America’s 250th Celebration on Hold
Perhaps it's just as well.
AP (“Plans to celebrate America’s 250th anniversary were underway. Then came the federal funding cuts.“):
Community celebrations being planned to commemorate the nation’s 250th anniversary next year are at risk of being significantly scaled back or canceled because of federal funding cuts under President Donald Trump’s administration, according to multiple state humanities councils across the country.
The councils have been working on programming for America250, an initiative marking the milestone anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776. But the Republican administration’s deep cost-cutting effort across the federal government has led the National Endowment for the Humanities to cancel its grants for state humanities councils. That has left them with less money for programming to plan for the celebration, ranging from themed K-12 school curriculums to special events at public libraries.
“I cannot imagine how we’re supposed to have a national commemoration that’s meaningful for people where they live without the humanities being supported,” said Gabrielle Lyon, executive director of Illinois Humanities, the state’s humanities council.
“What is it going to mean for small towns and rural communities who were expecting the possibility of having grants to do special exhibits, special commemorations, their own programs, and speakers and performers? All of that is now extremely tenuous. And those are exactly the kinds of things people have been looking forward to.”
The head of Washington state’s humanities council said the NEH funding cuts appeared at odds with Trump’s focus on the commemorations. Earlier this year, the president signed an executive order creating a White House task force to plan a “grand celebration worthy of the momentous occasion of the 250th anniversary of American Independence.”
[…]
This month, the Trump administration’s Department of Governmental Efficiency, overseen by billionaire Trump adviser Elon Musk, placed roughly 80% of NEH staff members on administrative leave, according to the Federation of State Humanities Councils.
The NEH also sent letters to state humanities councils across the country saying their federal grants had been terminated. The halt in funding came during the middle of the fiscal year for thousands of organizations and is causing widespread changes in their programs, including planning for the 250th anniversary.
The DOGE strategy, to the extent it can be said to exist, appears to be to shoot first and ask questions later. They seem to be operating on the presumption that, if they break functions that were actually necessary and fire people whose expertise was actually essential, they can simply be restored. I question that premise but what do I know.
Those of us of a certain age have fond memories of the Bicentennial celebration in 1975-1976. At the time—and I was 9 and 10 years old, so my perspectives were that of a child—it seemed everywhere. There was a Bicentennial minute during the commercial breaks of every television show, a Bicentennial Quarter, and a $2 bill with Thomas Jefferson’s face on it. Hell, the Dallas Cowboys changed their helmet stripes to red, white, and blue.
A July 2020 press release from the National Park Service—during the first Trump administration—seemed to envision something similar:
The National Park Service (NPS) and the U.S. Semiquincentennial Commission (America 250) have partnered to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 2026. The partnership will enrich efforts to educate and inspire as the nation begins the countdown to the largest and most inclusive commemoration in the nation’s history.
The commemoration period will launch on July 4, 2020 and continue through 2026. During that time, America 250 and the NPS will work to connect nearly 350 million Americans, as well as millions of international friends, with the country’s heritage and continuing journey.
“Through the sites, stories, programs, and resources of the National Park Service, we are eager to work alongside America 250 to engage all voices in a dialogue about our country, its multifaceted history, and ongoing efforts to form a more perfect union,” said National Park Service Deputy Director David Vela exercising the authority of the Director.
“For many Americans, this July Fourth will look and feel very different,” said Daniel DiLella, Chairman, America 250. “These challenging times give us a unique opportunity to reflect on our shared history, and how each of our stories is woven together with the stories of all Americans. The National Park Service brings these stories to light through the deep cultural history of our National Park System, places where generations of Americans are reminded of our common ideals of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”
The people and places of the NPS preserve significant natural and cultural resources throughout the country. America 250 is the federal body tasked with commemorating and celebrating the nation’s 250th anniversary of independence. Together, they will work to promote shared stories and experiences and strengthen common bonds through programs, educational outreach, and signature events leading up to July 4, 2026.
This, mind you, was smack in the middle of the worst part of the COVID pandemic and very much followed the expressed wishes of Congress.
History working as it does, we’ll celebrate two notable 250ths this year: the Army Birthday (which happens to coincide with President Trump’s) on June 15th and the Marine Corps Birthday on November 10th. The Army has never emphasized its birthday in the way the Marines have, tending to emphasize unit and branch traditions over the service itself. I gather that there’s to be a big parade in honor of the first. The Marines have been pointing to the 250th for well over a year.
Given how much Trump likes pomp and circumstance, one imagines that we’ll still wind up with something big for America’s 250th. But it’s going to be hard to repair the damage done at the state and local level.
While it didn’t feel that way to me as a kid, in hindsight, the Bicentennial celebrations came at a particularly tendentious time in American history. The Vietnam War and Watergate were still fresh wounds, and we remained in the throes of “stagflation.” I’m not sure how much the hoopla over 1776 did to heal the country, but it was certainly a needed respite.
In many ways, things are worse today. And it’s not at all clear what about America we should be celebrating. The views of what “America” means are as polarized as everything else.
It would be less a celebration and more a funeral.
But if you want it back we just need to remind Trump that he can easily replace the American flag with his own logo, and clean up by selling worthless celebratory tchotchkes to MAGAts.
Maybe an audit of what they’ve been doing for the last 9 years is in order then adjust the funds
After all, 10 years to plan a party?
But of all the living current and ex-presidents, who better than Donald Trump to oversee the celebration of America’s past greatness?
@JKB:
Do you think no one notices how gutless you are? You creep around here looking for an opening that does not involve Trump’s disastrous economy, or his treasonous foreign policy, or his naked corruption.
We notice. We all notice, and we all know what you’re up to, and we all see your weakness.
I was living overseas, in SE Asia. The consulate had a party, I remember the cotton candy machine (not a regular street food in that region of the world–definitely a special treat) and it being a pretty crowded event. I still remember the logo–the Embassy must have received an allotment of bicentennial tchotchkes to use and distribute to the consulates.
@JKB: Curious if you’ve ever coordinated a 50 state event that also includes every US embassy and consulate?
I’m thinking no.
You have no experience in this area, so please sit down and be quiet about how long it takes.
Well, Trump will still get his own big birthday bash this year. That’s what is important, of course.
FWIW, the AP has done some reporting on the possibility of a 250 Army Anniversary/Trump birthday parade. For deficit hawks like @JKB (funny how you suddenly disappeared that moment the tariffs were announced… still interested in your take on Sowell’s scouring of Trump’s trade wars), it’s worth noting that the last time Trump considered doing a military parade, the estimated cost for that one day event was $92 million dollars.
Also known as “massive security and safety concerns.”
It’s really, really hard to do these types of things right, and yes, it can take YEARS of planning.
@Michael Reynolds: Don’t worry, MR. I am sure he will scoot over to one of my posts on Abrego Garcia’s continued unjust imprisonment and let me know what von Mises would have said, and let me know that the real problem was that I went to college.
I remember the bicentennial celebrations (I was 8). I remember asking when the next such celebration would be, and 20026 seemed impossibly far away. I never dreamed we would be commemorating 250 with a wannabe dictator in the WH.
@Steven L. Taylor: @Jen: I went to Lower Manhattan to watch the Tall Ships come in. It was a beautiful sunny day. With beer tents everywhere. I remember, in particular, the Beck’s Beer Tent. After that it was a little fuzzy. For some reason, on the way home, I missed my train stop on the Long Island RR.
@Steven L. Taylor:
Nobody had this on their bingo card, trust me. (And the usual protestations, “wannabe dictator is extreme/unnecessarily perjorative” begin in 3…2…1…)
I know this comment is unadulterated trolling, but it brought to mind this personal anecdote.
Last September, my family stopped in DC for a few days on route to a family wedding in Maryland. As part of our sightseeing, we visited the Lincoln Memorial as it was getting dark (as one should experience that majestic place). There was scaffolding up with signage explaining some refurbishment the building was getting ahead of the 250th national anniversary.
I remember thinking at the time (in my naive days when I thought my country couldn’t possibly return to high office a convicted felon, adjudicated rapist, twice impeached insurrectionist and profligate liar such as Trump), how cool it would be that the semiquincentennial celebration would include the first woman POTUS in its storied history. How beautifully symbolic of the nation rising above the darkest elements of its past it would have been to have this woman of color in front of the patriotic throngs. I would have been riveted to the screen and blindly proud of America.
Instead, the US will have this Nazi in charge of a celebration of himself. And I won’t want to witness any of it.
This seems to be yet another example where there’s an announced strategy, but then all the tactics completely undermine said strategy, and often contradict each other. And then the administration blames everyone else for the failures.
We buried my father on the Bicentennial. He dropped dead of a massive heart attack on July 1st on we buried him on his birthday, July 4th. He was 48. He was highly intelligent, very gung-ho America, a twice enlisted Marine and devoted father, but I think my mother broke him. He never recovered from their divorce, though his desperate jealousy made it inevitable.
Trump is doing his best to eliminate the contributions of women, POC, gays, trans people from our history so it’s likely a very sanitized history we celebrate. That said, it seems likely that the DOGE cuts end up with us spending more money as there is a scramble to replace stuff that was cut without much thought.
Steve
@just nutha:
Wait, wannabe dictator is too far? Dang, now I feel downright uncivil for calling him a Nazi.
I’ve vague memories of the bicentennial when it happened.
I grew aware of it years later, while reading science fiction, and catching up with space exploration.. the latter, because the Viking landers on Mars had bicentennial logos on them in addition to the US flag.
I’ve read three works written for the bicentennial. Asimov’s novelette The Bicentennial Man, and a short mystery called The Tercentenary Incident. Both are robot stories.
And then there’s Clarke’s Imperial Earth. The novel kicks off with an invitation to the President of Titan (Saturn’s moon) to attend the American quincentenary in 2276. He sends his grandson (of sorts), Duncan in his stead.
@Scott F.: As well you should. How can you say who’s a Nazi and who isn’t? Who left you in charge of deciding?
@JKB:
I move that this cretin gets un-invited based on this perversion.
@just nutha: if it walks like a duck, and talks like a duck, and is deporting undesirables to concentration camps outside the nation’s borders like a duck…
This is interesting to me for a couple reasons.
I graduated from HS in 1976 – our tassels were Red White and Blue. I still remember the hoopla, including the Movie that came out, “1776.”
More importantly – we are currently in the midst of the sequence of events that led to July, 1776.
This coming Saturday morning (4/19) at around 5:00am – 250 years ago – the battle at Lexington began and then moved on to Concord.
I’ve been keeping track of events as they happened; the Tea Party back in 2023 and the “Coercive Acts” (which weren’t actually an event but went on thru spring and early summer of last year). And now Lexington and Concord.
I’m currently trying to figure out how to attend the re-enactment…but Boston at 5:00am…a two hour drive from here.
A bunch of small squirmishes happened throughout spring and early summer, all part of what’s known now as the Boston Campaign, then the Battle of Bunker Hill happens in mid-June.
Anyway…it’ll be truly funny if “America First” fucks it all up.
The problem is easily solved. President Trump can issue a series of executive orders ending any commercial dealings between the federal government and numerous large corporations and their suppliers, unless they contribute hundreds of millions of dollars to the President D J Trump 250th Appeal, a not-for-profit run by Lara Trump and the Kushner boy. Government really has been simplified now presidents can openly engage in blatant extortion schemes without any serious opposition.