belonging as an American (What Is Our Ceremony of Belonging? July 8, 2023).  I was referring to local events where the people of a community come together to express their shared identity as Americans. It is interesting to note that around July 4 each year I receive many notices about a reading of Frederick Douglass’s speech and virtually none about the reading of the Declaration itself. True the latter was written as a legal brief and not a rousing speech. Some of the clauses are difficult to hear now out of context, but still it is telling that the founding document gets such short thrift on its birthday.

The most contentious of the discussions occurred during the “Fireside Chat with Jefferson and Early American Scholars,” which featured Professor Woody Holton of the University of South Carolina, and Jane Kamensky, President of the Thomas Jefferson Foundation at Monticello. Holton took the approach that historians should begin teaching the flaws and contradictions of the American founding to children from a very young age. He resolutely objected to the compromises made by the Founding generation. At the conclusion, he even opined that he would have preferred that we stick with the Confederation government, rather than the Constitution.   

 Kamensky, on the other hand, was at pains to emphasize the complexity and flaws of not only the founders, but those who are judging them today. The United States was born a question, she said, and we must educate our children to participate in our democracy by both celebrating and criticizing its practices. Compromise was and is necessary to the preservation of the Union, which is a positive achievement, she asserted. 

I suspect that history organizations will struggle over precisely this difference. Previously I have written about two types of conferences on the American Revolution (Sense of Place versus the Ivory Tower: The American Revolution 250th July 23, 2022). One is the academic one which tends to be highly critical of the Declaration of Independence and the American Revolution. The ivory tower conferences routinely fail to notice how many countries have been republics and or democracies for 250 years especially as a large multi-racial, multi-ethnic, multi-religious political entity. You would almost think such countries are par for the course and what makes us exceptional is our failure to match the longevity of such counties around the world.

The other type of conference often at battlefields and not colleges or universities. They focus on how it came to be that We the People won the war against the most powerful country on earth. They have no objection to including how all peoples contributed to that effort but are not judgmental in that the war never should have occurred or that if we have not lived up to the words of our founding that the experiment should be declared a failure. Virginia certainly is promoting the sense of place engagement with the American Revolution where people will come and visit the sites where it occurred just as people did for the Boston Tea Party in December 2023.

The panel on “Approaches to Public Engagement” laid out some of the large challenges facing those committed to the 250th celebration. Speaker Matt Williams works for a firm which does polling, and had been commissioned to carry out a study of Americans’ views of history in late 2022. The firm interviewed 2400 people, 50% of them young, and 50% on the Eastern Seaboard. The “bad” news was that 60-70% said that history made them anxious, and they were tuning it out. An additional survey of teachers produced the disheartening result that it was “very difficult” to engage students in studying history, especially in suburbia. Some potential remedies – the use of museums, primary documents, and digital presentations – were also discussed.

There should be no doubt that schools will be a battleground in the celebration/commemoration of the American Revolution. They already are a battleground. The intensity of the conflict is only likely to increase after the presidential elections. The discourse during our Third Civil War will result in increasing calls for violence depending on the results of that election. The irony is just as we prepare more vigorously to celebrate the birth of the United States, there will be more and more calls to somehow separate into our two houses.

A special treat was the sneak preview of the upcoming film series by Ken Burns entitled “The American Revolution,” which promises to be highly influential. The six-part series was begun eight years ago and will be released in the fall of 1775. The preview was provided by Paula Kerger, President and CEO of the Public Broadcasting System, and Sarah Botstein, an associate of Burns who is working on the film. Botstein described the intensive process of scholarly research involved and the problems of dealing with a lack of physical evidence and images – unlike in Burns’ films about the Civil War and Vietnam. She then showed two short sketches, one dealing with the role of women in the resistance to the Tea Act, and the other to Bunker Hill.

Can Ken Burns save us? Can he obtain blockbuster ratings given the media structure today? Will his film series become the basis for curriculum? Can he wave his magic media wand and bring Americans together? Obviously, I do not know what will happen.

CONNECTICUT 250TH

The state of Connecticut highlights some of the issues where the rubber hits road. It brings to a more local level some of the high level concerns expressed in the report on the national conference in Virginia. The recent state conference according to its notice said the following:

America 250 | CT Information:

Commission created pursuant to Executive Order No. 22-2, which instructs it to:

1. promote the documentation, identification, and preservation of cultural and historic resources, including archives, buildings, landscapes, objects, and sites related to the semiquincentennial period

2. assist in ensuring that any observance of the semiquincentennial of the American Revolution is inclusive and appropriately recognizes the experiences and points of view of all people affected by the events surrounding the American Revolution

3. encourage civic, historical, educational, economic, arts and other organizations throughout the state to organize and participate in activities to expand the understanding and appreciation of the significance of the American Revolution

4. collaborate with state and local tourism agencies to promote the state as a prominent cultural and heritage tourism destination for American Revolution history.

 This part could have come from the Bicentennial. Then come the changes.

Other big ideas:

1. By recognizing this moment in our history, the nation has the opportunity to lay the groundwork for a reawakening of civic engagement by encouraging the participation of all residents.

2. The Commission is committed to providing guidance for how to make this inclusive of all people in Connecticut and accessible to anyone who wants to participate

3. Although we are commemorating the anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, the Commission goes beyond that to reflect on the last 250 years of history and consider and shape the next 250 years.

Here we may start to observe shift in emphasis from the traditional celebration to a commemoration reflecting what has happened and what may happen. There is the hope that somehow the semiquincentennial will have a magical effect on people.

And they’ll watch the game and it’ll be as if they dipped themselves in magic waters. The memories will be so thick they’ll have to brush them away from their faces. People will come Ray. The one constant through all the years, Ray, has been baseball. America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It has been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt and erased again. But baseball has marked the time. This field, this game: it’s a part of our past, Ray. It reminds of us of all that once was good and it could be again. Oh… people will come Ray. People will most definitely come (James Earl Jones, Field of Dreams).

I write this blog as women’s basketball is setting records for is college championship and a team from Iowa is having a magical year including a game against Connecticut.

America 250 | CT Themes

1.Tell Inclusive Stories: Share stories that represent all of Connecticut’s people, past and present; Tell previously untold stories to enable everyone to find a place in our nation’s narrative

2. Power of Place: Creation of a community-based structure will allow each of Connecticut’s towns and cities to define their own programs and ideas about how they can engage their citizens; Commission will ensure the alignment between Connecticut’s 250th activities and those of the greater region and nation, building relevance and aligning the state with other areas

3. Doing History: Public must be invited to participate in the process of doing history; Inviting audiences to engage with the historical method can help them become more comfortable with the ambiguous, contested, and always-evolving nature of history; Focus on the role of Connecticut within the national narrative

4. For the Common Good: Discussions about our democracy and civic intuitions can help strengthen understanding, inspire action, and reveal ways that all of us can participate in and shape our democracy; Reconsider the origins of our government, democratic institutions, and broader civic life, and a chance to reflect on the ways we have changed them over time.

Here is where the hard work really begins. To some extent such conversations already occur. Think of the school board meetings with its calm debates over curriculum and books in the library. While it is a worthy goal to engage the public to do history and have such discussions, the challenge to actually have them is more problematical. Let us not forget that there were Tories and Patriots during the American Revolution anyway so it would be simplistic to think we can have a “Come let us reason together” moment in the towns and villages of the state and country today. And what is “the national narrative”? (Ending the Uncivil War: Creating a Shared National Narrative for the 21st Century  January 28, 2021). There is scarce agreement as to what constitutes the national narrative. Plus such discussions are planned for after a very contentious presidential election year that threatens to rip the social fabric to threads.

I applaud Connecticut for setting these goals but am frightened that the world of the Third Civil War will prevail.

AMERICAN REVOLUTION 250th UPDATE

May 12, 2023
by Peter Feinman
Graphic by America 250.

As we approach the three year countdown to July 4, 2026, it is an appropriate time to provide an update on what had and has not been going on with American Revolution 250th. The last time I wrote about it was July 1, 2022 (Controversy at the United States Semiquincentennial Commission). Regrettably, it does not seem as if the situation is much improved since then judging by an advocacy notice I received on May 12, 2023, from the American Association for State and Local History AASLH). That organization that has been quite active in promoting the event to its members and interested history people.

AASLH Members and Friends:

As a valued member of the history community, we are reaching out to you to ask for your support in commemorating our nation’s upcoming 250th anniversary by asking your Members of Congress to join the Congressional America250 Caucus. We need your help to encourage Members of Congress to join this important caucus.

With the 250th just three years away, your efforts are urgently needed. We would like you to contact the members of your Congressional delegation and encourage them to join and support the activities of the America250 Caucus in the United States Congress. We have provided a draft email for your consideration below in the event it is helpful.

 As a member of the America250 Caucus, lawmakers will work together to commemorate this significant milestone in our nation’s history and promote national unity and civic engagement. The Caucus will provide a forum for members of Congress to collaborate on ways to engage their constituents, support local events and activities, support the work of history museums and other history organizations, and highlight the importance of our shared history.

 Please take a moment to contact your Congressional delegation and ask them to join the America250 Caucus.

 Thank you for your support in helping to commemorate America’s Semiquincentennial.

 Sample Email

 Dear Representative / Senator _______,

 I hope you’re doing well. On behalf of (Insert Organization Name), I respectfully request that Representative / Senator (Insert Name) join the bipartisan America250 Caucus, chaired by Representative Robert Aderholt (R-AL) and Representative Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ). With the 250th anniversary of our nation’s founding rapidly approaching, we want to ensure that we do not miss out on the opportunity for Americans to learn and reflect on the themes and ideals that unite all of us, including liberty, freedom, and civic engagement. Please contact Laura Titus (laura.titus@mail.house.gov) with Representative Robert Aderholt or Brad Korten (brad.korten@mail.house.gov) with Representative Watson Coleman to join the caucus.

 Thank you for your consideration.

Reading between the lines, I perceive this plea as a recognition that all is not right with the world of the American Revolution 250th. There is a need to act at the federal level. Since the federal organization is geared towards Philadelphia on July 4, 2026, any funding to support events at the local level will need to be distributed well before then. All such funding will be through the state 250th organizations.

VIRGINIA 250th: A STATE TAKES THE LEAD

Drilling down from the national level, there are events in Virginia worthy of interest. One should keep in mind that it was Virginia which advertised on the AMC show Turn (AMC Mocks the Path through History August 28, 2016) about the spy network in New York (which did not advertise on the four-year series). In addition, I attended an online meeting about Virginia’s activities on the 250th and summarized the meeting in the blog The 250th Anniversary: A Commonwealth of Virginia Case Study February 1, 2021, over two years ago.

Now Virginia continues to move forward. It convened a meeting held in March which Johanna Yaun, the Orange County historian (full-time position) and chair of the Orange County 250th Commission. The following are excerpts from the report she wrote about the meeting.

A Common Cause for All: A Convening of States on the 250th Anniversary of the call for Committees of Correspondence A Signature Event of the Virginia American Revolution 250 Commission

3/18/2023

The Virginia American Revolution 250 Commission invited representatives from across the Nation to participate in a three-day planning meeting of Semiquincentennial stakeholders. From March 10-12, 2023, attendees from 34 states met for “A Convening of States” to mark the occasion of the 250th anniversary of the call for Committees of Correspondence on March 12, 1773. After a reading of the 1773 resolution, state representatives affirmed a new resolution “of mutual support, collaboration, and partnership, signaling the beginning of the Semiquincentennial.” (Although we in New York State beg to differ since we declared the beginning of the 250th anniversary of the Battle of Golden Hill anniversary at Fraunces Tavern on January 19, 2020, See Post). The inclusion of delegates from many states made the ceremony particularly impactful.

These comments highlight the fact that the American Revolution already was underway 250 years ago. There are anniversary events which could be commemorated now. One also wonders why it was a state which convened the meeting and not the national commission. Actually one does not wonder – the federal commission is not functioning.

The pinnacle moment of the weekend was an announcement made by Virginia Senator Thomas K. Norment that the state government was investing $8 million dollars to support the 250th anniversaries and facilitating another $1 million in a donation from Dominion Energy for the same. These investments were made with the expectation that such an investment in civics resources would yield over $1.5 Billion in heritage tourism revenue and support more than 22,000 jobs. These estimates were based on the economic boosts seen during the 1607/2007 and 1619/2019 anniversary periods, focused on the founding of Historic Jamestown.

This is serious money. These comments reflect what was true at the meeting I attended online in 2021. Virginia is committed to making the anniversary a big deal. And like New York, Virginia knows that the story doesn’t cease with the signing of the Declaration of Independence. It also shows that the state is prepared to commit resources to make the anniversary a success. The logical question then what is your state you doing besides waiting for the federal commission to get its act together and be relevant at least before its expiration in 2026.

With one third of the battles of the Revolutionary War taking place in New York State and 81 Revolutionary War museums in the state, many concentrated conveniently in the heavily touristed New York City, Long Island and Hudson River Valley region, this begs the question, why not us?
​
Some of the blame for this is on the shoulders of the U.S. Semiquincentennial Commission and non-profit arm America 250 who have failed to meet any tangible goals since their founding (and funding) in 2016. When America 250 dropped the bomb in January/February of 2023 that they had laid off most of their staff and were “embarking on an organizational realignment” which essentially pushed all responsibility to the individual states, the disparity between the prepared and the unprepared, widened. But as for New York State specifically, I’ll refrain from providing any insight while we wait (and hope) to see if Governor Kathy Hochul’s budget will address this issue by the end of the month.

But while New York State thus far waits, Virginia has stepped in to offer leadership and benefit from economic gain of providing the venue for stakeholders to convene. Hosted by the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation at the Williamsburg Lodge, 300 public historians and government officials were treated to programming and social events aimed at fostering partnerships and communication on the eve of the commemorative period.

This deterioration at the federal level led to the letters from two New York State elected officials (future blog). It also shows that there will be no effort at the national level to craft a new national narrative for the 21st century. History organizations are not going to fill the void either.

President of the Association of State and Local History, John Dichtl, set the tone by presenting two opportunities that the Semiquincentennial period offers. The first is that by popularizing and showcasing “the full sweep of our shared history,” the Founding period can be used as a starting point to attach new meaning for people and groups who have advanced “towards justice” over the past 250 years. He mentioned that 86% of the America public agrees on fundamental ideas about National history and that a Semiquincentennial that both celebrates our strengths and addresses our fallacies is essential to fostering inclusion, relevance and belonging.

The second opportunity he highlighted is that this exploration of America at 250 is a chance to reinvigorate the history profession and bring new support to historical societies and museums. An interesting statistic that was presented was that 35-40% of all history organizations were created in 1966–1986 time frame, a decade before and a decade after the Bicentennial of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1976. The hope is that the 250th will be another moment of reflection for the Nation and a recognition that we should never stop fighting over our past nor the direction of our future.

There are two problems not addressed in these comments by Dichtl as reported by Yaun:

1. The people who formed these new historical organizations after the Bicentennial are now up to 50 years older. Anyone involved in local non-profit volunteer organizations is aware of the trials and tribulations in attracting new members, finding people willing to serve on Boards and getting people to actually do something. Just think of the technological changes which have occurred since the Bicentennial – we are living in what may be considered science fiction times to the people of 1976 and who still are in charge.

2. The local history organizations are likely to focus on local events about what happened in their community and not the full sweep of our shared  national history. Quite possibly at the local level, if there is an effort to go beyond that there will be a replay of the current squabbles over 1619, CRT, and divisiveness. It will be interesting to see how Virginia spends the money it has allocated for the 250th.

Next, Susie Wilkening of Wilkening Consulting offered remarks on her demographic research and how it relates to 250th planning. She discussed intersections of patriotism and identity and looked at what concepts and words divide vs. unite likely museum-goers. She found common ground in that the majority of people expressed that “history is valued and important,” but that it needs “to be engaging” while still maintaining a relaxing tone. The majority of people “feel good about learning” but express that they prefer “hands-on, interactive, living history” to keep their interest.  Respondents ranged along a spectrum from wanting patriotic programming to focus on “the 3 F’s, food, fireworks, family” to a focus on critical thinking about the Nation’s strive for “a more perfect union…”

That last sentence is critical. While there are people and organizations that are concerned about the 250 year effort to strive for a more perfect union since the Revolution, many people are content with the Bicentennial approach particularly at the local level of patriotic food, family, fireworks and parades with nary a woke person in sight.

Yaun described the conference activities in the rest of her enewsletter. In the next blog I switch to the topic of education, both academic and k-12, highlighting Virginia.