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Celebrate America250: Introduction
I’ve been disappointed at the lack of celebration of the 250th anniversary of important events that led up to the signing of the Declaration of Independence. The Battles of Lexington and Concord on 19 April 1775 got only a small mention in the media, although several of our members made excellent posts. I was only five years old for the Bicentennial, but even so, I remember the great celebrations that went on in 1976.
I propose that we at Ricochet make a small contribution to remedy the situation. We’re already on Day 53 of the Revolutionary War, counting from April 19; so we’ve already missed some important events. But we can start from here. I will endeavor to make a daily post with a note on the historical events of that day 250 years ago. I suppose that there will be some slow news days on which little of note happened 250 years ago, so I may have to fill in with patriotic songs, poetry, sermons, as well as important events of the Revolutionary era and American history in other years. Some days may only be a sentence, while others may be an essay.
I invite all my fellow Ricochetti to comment on my posts or to create your own posts about historical events, important personages, beautiful American scenery, and anything to celebrate 250 years of America. The hand of Providence has truly been on our nation, so let us express our gratitude and celebrate the semiquincentennial of the greatest nation there has ever been.
Declaration of Independence, John Trumbull, 1819, U.S. Capitol Rotunda
Thank you for starting this series. If you have a “slow news day”, you might consider writing about events that have been missed on previous dates. I don’t think anyone here would mind.
Good idea, but I remember 1976 as it was the year I graduated high school. There was nothing made of the events of 1775 in 1975 that I recall. It was all about 1776 in 1976. I am not surprised at the “lack of celebration”. It was our declaration of freedom that was the main thing.
I don’t remember anything like that in 1975, either, but I might have missed it. In 1976 our middle child was born, and the two events are ever associated in my mind. It wouldn’t hurt to do it right this time around, and start the celebrations with the events that led up to 1776. Wouldn’t have hurt to start in 2015, either, but that opportunity is gone. Not too late to do 2025.
Huzzah! I’ll be reading every one.
That’s how I remember it (I turned 10 in 1975). I remember staying up until midnight on December 31 of that year, and thinking it was a big deal because we were starting the bicentennial year. So yeah, I remember a general sense of anticipation about the approach of the bicentennial of the Declaration of Independence. I don’t remember anybody talking about the fact that the bicentennial of the Revolution had already arrived.
It may have been the loudest thing, intended to garner world-wide support, but I question whether it was the main thing. Sam Adams et al had done a lot of ground work to get us to that point, and it would be good for people to be reminded that these things don’t just spontaneously appear out of nowhere.
That is a heck of an idea, Steve. I commend you on your commitment. I would suggest to everyone else who is thinking of writing their own posts for this series, follow Steve’s lead and use the same tag he is using: “America250.” That way, readers can click on it and get the list of all the posts in the series.
My wife often remarks about how much of my childhood I have forgotten. The only thing I remember about the bicentennial commemoration was that there were a lot of flags in advertising. A lot of bicentennial-themed t-shirts. As for celebrations, I’m drawing a blank.
I’m sure that’s the official designation, but I’m calling it the quartermillennial.
I’m the same way. I remember almost nothing from before I was about 10, which means that the bicentennial is just barely within my conscious memory. Wikipedia lists a lot of celebrations and commemorations (starting in 1973!), but mainly all I remember is the bicentennial logo on stamps and a lot of patriotic theming in advertisements and product packages.
And I vaguely remember that there was a moment on July 4 (maybe noon?) when we were all supposed to ring bells. My siblings and I went outside expecting to hear a cacophony of bells from all around us, but we were disappointed.
This is a super idea Steve, and I will follow your posts.
I was 11 years old in 1975 and my family, though being from CA, made a driving tour of the significant historical spots in Williamsburg VA, Boston MA, Philadelphia PA, and some parts of NY. I remember it fondly. A summer trip that most kids did not get. My grandmother had recently been divorced from my grandfather and my dad decided to drive us all out to Buffalo to get her and bring her back to CA to live with us. My mom made the trip fun for my brother, sister, and me, by planning on visiting all the sites we could while on the East Coast. We pulled a small trailer and camped everywhere.
I remember going to visit the Freedom Train in 1976 as well. Those were some good times.
Sam Adams is a really overlooked figure in the Revolution. He was a great organizer and advocate for Revolution but very much behind the scenes. If there weren’t a brewery named for him, he would be almost forgotten.
It would be great for more people to post and tag it with “America250.” It doesn’t have to be history – it can be anything to celebrate America. I would enjoy reading what other people think too.
He took great care to make sure he didn’t leave a paper trail, but the Brits understood the importance of his role anyway.
When Gage offered a general pardon to all rebels during the Siege of Boston, Sam Adams and John Hancock were the only two excluded, as they were to be hanged. It would be so interesting to know all that Samuel Adams did with the Sons of Liberty, but his exploits have probably vanished without a trace.
Same here!
If you wanna catch up on the exploits of the Sons of Liberty, here is one site that has decent information, going back ten years prior to the beginning of the Revolutionary War:
https://historycollection.com/facts-about-the-sons-of-liberty-the-secret-revolutionary-organization/
I’d forgotten all about this site til Adams and Hancock were discussed in this topic. It makes for a fascinating read.
I turned 10 the summer of 1976. My brother (who was 7) and I worked on a construction crew that summer. I don’t have a picture of myself, but that’s my brother.
I remember hearing Fleetwood Mac and Seals & Crofts for the first time that summer. But I don’t remember Independence Day at all.
I would suggest maybe starting a group for this project so people can communicate whatever plans they may have for their potential posts and provide suggestions for potential subjects that should have their own posts.
I like the idea of discussing plans and ideas, but what if we make it a members-only post that we keep adding to? I feel like there are more writing tools in the regular posts than in the groups. But I’ve only used the groups a bit, so I may not appreciate all their uses.
Thanks for the link. I love the Sons of Liberty; but if they were around today, they would all be in jail for hooliganism!
Like Antifa and BLM?
The Sons of Liberty were far more creative, not to mention that they stood for a righteous cause. They dressed up as Indians for the Boston Tea Party, and they published an invitation in the newspaper for the Boston stamp collector to come to a meeting at the Liberty Tree at noon to resign his post, which he wisely did. Yes, they ransacked the homes of British officials and tarred and feathered them. They organized mobs of boys to taunt British soldiers.
The Sons of Liberty used violence to accomplish a purpose. They never engaged in pointless burning and looting. They would never have summoned Waymo driverless cars just to burn them or looted Apple stores (unless the owners of those stores supported the British encroachments on their liberty).
My intended point was that Antifa and BLM, who are far more toxic, see little or no jail time.