It may have escaped your notice that 2026 will be officially a Big Deal in the United States. This year is the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, and plans are in the works across the country to recognize this event.
The article in today’s paper focused on a three-day planning conference called “A Common Cause to All,” co-hosted by the Virginia American Revolution 250 Commission and The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. The conference brought 450 representatives from 37 states to our fair city on Monday of this week so that they could coordinate planning for this set of events. The picture above is of Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin, whom you may recognize as a Republican elected official who has unsuccessfully attempted to both woo MAGA voters while distancing himself from the former president.
NOTE: It’s not working
Planning for this year-long celebration began in 2023 with the recognition of the 250th anniversary of Virginia’s Committee of Correspondence. Here’s the resolution this group approved at that time:
At this week’s event, Youngkin acknowledge the contributions made by people in other states before going on to highlight Virginia’s contributions to the nation’s history by claiming that “Virginia’s history is America’s history.” One of the speakers at this week’s conference was the chairman of the board of the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, who noted the following:
It is entirely fitting that planning commissions from all over the nation, as well as educators, historical institutions, and political and civic leaders would gather here in Williamsburg. Once again, we come together in common cause to continue building collaborative programming and events to commemorate our nation’s semiquincentennial [is this a word?]. We are committed to educating our fellow Americans about the entirety of the complex but nevertheless inspiring story of our nation’s founding.”
I didn’t remember that Carly Fiorina of 2016 GOP presidential primary fame holds this position and made this statement.
Moving right along.
Planning for this event includes a specific focus on reaching diverse communities that are often left out of the overarching narrative – women, African Americans, and Native Americans. The president of the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, Cliff Fleet, noted in his remarks that “There are many histories that have not been told.” He went on to state that every American should be able to see themselves in the country’s founding.
To which I say Huzzah (that’s how we say Hooray around these parts).
I hope to play a role in developing some of the activities associated with this year-long celebration. The Osher Program at William and Mary plans to develop a set of courses in the fall of 2025 and spring of 2026 focusing on the era of the American Revolution. This has literally not officially moved much beyond a note-on-the-back-of-a-napkin discussion at a local coffee shop, but I know that conversations are going on behind the scenes to figure out what role our program could play in this overall event. I’m part of the Osher Curriculum Committee which will be discussing this at our next couple of meetings. I’m excited to see what we can come up with. I’m already thinking about a new course that I’ll offer as part of this initiative.
The website for Virginia250 provides a lot of information about what’s coming. This interactive map shows you events that are already scheduled. Click on the map markers to see what’s going on. Click on the downward arrow beside “All” in the bar at the top of the map to see what the various marker colors mean.
This week’s conference ends today with a reenactment of Virginia’s reaction to the closing of the Boston port by the British government in May 1774. That event is free and open to the public, beginning at 2:30 pm at the Capitol Circle on Duke of Gloucester Street before moving to the Raleigh Tavern. I plan to be there.
Exciting! I see a pattern of thought in your brain between this and our genealogy group. Hmmm... Also, Gates Hall is in the news. He's an impressive man. I just hope we have a building honoring a man of peace instead of the Secretary of the DOD. I know he's a good historian; just thinking...
Glad you covered this today. Am sorry (disappointed?) to say that altho there are many events taking place in Richmond and nearby places, I have seen no advertising or announcements ... at all. Don't know how much we will be able to do, but now we at least know about them. Good work!