Local historical societies have played a vital role in preserving United States history, and many of those who work in support of these organizations do so on a volunteer basis.
Expressions of support for local historical societies can go a long way toward helping them continue to fulfill their missions. Financial donations, letters to state and local political officials urging increased funding for historical societies, visits to local historical sites, and even volunteering to help organizations fulfill their missions are a handful of ways to ensure these groups can continue to make invaluable contributions to their communities and the nation.
C America’s semiquincentennial How to celeb rate and commemorate
ommemorations of America’s national history are part of annual celebrations of American independence that take place each year on July 4, which marks the anniversary of the nation’s birth. Those celebrations have a reputation for being particularly festive and tend to be capped off by aweinspiring fireworks displays once the sun sets on the Fourth of July.
The liveliness of annual celebrations of American independence figures to be taken up a notch in 2026, when the United States will celebrate its semiquincentennial. Two hundred and fifty years of nationhood warrants a particularly jovial celebration, and there are many ways Americans can commemorate and celebrate the nation on this momentous occasion.
Volunteer with local government.
Pitching in to help local government organizations planning semiquincentennial celebrations is another great way to honor America’s two hundred and fiftieth anniversary. The days and weeks surrounding July 4 will likely be filled with anniversary-related events and celebrations, but many communities also plan to commemorate the semiquincentennial throughout 2026, providing plenty of opportunities for volunteers of all ages to lend a hand.
Help digitize archival materials.
The modern world is accustomed to digital files and instant access to information, but the vast majority of records pertaining to American history and accounts of Americans’ personal experiences remain preserved on paper. Photos and documents wear down over time, and American archivists face an uphill battle as they work to digitize records for the purpose of long-term preservation. Anyone who wants to lend a hand and help to preserve local and national history can speak with a local library or university librarian about what’s being done to digitize historical accounts and records and offer to lend a hand with such efforts. If no such efforts are currently being undertaken in your community, offer to spearhead a digitalization project and recruit others to participate.
Explore the country.
Travel presents another great way to celebrate the nation on its two hundred and fiftieth birthday. The United States is a vast nation with many unique subcultures and local customs, not to mention countless locales that have featured prominently in American history. When planning vacations in 2026, resolve to stay within U.S. borders and seek ways to learn about the nation’s history during your travels.
Notable facts about the land of the free
The United States of America is often characterized as “the land of the free,” a characterization that serves as a feather in the cap of the nation that will celebrate its two hundred and fiftieth anniversary in 2026. Upon hearing the phrase “land of the free,” it’s understandable if thoughts immediately go to protected rights like freedom of speech, freedom of religion and freedom of the press. But what about the “land” in the land of free? As Americans prepare to celebrate their nation’s semiquincentennial, recognition of various geographical features of the land of the free can underscore why the United States of America is such a unique place to call home.
The tallest mountain in the world is in America.
Climbers who train for years in the hopes of one day making their way up Mount Everest might be surprised to learn the mountain located on the border between Koshi Province, Nepal and the Tibet Autonomous Region is not, in fact, the world’s tallest mountain. While Mount Everest is the highest mountain above sea level, the world’s tallest mountain is Mauna Kea, which is in the Hawaiian islands. According to the American Geography Portal, when measured from its base on the sea floor to its summit, Mauna Kea is more than 32,000 feet tall, topping Mount Everest by a few thousand feet.
Oregon is home to one of the world’s deepest lakes.
With a depth of approximately 1,950 feet, Crater Lake in south-central Oregon is the eleventh deepest lake in the world and the second deepest lake in North America. The National Park Service notes that Crater Lake, fed by rain and snow, is among the most pristine lakes on Earth, making it a popular destination for artists, photographers and sightseers.
Alaska’s location makes it a particularly unique place in the land of the free.
It may surprise no one to learn that Alaska features the northernmost point in all of the United States. But it may raise an eyebrow or two to learn that The Last Frontier contains both the easternmost and westernmost points in the country. The Prime Meridian is an imaginary line that divides the Earth into the eastern and western hemispheres. According to The State of Alaska, the westernmost point in the state, and thus the entire country, is Amatignak Island. Seventy miles away and still in Alaska, but on the other side of the meridian and thus technically in the eastern hemisphere, sits Pochnoi Point on Semisopochnoi Island, which is the easternmost point in the country.
You end up in the “same” place no matter which direction you go when departing Stamford, Connecticut.
Located in southwestern Connecticut, Stamford is in a notably unique geographic location. If you travel due east, due west, due south, or due north when departing Stamford, you will end up entering the same state: New York. This is the only place in all of the United States where traveling along the four compass points will leave you in the same place no matter the direction you choose.
America then and now
Celebrations of the two hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the United States of America will unfold throughout 2026. As millions join in the festivities, it can be fun to compare the nation in its infancy to the one that has since firmly established itself as a global leader.
• 1780: 2.8 million*
• 2025: 342 million**
* The National Archives note that the first decennial census of the United States was not taken until 1790, so the figure cited for 1780 is a widely accepted estimate of the burgeoning nation’s population during the opening years of the American Revolutionary War.
** This represents the U.S. Census Bureau population estimate as of late 2025.
According to the National Constitution Center, a series of resolutions passed by the Second Continental Congress in September 1776 officially cited the collective colonies fighting in the American Revolutionary War as the “United States.”
• 1776: 13
• 2026: 50
Debates regarding income taxes may seem like an ever-present component of American life, but colonists did not pay income tax in 1776. Though taxation was undeniably a notable issue throughout colonial America, the Tax Foundation notes the situation was considerably different in 1776 than it is today, when taxes are a highly debated component of American life. In 1776, the British Crown relied on tariffs and excise taxes to fund the American colonies, whereas modern Americans pay federal and, in most states, state income taxes to finance a range of public goods and services.
Has your home state produced a president?
(Odds are against you)
When President Donald Trump was sworn in as President of the United States for a second time on January 20, 2025, he officially became the forty-seventh president in the nation’s history. With 47 presidents and 50 states, one could not be blamed for thinking most states have a native son who has held the highest political office in the land. But the National Conference of State Legislatures notes that fewer than half the states in the union have been the birthplaces of presidents.
In fact, just two presidents were born west of the Mississippi River. Indeed, the following rundown indicates which states have produced presidents and who and how many claim those locales as their birthplace.
Virginia: 8 presidents
No state has produced more presidents than Virginia, which produced eight men who would go on to become U.S. presidents. Those eight men were:
• George Washington
• Thomas Jefferson
• James Madison
• James Monroe
• William Henry Harrison
• John Tyler
• Zachary Taylor
• Woodrow Wilson
• Warren Harding 8 7
Ohio: 7 presidents
Ohio is second to Virginia in terms of native sons who have gone on to the office of the presidency. Seven U.S. presidents were born in Ohio, and those who claimed the place now affectionately known as “The Buckeye State” as their birthplace include:
• Ulysses S. Grant
• Rutherford B. Hayes
• James Garfield
• Benjamin Harrison
• William McKinley
• William Howard Taft
5 4
New York: 5 presidents
Five U.S. presidents, including current president Donald Trump, were born in New York. President Trump’s fellow New Yorkers to serve as president include:
• Martin Van Buren
• Millard Fillmore
• Theodore Roosevelt
• Franklin Roosevelt
Massachusetts: 4 presidents
Massachusetts was home to many notable events during the American Revolutionary War, so it comes as no surprise that the state has produced four U.S. presidents over the nation’s history. Those four presidents include:
• John Adams
• John Quincy Adams
• John F. Kennedy
• George H.W. Bush
From the tenth president to… 2025?! John Tyler
John Tyler’s visage might not have survived on American currency the way images of various figures from America’s early history have, but the tenth president of the United States did manage to remain newsworthy well into the twenty-first century. Tyler, who was born in 1790 and served as President of the United States from 1841 to 1845, was a father of 15. Despite passing away in January 1862, less than a year after the start of the American Civil War, Tyler still had a living grandson at the start of 2025. Harrison Ruffin Tyler, who passed away on May 25, 2025, at the age of 96, was the last surviving grandchild of President Tyler. That means the period from President Tyler’s birth in 1790 until the death of his last surviving grandchild spanned nearly a quarter of a millennium.
An act of the United States Congress approved in 1800 continues to have an impact even today, when it’s still paying dividends for lawmakers, librarians, scholars, and the general public. As Congress prepared to move the national government from Philadelphia to Washington in 1800, founding father and then-President of the United States John Adams approved an act allocating $5,000 for books to be used by Congressmen. Thus marked the beginning of what is now known as the Library of Congress, which has since become the largest library in the world as well as the home of the U.S. Copyright Office. In 1802, President Adams’s successor, Thomas Jefferson, made the job of Librarian of Congress a presidential appointment, and it remains so today.
The Library of Congress continually adds to its collection, which currently consists of millions of books in roughly 470 languages.
America then and now
Celebrations of the two hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the United States of America will unfold throughout 2026. As millions join in the festivities, it can be fun to compare the nation in its infancy to the one that has since firmly established itself as a global leader.
• 1780: 2.8 million*
• 2025: 342 million
* The National Archives note that the first decennial census of the United States was not taken until 1790, so the figure cited for 1780 is a widely accepted estimate of the burgeoning nation’s population during the opening years of the American Revolutionary War.
** This represents the U.S. Census Bureau population estimate as of late 2025.
Land mass Transportation
Population States Income
According to the National Constitution Center, a series of resolutions passed by the Second Continental Congress in September 1776 officially cited the collective colonies fighting in the American Revolutionary War as the “United States.”
• 1776: 13
• 2026: 50
Debates regarding income taxes may seem like an ever-present component of American life, but colonists did not pay income tax in 1776. Though taxation was undeniably a notable issue throughout colonial America, the Tax Foundation notes the situation was considerably different in 1776 than it is today, when taxes are a highly debated component of American life. In 1776, the British Crown relied on tariffs and excise taxes to fund the American colonies, whereas modern Americans pay federal and, in most states, state income taxes to finance a range of public goods and services.
• 1783: 800,000 sq miles
• 2026: just under 3.6 million sq miles
The Times Atlas of World History indicates that the United States had an area of approximately 800,000 square miles in 1783. The country is considerably larger today, with a rough land mass of just under 3.6 million square miles according to the U.S. Census Bureau. To put that expansion since the nascent days of the nation in perspective, today the combined land mass of the country’s two largest states eclipses the land mass of the entire nation in the early 1780s. Alaska (estimated land mass 571,000 square miles) and Texas (262,000), with roughly 833,000 square miles between them, are larger than the total land mass of the United States in 1783.
• Late eighteenth century: Horses
• 2025: 298.7 million registered vehicles
The Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress notes that walking was the most common and cheapest mode of transportation in the late eighteenth century. Horses and wagons enabled business and distance travel, but such modes were only available to those who could afford it, greatly limiting who could get around by any means other than their own feet. Getting around in the present day is a little more accessible, and a recent analysis from Hedges & Company found there were 298.7 million registered vehicles in the U.S. in 2025.
Historic localesacross the United States
Americans will celebrate the two hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the United States in 2026. A semiquincentennial is a notable anniversary, and there’s been no shortage of noteworthy events throughout United States history. The places where many of those events took place have been preserved by local and national historical societies, and visiting such sites can make for a great way to gain a greater understanding of American history. The National Trust for Historic Preservation® works to maintain and revitalize historic sites, and that boasts a number of benefits. History buffs may insist there’s no experience quite like visiting a historic site and feeling an immediate connection to past eras and peoples. And such sites also provide a boost to local economies while helping to establish a shared sense of civic duty and belonging, which ultimately helps to build strong communities. With so much to gain from visiting historic locales, those celebrating 250 years of the United States can visit any of these sites across the country to bolster those celebrations.
• Historic Rural Schoolhouses of Montana, Montana:
The National Trust notes that each of Montana’s 56 counties still features at least one rural schoolhouse, many of which are one- or two-room buildings where generations of school-aged children were educated. A visit to one of these schoolhouses provides incredible context to what life in the state of Montana was like in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
• Ellis Island National Monument, New York, New York:
The National Trust reports Ellis Island in New York Harbor accommodated more than 12 million immigrants seeking new opportunities in the United States. Perhaps the most telling figure regarding the influence of Ellis Island concerns how many current Americans can trace their ancestry to immigrants who were processed at this globally recognized landmark. The National Trust estimates that at least 40 percent of Americans have an ancestor processed at Ellis Island.
• Ford Piquette Avenue Plant, Detroit, Michigan:
America has long had a love affair with automobiles, so any tour of historical sites in the United States should include a trip to the Ford Piquette Avenue Plant. The birthplace of the Model T, the Ford Piquette Avenue Plant is among the most significant automotive heritage sites across the globe. The museum features more than 65 rare vehicles and enough original automotive artifacts to impress anyone interested in an industry that helped to reinvent the United States and even the world.
• Blandwood Museum, Greensboro, North Carolina: Designed in 1844 by New York
architect Alexander Jackson Davis, Blandwood is America’s oldest Italianate-style house and museum. John Motley Morehead was the twenty-ninth governor of North Carolina and owner of the house, which was where North Carolina was surrendered during the Civil War, thus ending the conflict in the state. Human rights activist Dorothea Dix was among the many who visited Blandwood over the years, and Dix convinced Governor Morehead to fund a state hospital for people with mental illness.
• Cozens Ranch Museum, Fraser, Colorado:
History buffs with a passion for the era of the pioneers will want to add Cozens Ranch Museum to their travel bucket list. The Grand County Historical Association notes that former Central City sheriff William Zane Cozens moved to the Fraser Valley with his family in 1874 and soon set to building a residence, among other structures.
W ho Said It ?
Match the patriotic quote to the speaker
“America is another name for opportunity.”
“Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it.”
“Within the soul of America is freedom of mind and spirit in man. Here alone are the open windows through which pours the sunlight of the human spirit.”
“Give
me liberty, or give me death!”
“...there never was a good War, or a bad Peace.”
D.
E.
1. I was born in Virginia on April 28, 1758. I am the last Founding Father to serve as a president as well as the last president of the Virginia dynasty. Wildly popular, I won my second term almost unopposed, and I am known for my stable leadership.
2. I was born in Virginia on February 9, 1773 and went on to become the ninth president of the United States. Mine is known as the shortest presidency in United States history, despite the longest inauguration speech. I was commander in chief for just over 30 days.
3. I was born in Texas on October 14, 1890. I am known for my command of the Allied forces in Europe during World War II, and later for my two terms as President of the United States. During my presidency, I focused on maintaining peace and prosperity through a strong military and alliances.
4. I was born in Virginia on February 22, 1732. I became the commander of the Virginia Regiment during the French and Indian War. I was later instrumental in a movement against the oppression of the American colonists by the British Crown, and became commander in chief of the Continental Army.
Fun Facts
about some of the colonies that formed the U.S.
It’s been 250 years since the 13 colonies joined to form the United States of America, but those 13 territories continue to feature prominently throughout the country each and every day. That’s because the 13 stripes on the American flag represent the original 13 colonies.
The American flag serves as a visible reminder of the 13 colonies, and that’s not the only interesting fact about the territories that would become the United States of America.
There was a constitution that predates the United States Constitution.
ConnecticutHistory.org notes that the Connecticut Colony had a framework for government by the mid-seventeenth century not unlike the one that would be spelled out in the U.S. Constitution. The Fundamental Orders of Connecticut were adopted in 1639 and are considered the first written constitution in America. Roger Ludlow of Windsor is believed to have drafted the Fundamental Orders, which consisted of a preamble and 11 orders (or laws) and mirrored trading company charters common at the time. Notably, the Orders did not reference the authority of the crown.
A debt sparked the founding
of Pennsylvania.
After the restoration of the Stuart monarchy in 1660, Charles II of England took the throne. Money was tight at the time, so Sir William Penn, a British admiral, funded the rebuilding of the Royal Navy out of his own pocket. Charles II was petitioned for repayment by Sir William’s son, also named William Penn, twenty years later. But the younger Penn, who had become a Quaker by this point, requested land in lieu of funds, with a goal toward establishing a place where religious tolerance was rule. The king granted the younger Penn’s request in 1681, and decreed that the territory granted to Penn be named after his father. Thus, Pennsylvania got its name.
Colonial New Jersey was home to a notable rift in a famous family.
Benjamin Franklin was among the most renowned and recognizable of the Founding Fathers of the United States, and his commitment to the ideals of the burgeoning nation did not waver even when the conflict that became the American Revolutionary War divided his family. William Franklin was a son Benjamin fathered outside his common-law marriage to Deborah Read. Though William was raised by his father and Read, father and son did not see eye-to-eye on every issue, including the war. William, in fact, served as the thirteenth and final Colonial Governor of New Jersey, and remained a steadfast loyalist throughout the conflict. The prospects of victory were looking dim for loyalists by 1781, and William departed for England in 1782, never to return to New Jersey or the infant nation it became a part of. Curiously, William’s own son from an extra-marital relationship, William Temple Franklin, sided with his grandfather during the conflict, and even served Benjamin Franklin while the latter negotiated a pivotal alliance between America and France.
An era before presidential campaigns
Election Day is an annual event in the United States, and it’s one that generates particular excitement when presidential elections are held every four years.
The months and even years before a presidential election are typically marked by extensive campaigning by candidates hoping to be voted into the Oval Office, but the first man to serve as President of the United States never actually campaigned. George Washington served two terms as American president, but the Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army was chosen each time by the electoral college despite never campaigning for the job. According to the Miller Center at the University of Virginia, the political campaigns modern voters know well did not exist in 1788. Despite the lack of campaigning, Washington was the electoral college’s unanimous choice for president in 1789, a feat he repeated in 1792.
Rent was cheap in New Hampshire by the mid-eighteenth century. The colony of New Hampshire was so sparsely populated by the end of the French and Indian War in 1762 that Governor Benning Wentworth came up with a unique way to entice people to move to what’s now known as the Granite State. According to History.com, Wentworth recruited settlers by offering one-acre lots that required annual rental payments of just a single ear of Indian corn payable on December 25.
American Revolutionary War TRIVIA
• On which day were the battles at Lexington and Concord fought?
Answer: April 19, 1775
• True or False: Bunker Hill was fought on Bunker Hill.
Answer: False. Despite its name, the Battle of Bunker Hill on June 17, 1775, was fought on Breed’s Hill.
• The mercenary-like forces hired to fight alongside the British during the American Revolutionary War were known as what?
Answer: Hessians. Though soldiers from various German states were hired and deployed by the British during the conflict, the troops were principally drawn from the German state of Hesse-Cassel.
• This infamous figure was a decorated American military officer who rose to the rank of Major General during the American Revolutionary War.
Answer: Benedict Arnold. Though Arnold is today widely remembered as a turncoat, he accomplished much for the Americans before defecting to the British in 1780, including leading the capture of Fort Ticonderoga in 1775.
• Which of these notable rivers did George Washington lead his troops across on December 30, 1776?
A. The Hudson River
B. The Delaware River
C. The Rubicon
D. The Charles River
Answer: B. The Delaware River
• This Founding Father famously declared “Give me liberty, or give me death!” during a speech to the Second Virginia Convention in 1775.
A. Benjamin Franklin
B. Thomas Jefferson
C. John Adams
D. Patrick Henry
Answer: D. Patrick Henry
• True or False: The American Revolutionary War is the longest conflict in American military history.
Answer: False. While the eight-year-long conflict between the colonists and Great Britain that began in 1775 remained the longest war in American military history for nearly 200 years, the Vietnam War, in which America was engaged between 1960 and 1975, displaced it atop that list in the middle decades of the twentieth century. The invasion of Afghanistan, which began in 2001 and continued until 2021, has since become the longest conflict in American military history.
• True or False: Fewer than half of all colonists favored fighting for independence from Great Britain.
Answer: True. Though specific figures are hard to confirm, various historians estimate that only about 40 percent of colonists supported the American Revolutionary War, while roughly one in five identified as loyalists to the crown. The remaining 40 percent are believed to have held moderate views.
• This treaty, signed in 1783, marked the end of the American Revolution.
A. The Treaty of Versailles
B. The Treaty of Paris
C. The Treaty of Tordesillas
D. The Treaty of Accession
Answer: B. The Treaty of Paris.
• True or False: The Continential Congress declared its independence from Great Britain on July 2.
Answer: True. Though Americans annually celebrate the nation’s independence on July 4, the Continential Congress declared its independence on July 2, two days before signing the Declaration of Independence.
An enduring, ever-evolving symbol of The
freedom
American flag has been recognized across the globe as a symbol of freedom for centuries. The Stars and Stripes is recognizable to billions of people worldwide, but the flag has undergone many changes since the United States gained its independence from Great Britain. According to the National Flag Foundation, the national flag of the United States has been revised 27 times since American colonists fought for and won independence from British rule. Of course, many of those changes occurred when a new state or new states were added to the union. Each time a new state joined the union, the flag would have to be adjusted with the addition of an extra star. The 1777 flag included a star for each of the 13 colonies that eventually became one of the initial 13 states, but the modern flag now features 50 stars as representative of the 50 states. Though the flag certainly underwent many changes since the nation’s inception, the NFF notes the current flag has remained unchanged since 1960, when the 50-star version was officially adopted on July 4 in recognition of Hawaii becoming the fiftieth state in 1959.
