What Does the Revolution Mean to You?
Call for essays: 250 for the 250th
The 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence is 774 days away. We still have time to make the commemoration meaningful.
I am part of two efforts to do just that: the state’s Commission on the 250th Anniversary of the American Revolution, and an initiative by Embrace Boston to reimagine the city’s history and present. As the pace of planning quickens, I am interested in hearing what people want to see from the Semisesquicentennial. I wonder how many people are aware that the anniversary is approaching (even more quickly, of course, if you’re in Concord or Lexington), who is looking forward to it, and who just wants it to go away.
Yes, cynicism about anniversaries is not unfounded. Every year, someone has a milestone, a reason to rally followers or plan a celebration or produce a retrospective.
At their best, anniversaries can motivate long overdue upgrades, not unlike the way that the Olympics force a city to build more public transit. Alternately, anniversaries can squander resources, not unlike the way that the Olympics force a city to spend taxpayer dollars on a billion dollar stadium. The celebration can be a raised glass or the opening of a brand new glass-enclosed wing of a museum. An anniversary celebration reflects the values, energy, and choices of the people doing the celebrating.
So what would it mean to celebrate the Declaration of Independence? Do we have the energy and resources to create a rigorous, inclusive, forward-thinking 250th? In a nation so divided that even rooting for the same Olympic team seems like a challenge, what upgrades would we like to see? What can we repair? Who will benefit? What would make it worthwhile?
What would you like to see happen in 2026?
So let’s get editorial: Send me up to 250 words on the 250th. Respond to the questions above or ask your own. Dream. You can focus on Massachusetts or the place where you live or the entire nation.
I will aim to post one response per week, lightly copyedited and framed by my own comments, and accompanied by your one sentence bio. I’ll also share it out on my social media platforms.
I can’t promise that these words will shape the public efforts I’m part of, but they will be made public. And, in our own small way, we will contribute to a discourse that is taking place in every state, and particularly in the field of public history.
For me, the discussion is worth it. I believe that understanding the circumstances surrounding the founders’ promise of equality helps me to recommit to that promise. But history and historical reenactment aren’t necessarily the starting place for this discussion. We all have a stake in the discussion about the 250th because that promise belongs to all of us. I believe that we can leverage the anniversary to activate around that discussion, even if we choose to set aside the fife and drum.
I look foward to hearing from you.