America 250

Bill of Rights

AMENDMENT I Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

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AMENDMENT II A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.

AMENDMENT III No Soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the Owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law.

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district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defence.

AMENDMENT VII In Suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury, shall be otherwise re-examined in any Court of the United States, than according to the rules of the common law.

AMENDMENT IV The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.

AMENDMENT V No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury,

AMENDMENT VI In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and

AMENDMENT VIII Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.

AMENDMENT IX The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.

AMENDMENT X The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.

Celebrating Frederick County’s place in USA history A special supplement of The Frederick News-Post

Gettysburg Address PRESIDENT ABRAHAM LINCOLN at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania Nov. 19, 1862 Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth, on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.

Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.

But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate— we can not consecrate—we can not hallow—this

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ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us— that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion—that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain—that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.

2 | July 1, 2026 | AMERICA AT 250

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4 | July 1, 2026 | AMERICA AT 250

The Lost Founder John Hanson and the Making of a Nation

By SHUAN BUTCHER

Special to The News-Post

A‌ statue that commemorates John Hanson outside the Frederick County Courthouse.

Few consequential figures in American history have slipped so quietly from public memory as John Hanson.

A son of Maryland’s tobacco country, Hanson was a tireless Patriot who AMERICA served across five decades and was one of the country’s “early presidents,” according to Peter Michael, a Frederick County resident who is a first cousin of Hanson, seven generations removed.

“He was one of the most prominent patriots of his time,” Michael said.

Hanson was born in Charles County, into a family whose descendants had risen to colonial prominence. According to Michael’s research, he was born at Mulberry Grove in 1715, in a house that dated to 1700.

He began his political career as sheriff of Charles County in 1750 and was soon elected to the Maryland General Assembly in 1757, a position he held for 12 years.

In 1769, at age 54, Hanson moved to Frederick County.

“The Stamp Act defiance that took place here caught his attention,” Michael said. “He chose Frederick County.”

According to Michael, Hanson arrived to the area around the same time as two other figures who would shape Maryland’s founding generation: Thomas Johnson and Thomas Sim Lee. His house on West Patrick Street in downtown Frederick was completed in the early 1770’s. It stood until 1981, when the current courthouse was constructed. “It was later rebuilt using some of the original bricks,” Michael said.

Once settled in Frederick, he also held a variety of offices, including deputy surveyor, sheriff, and county treasurer.

“He got elected to every office he ran for and even some offices he didn’t,” Michael said.

When relations between Great Britain and the colonies became a crisis in 1774, Hanson became one of Frederick County’s leading Patriots, chairing a town meeting that passed a resolution opposing the Boston Port Act. When actual fighting broke out, Photos by Shuan Butcher Hanson shifted from protest to mobilization.

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‌

The site on West Patrick Street where John Hanson’s home was.

With hostilities underway, Hanson chaired the Frederick County Committee of Observation, part of the Patriot organization that assumed control of local governance.

Responsible for recruiting and arming soldiers, Hanson proved to be an excellent organizer, and Frederick County sent the first southern troops to join George Washington’s army.

Because funds were scarce, Hanson frequently paid soldiers and others with his own money.

In June 1776, Hanson chaired the Frederick County meeting that urged provincial leaders in Annapolis to instruct Maryland’s delegates in the Continental Congress to declare independence from Great Britain.

After Maryland formed its new government in 1777, Hanson was elected a delegate from Frederick County and would serve there for five terms. A few years later, the House of Delegates sent Hanson to serve in the Second Continental Congress. He arrived in Philadelphia for that duty in June 1780.

By that time, the Articles of Confederation had been adopted, but not signed. Maryland was the last holdout preventing the document’s ratification.

The state, which did not have any claims on western land, refused to ratify the Articles until the other states had ceded their western land claims.

Michael said this was one of two

A plaque that commemorates the spot where John Hanson’s home was on West Patrick Street in Frederick. times when Hanson saved the nation.

When the other states finally ceded their claims, the Maryland legislature decided in January 1781 to ratify the Articles, and Hanson joined Daniel Carroll in signing the Articles of Confederation Maryland on March 1, 1781.

With Maryland’s endorsement, the

Articles officially went into effect.

Later that year, on Nov. 5, 1781, Hanson would be elected President of the United States in Congress Assembled.

George Washington congratulated his friend for being elected to “the most important seat in the United States.”

In this role as president, George Washington essentially reported to Hanson. “Hanson wrote to Washington more than anyone else,” Michael said.

Less than one month before Hanson assumed this new role, the British would surrender at Yorktown, essentially bringing the American Revolution to its end.

“Hanson had thought he was going to be a war president,” Michael said. “Instead, he did not inherit a functioning government.”

To understand what that office was, context matters. As Michael puts it, the founders had been deliberate about the shape of the new nation’s power: “Power flowed from the bottom up; not monarch down.”

There was no executive or judicial branch under the Articles, and the president of the legislature was mostly ceremonial and official.

As John Adams observed of the period, and as Michael quotes in his book: “John Adams referred to the 1780s as the most critical decade of our nation.”

Michael elaborates: “We launched not one, but two governments. Two governments successfully created in that decade.”

The first, under the Articles of Confederation, proved insufficient for dealing with world affairs — the founders realized quickly that to engage diplomatically, you needed a head of state with real authority.

But that first government was not a failure. It was a proving ground. “They realized it wasn’t working.”

Hanson retired from public service when his one-year term ended and returned to Maryland, where he died on Nov. 15, 1783. He was 62.

“He has been buried three times,” Michael said. “He is the only president whose grave has been lost.”

But Michael, along with fellow researchers, may have recently located the final resting place of Hanson.

Michael has spent years researching his ancestor’s life, ultimately writing “Remembering John Hanson,” which was published in 2012.

“We know the 47 presidents of the second government,” Michael said.

“But most people don’t know the ‘early presidents.’ There were nine of them in seven years under the first government.”

In 2009, Michael created the John Hanson Memorial Association to commission a national memorial to Hanson.

“There was only one public monument dedicated to him,” Michael said, which was in Statuary Hall in the U.S. Capitol, as one of two Maryland statues. They commissioned Maryland artist and sculptor Toby Mendez to bring Hanson’s likeness back to the county he chose.

Hanson came to Frederick deliberately, into a place that was restless and ready, and he spent the rest of his life in service to this nation.

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Patriots New book highlights Revolutionary War figures

By JILL GARTZ

Special to The News-Post

A gravestone for Thomas Johnson

A grave marker for John Lynn

A grave marker for Peter Mantz

Mount Olivet Cemetery is the eternal resting place of past politicians, preachers, noted business people, lawyers, educators, inventors, and soldiers, too. It’s often referred to as “Frederick’s Other City.”

AMERICA A new book focusing on the patriots of the Revolutionary War is being added to the amazing history of this cemetery, which opened in 1852 and had its first burial in 1854.

The book covers Revolutionary War patriots from 1775 to 1783.

There are 41 of them buried at the cemetery.

Dorothy “Dottie” Olson is the author of a book, which has a working title of “Frederick’s Other City — Revolutionary Patriots of Mount Olivet Cemetery.”

Chris Haugh, the cemetery historian, asked her a couple of years ago to help research the patriots there.

“I clean stones at the cemetery, and it just sparked my curiosity about people who are buried there,” Olson said. “As a DAR member, this project, Photos from Dorothy Olson when Chris came to me with it, seemed to hit all the marks.”

The DAR, or Daughters of the American Revolution, was founded in 1890 with the simple mission of promoting historic preservation, education, and patriotism.

“There are interesting headstones out there,” Olson said. “When you’re cleaning the headstones, you get introduced to a name.”

That will spark a question. “Who was this person, what did they do, and what was their life like,” Olson said. “Researching that answered some of those questions.”

Olson said the book helps preserve history. “These men sacrificed a lot to support the cause of independence. By knowing the history of the individuals in an area, it helps you keep a connection to their values and the foundation that Frederick was built on.”

Patriots featured in the book include Henry McCleery, who built wooden coffins for Maryland soldiers who died at the Battle of Long Island; Thomas Johnson, who served as Maryland’s first elected governor, an early and active supporter of the independence movement; Officer Captain Peter Mantz, who served with the Maryland Flying Camp and

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Revolutionary War Patriots Provided by Dorothy Olson

A tombstone for Henry McCleery The book is expected to be around 140 pages. It includes a bio on each of the Revolutionary War patriots.

Olson said the most important piece she included was the source references. “A lot of them are primary documents that prove their service.

These documents will help people in their genealogy quest,” she said.

“There are people buried there that we know about, but there are also other names that are not as well known,” she said. “All (the patriots) deserve to receive some type of credit for what they did for us and for what A grave marker for John Lynn we have today.”

Olson said that when she took on later the Maryland Line; and Colonel the project, she thought to herself, John Lynn, who sustained a severe and disabling wound in active combat. “If I could get the names together, it would be a way for anybody who Olson said some patriots signed wanted to know about the people who an “Oath of Fidelity,” pledging their were buried there, who were in the loyalty to this new independence.

Revolution,” to find the information in The DAR defines a patriot as any one place. person who supported the cause She added: “They wouldn’t have of independence during the to go and do all the research. It would Revolutionary era. already be done.”

The headstones of the Olson said the book is expected Revolutionary War soldiers are some to be available at Mount Olivet of the oldest at Mount Olivet. Olson Cemetery, Visit Frederick, Heritage said they are made of marble, but Frederick, and local libraries, among the headstones have degraded over other places. There’s no word yet on time, and some families have replaced the cost, or how many copies will be them. made.

Upon entering the cemetery, you’ll The Mount Olivet website says start seeing marble headstones from nearly 40,000 graves are now occupied the 1700s, then marble and granite at the historic cemetery, rivaling the mixed, and then just granite, which living population in the state capital was used in the 1800s. of Annapolis. If you want to look up a Next, you’ll see the mausoleum, name, Mount Olivet has over 99% of and finally a green burial section. its burials already listed on https:// “You see the progression of time as www.findagrave.com. you drive through the cemetery,” The cemetery has eight miles of Olson said. paved roadway that crisscross the The cemetery also has tombstones spacious cemetery grounds. Many from the early 1800s. Olson said hikers, runners, and bicyclists enjoy these bodies were moved from other the property. More information about the cemetery can be found at www. cemeteries that closed, most notably mountolivetcemeteryinc.com. the All Saints Cemetery.

Henry McCleery (Patriot, Frederick County)

Captain Peter Mantz (Maryland Line Officer)

Henry McCleery is remembered as an architect and prolific builder associated with a number of early structures in Frederick and in Washington, D.C. In Frederick, his work included the Frederick County Courthouse, the second All Saints’ Episcopal Church and the Presbyterian Church, as well as numerous taverns and dwellings.

The Perry Beall McCleery House on East Patrick Street still bears his name, while the former Potts residence at West Church and North Court streets stands as part of his portfolio. His work, visible in brick, timber, and steeple, helped shape Frederick as a growing American town.

During the Revolutionary period, McCleery provided wooden coffins for Maryland soldiers who died at the Battle of Long Island. While not a combat role, this act represents an important form of patriotic service, supporting those who gave their lives in the cause of independence.

His story serves as a reminder that contributions to the Revolution extended well beyond the battlefield.

Captain Peter Mantz served with the Maryland Flying Camp and later the Maryland Line during the Revolutionary War. He commanded a company that took part in the New York campaign, including engagements at Long Island, Harlem Heights, and White Plains.

Mantz’s service represents the experience of many Maryland soldiers who served in the field during the early and difficult campaigns of the war.

While not widely known today, his role as a company commander placed him directly in the actions that helped sustain the Continental Army during critical moments of the conflict.

Thomas Johnson (Patriot and Statesman) Thomas Johnson is one of the most recognizable figures connected to Frederick and the Revolutionary era. He served as Maryland’s first elected governor and was an early and active supporter of the independence movement.

Although associated with the Continental Congress, he did not sign the Declaration of Independence, as he was called back to Maryland to take on leadership responsibilities within the state.

Johnson played a key role in organizing Maryland’s government during the Revolutionary period and later served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court under President George Washington. His career reflects the importance of leadership at both the state and national levels during the nation’s founding.

Colonel John Lynn (Wounded Revolutionary War Officer) Colonel John Lynn served with the Maryland Line during the Revolutionary War, taking part in major southern campaigns, including Camden, Guilford Courthouse, and Eutaw Springs.

At Eutaw Springs, he sustained a severe and disabling wound, making him one of the few patriots in this group known to have been injured in active combat.

Following the war, he returned to Maryland and established his life on the western frontier.

Though his Continental rank was captain, he was long remembered locally as “Colonel,” a title preserved on his grave.

His remains were later reinterred at Mount Olivet Cemetery, where a DAR marker honors his service. His story reflects both the personal sacrifice endured by those who fought in the Revolution and the lasting legacy carried forward by those who survived it.

Jill Gartz is a freelance journalist, radio news anchor and blog writer. She has a lengthy background in radio news and now owns her own business, Write4U!MtAiry. Gartz also enjoys hiking and reading. She can be reached through write4umtairy. com.

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Hessian Barracks One of Maryland’s last non-residential colonial buildings is in Frederick

By JAMES RADA JR.

Special to The News-Post

As the tide of the Revolutionary War started to flow in favor of the American colonists, they began capturing enemy soldiers. Those prisoners needed to be kept somewhere.

Maryland had approved the construction of barracks for the local militia in Frederick. Abraham Faw was hired for 1,500 pounds on June 27, 1777 to build the AMERICA two L-shaped buildings.

Two months later, it was decided that the barracks would be used to house prisoners of war. Hessian soldiers (1,104 from the Anspach Battalion and 807 from the Crown Prince & Von Bose Regiments) were the first prisoners sent there.

In anticipation of the prisoners, around 100 huts were constructed to provide additional housing.

Frederick had a significant German population at the time. The decision to send German prisoners to the town wasn’t just because of the barracks; it was also strategic.

“The strategy of locating the captives near German speaking communities was meant to create their greater involvement in those communities and to covertly encourage desertions; the more desertions, the fewer prisoners to manage. The more men that could be hired out into the community, the less rations needed to be supplied,” Marie Rasnick Fetzer wrote in her paper “The Hessian Barracks at Winchester, Virginia and Frederick, Maryland.”

Not only did that happen in Frederick, but the prisoners became a boon to the local economy. According to The (Frederick) News, many of the prisoners were hired to work on farms and use their craftsmen skills.

The Hessians became a welcome part of the community, so much so that the barracks where they stayed eventually became inextricably linked with them.

British prisoners also joined the Hessians at Frederick, and the cordial relations continued.

“The absence of eligible young bachelors from the area away at the war made the British officers sought after additions to local balls,” The News reported.

However, when news of a popular local man being killed in the war reached Frederick, things changed.

“His loss, as well as the loss of many men who fought with him, embittered the local populace against the British and the British returned the ill-will after being

Staff file photo by Bill Green

Built in 1777, the historic Hessian Barracks held captured Hessian soldiers during the Revolutionary War, then it housed a state armory, the county fair, a Civil War hospital, and the Maryland School for the Deaf. Now it’s a National Historic Site on the school’s Frederick campus.

From Library of Congress

The Hessian Barracks rudely rebuffed several times by the local people,” according to The News.

Restrictions on the soldiers tightened, as they were treated more like prisoners than residents.

This lasted until the end of the war and the signing of the Treaty of Paris.

The last of the prisoners left Frederick at noon on May 13, 1783.

Following the American victory in the Revolutionary War, the Hessian Barracks continued to be used as a military prison.

During the undeclared Quasi-War with France on the seas, captured sailors were imprisoned at the barracks in 1799.

British prisoners were there during the War of 1812.

No one seemed sure how to use barracks long-term, though.

At different times during the 1800s, the barracks were used as an armory and for silkworm production. The parade grounds between the two buildings served as the county Agricultural

Fairgrounds from 1853 to 1860.

During the Civil War, the Hessian Barracks were used as a hospital where both Confederate and Union soldiers were cared for at various times.

When the Civil War ended, the Hessian Barracks were used for their original purpose, which was to house the Maryland militia. This soon changed, though, and the barracks soon became storage rooms.

In 1871, one of the aging barracks was demolished to make room for the main building of the Maryland School for the Deaf, which was established in 1868.

Some of the materials from the barracks were used in the construction of the School for the Deaf buildings.

Over the next few years, the remaining barrack was used as classrooms and teacher housing.

In 1931, the barrack was turned into a museum focused on local history. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971.

In preparation for America’s Bicentennial in 1976, the barrack was renovated and rededicated on June 27, 1976 — 199 years after the original contract had been awarded.

Today, the remaining barrack is still on the grounds of the Maryland School for the Deaf.

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AMERICA 250 How we celebrate this historic milestone in our city.

10 | July 1, 2026 | AMERICA AT 250

Charles Carroll of Carrollton

Frederick County’s signer of the Declaration of Independence

By SHUAN BUTCHER

Special to The News-Post

On July 4, 1826, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson both serendipitously died, exactly 50 years after they both approved the Declaration of Independence.

Upon their deaths, only one of the 56 founders who AMERICA pledged their “lives, fortunes, and sacred honor” to this new nation was still around — Charles Carroll of Carrollton, a property owner in Frederick County.

When Carroll pressed his pen to the Declaration of Independence in August 1776, he did something none of his fellow signers had to do: He added his address.

Supposedly, after the signing, a bystander remarked that since there were many Charles Carrolls in Maryland, the British would have difficulty knowing which one to hang.

Carroll allegedly replied that he had given them no difficulty at all — and wrote “of Carrollton” beside his name.

Whether the exchange happened precisely that way, the gesture was a statement that Carroll was deliberate and unafraid.

“He was the only one who wrote his address on the document to distinguish himself,” said John George, a longtime educator with Frederick County Public Schools and Hood College. George’s interest in Carroll began in 1982, when George was the principal at Carroll Manor Elementary School.

Carroll was born in Annapolis on September 19, 1737, into one of the most prominent Catholic families in colonial America. His father, Charles Carroll of Annapolis, had accumulated an extraordinary fortune in Maryland’s tobacco economy. “The family owned property in Maryland, as well as Pennsylvania and New York,” George said.

Young Charles was sent abroad at age 10 for an education. “He went to Europe for 16 years to study,” George said.

Carroll would study at the Jesuit College of St. Omer in France, then at Rheims, Paris, and finally read law at the Inner Temple in London.

He returned to Maryland in 1765 — a broadly educated, intellectually formidable man of 27 — and stepped into a colony on the verge of From Smallbones via Wikimedia Commons revolution.

“Early on, Maryland was a A sculpture of Declaration of Independence signer Charles Carroll, part of the Catholic Total Abstinence Fountain in Fairmount welcoming home for different Park, Philadelphia. religions,” George said.

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A depiction of signatures to the Declaration of Independence. Under John Hancock’s signatures are the four signatories from Maryland, including Charles Carroll of Carrollton.

But that changed. When Carroll wanted to enter public life, Maryland law barred Catholics from voting, holding office, or practicing law. It was a peculiar position for a man who owned tens of thousands of acres and stood among the richest colonists in John George spent 47 years North America. in education — 33 years with On the eve of the Revolution, Frederick County Public Schools as his fortune would be equivalent to a teacher and administrator and 14 millions of dollars today. Even that years at Hood College. amount of wealth did not shield him He received a doctorate degree from civic exclusion, which sharpened in Educational Leadership from his frustration with arbitrary American University and was authority. in charge of the social studies Writing under the pen name “First curriculum at FCPS. Citizen,” Carroll entered public debate A member of the Sgt. Lawrence through the press arguing with such Everhart Chapter of the Sons of precision and force that he effectively the American Revolution, George would win the debate in the court has been interested in history for of public opinion. He was a colonial decades. celebrity.

In 2014, George started writing Among Carroll’s vast landholdings a paper on Charles Carroll of was Carrollton Manor, a working Carrolton and presented it to the plantation situated in Frederick local Torch Club. He has given talks County. on the signer at Hood College, the “His father gave him 12,000 acres,” DAR, and recently to the SAR. George said. “He actually had success He will be presenting it again on by planting wheat.”

Oct. 8, 2026, at a Heritage Frederick The manor was actively farmed, event that is free and open to the with tenant families working the land public. under lease arrangements managed On Oct. 24, St. Joseph’s on

by Carroll’s agents. It was from this Carrollton Manor will also host From The Lord Baltimore Press, 1937 property that he took his distinguishing special programming and tours surname — “of Carrollton” — making of the property to commemorate An image of Charles Carroll of Frederick County soil, in a real sense, the 250th birthday of America.

Carrollton, from a 1937 exhibition at the ground on which his identity stood.

Learn more about both events at the Baltimore Museum of Art. The manor gave Carroll a direct frederickhistory.org. economic and personal stake in the western Maryland interior at a time when that region was developing were off the trees,” George said.

On the property, the stone manor rapidly.

Land owned by Carroll would house owned by Carroll was known as According to George, Carroll also also be donated for what is now Tuscarora. “You could see the manor had approximately 250 enslaved St. Joseph’s on Carrollton Manor, house from the school when leaves laborers.

Presentation planned

according to George. Mass was held in the old stone church by November 1822.

Frederick County also figured into Carroll’s Revolutionary-era travels.

In early 1776, the Continental Congress sent Carroll as part of a commission to Canada — alongside Benjamin Franklin, Samuel Chase, and a Jesuit priest, Father John Carroll, his cousin — in an effort to bring the Canadian colonies into the rebellion.

The party traveled through Maryland on their way north, passing through country that Carroll knew well.

The mission ultimately failed; Quebec’s French Catholic population was not persuaded to join an the colonists’ rebellion.

But the journey demonstrated Congress’s trust in Carroll and his willingness to serve in demanding, uncertain conditions.

In July 1776, Carroll was elected to the Continental Congress, arriving just in time to vote for independence.

He signed the Declaration on Aug. 2, 1776, alongside the majority of delegates.

His signature — bold, clear, and annotated with his home — stood as a statement that the wealthiest man in the colonies was prepared to stake everything on the outcome. The British, had they won, would have seized his estates without hesitation.

Carroll understood this. He had calculated the risk and made his choice. ”He even pledged to finance the revolution,” George said.

His contributions to the (See CARROLL 12)

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From Rbuske via Wikimedia Commons

ABOVE: Charles Carroll’s manor house on Carrollton Manor. LEFT: A painting of Charles Carroll of Carrollton, oil on canvas, by Michael Laty (1826-1848), circa 1846.

(CARROLL from 11) Revolutionary cause extended beyond the symbolic.

In Maryland, he served on the state’s Committee of Safety, helping to organize the colony’s military and logistical preparations. He worked on the drafting of Maryland’s state constitution in 1776, helping to shape the governmental framework the new state would carry forward.

He was a voice for moderation and order within the patriot coalition — deeply committed to independence, but equally committed to ensuring the revolution produced stable republican governance rather than mob rule.

Carroll would go on to serve in the United States Senate as one of Maryland’s original senators from 1789 to 1792, though he resigned when Maryland passed a law prohibiting simultaneous state and federal office-holding.

He remained active in commerce and agriculture through his later decades. In 1828, at 90 years old, he laid the ceremonial first stone for

the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad — another transit through his beloved Maryland terrain.

On Nov. 14, 1832, Carroll died at 95 years old. He was the last surviving signer of the Declaration of Independence. “Carroll was also the only signer of the Declaration of Independence who was Roman Catholic,” George said.

In Frederick County, the memory of Carrollton Manor endures in place names and local history, a reminder that the man whose signature closed the list of signers was not a distant Philadelphia figure, but a Maryland landowner with acres of Frederick County ground beneath his feet.

He had risked all of it — the manor, the fortune, the family name — on a document that declared, in plain language, that men were not born to be governed without their consent.

“He was our signer,” George said.

“His name should be among the likes of Francis Scott Key and Barbara Fritchie.”

SNAPSHOTS of HISTORY

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Record Street Building.

(Inscription reads: “Repudiation of Stamp Act recorded in this building, Frederick, Md.”)

A portrait of Daniel Dulany the Elder, who laid out FrederickTown in 1745.

A drawing o f the Frederick County Courthouse, circa 1785.

An 1876 copy of the Duvall Plat of Frederick Town, surveyed in 1782.

The historic Old Stone Tavern stood at the corner of West Patrick and Court streets.

It hosted prominent figures lsuch as General Braddock in 1755 and George Washington in 1791.

A deed from Caspar Mantz. Mantz (1776–1839) was a prominent and exceptionally wealthy landowner and businessman in Frederick. He was also a key figure in one of the area’s most affluent early families.

Photos provided by Heritage Frederick. Sources: Maryland State Archives, Historical Society of Frederick County, Heritage Frederick, mountolivethistory.com

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Lawrence Everhart The Fredericktonian who helped save the American Revolution

By JAMES RADA JR.

Special to The News-Post

A young soldier from Middletown helped keep the dream of an independent country alive during the American Revolution.

The Marquis de Lafayette was a French aristocrat who fought with the colonists during AMERICA the war. He proved to have a keen military mind that helped the colonists avoid defeat against the bettertrained and larger British Army.

During the decisive Battle of Yorktown, Lafayette’s small force harassed and contained Lord Cornwallis’s larger British Army, preventing it from escaping or getting reinforcements.

The delaying action allowed time for colonial reinforcements to reach de Lafayette. The British were forced to surrender, and the colonists won the war and their independence.

This may not have happened if not for Sgt. Lawrence (sometimes written as Laurence) Everhart.

Born in Middletown on May 6, 1755, the tall and muscular Everhart looked like a soldier, and when he enlisted with “The Flying Camp,” headed by Capt. Jacob Goode as a private on August 1, 1776, in Taneytown, he became one.

According to an article about Everhart by David Buie, numerous accounts attest to his bravery and skill. “According to colleagues, he was offered promotions but refused them due to his lack of formal education and military training,” From Findagrave.com Buie wrote.

Everhart’s first battle was at White Sgt. Lawrence Everhart’s memorial in Plains, N.Y., in October 1776.

Middletown British Gen. William Howe landed troops in Westchester County, N.Y., intending to block Gen. George Washington’s retreat from New York City and capture the Continental Army between two British armies. Washington learned of this and pushed his men even further north, but Everhart was wounded during the fighting and captured.

Luckily, he and several others were able to escape later and rejoin the Continental Army.

Lafayette’s first combat wasn’t until the following year at the Battle of Brandywine on September 11, 1777.

Washington’s and Howe’s troops William Washington clashed once again in the largest

From Middletown Valley Historical Society

Sgt. Lawrence Everhart battle of the Revolutionary War. It was another loss for the Continental Army that led to the British capturing Philadelphia.

During the Continental Army’s retreat, Lafayette was shot in the thigh. His capture or death could have broken the French support for the colonists during the war.

However, Everhart, along with Sgt. Andrew Wallace, saw Lafayette’s predicament. They made their way

to Lafayette, picked him up, and carried him two miles to safety, where he could be treated for his wound, according to the epitaph on his gravestone.

Although Lafayette later downplayed the wound, it took him two months to recover and return to the field. It is likely that had Everhart and Wallace not saved him, Lafayette would have died from blood loss or infection.

AMERICA AT 250 | July 1, 2026 | 15

From Wikimedia Commons

ABOVE: Although this scene did not take place, it is a painting by Don Troiani of Marquis de Lafayette being comforted by Gen. George Washington after he was wounded at the Battle of Brandywine. RIGHT: Part of a monument to Sgt. Lawrence Everhart at Zion Lutheran Cemetery, where he is buried The rescue also created a friendship between Everhart and Lafayette. When Lafayette visited Frederick in 1824 during his American farewell tour, Everhart led the parade in his honor and received a prominent seat at a banquet in Lafayette’s honor.

Everhart’s heroics did not end at Brandywine.

When his enlistment ended, he re-enlisted in a cavalry regiment that Lt. Col. William Washington (George Washington’s cousin) formed in Fredericktown in Cecil County.

Everhart received the rank of sergeant and served as an aide to

Washington.

The regiment fought in skirmishes throughout the South, usually going up against Lt. Col. Banastre Tarleton’s men. This back and forth culminated in the Battle of Cowpens in South Carolina in 1781, during which the British wounded and captured Everhart, according to Lucy Bittinger in The Germans in Colonial Times.

While a captive, he told an officer that he “hoped to God that it would be another Tarleton defeat.”

(See EVERHART 16)

16 | July 1, 2026 | AMERICA AT 250

From Findagrave.com

Sgt. Lawrence Everhart’s memorial (EVERHART from 15)

Marquis de Lafayette

The British officer replied, “I am Colonel Tarleton, sir!”

Everhart shot back, “And I am Sgt. Everhart!”

He escaped and made his way back to his unit and the battle, but then he was wounded once again.

“Hurt a second time, Everhart disabled a British soldier who was in the act of striking Washington and was wounded a yet third time before the encounter concluded,” Buie wrote.

The colonists won this battle decisively and gave the British their worst defeat to that point in the war.

Everhart was also in Yorktown to see the war conclude in 1781 and to reunite with Lafayette.

Despite Everhart’s military aptitude, he left the military at the end of the war. He returned home to Middletown, married Mary Ann Beckenbaugh, and moved forward in life.

Having fought for peace and independence for his country, Everhart now sought to maintain it within himself. He was ordained a minister in the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1808.

From that point on, he faithfully served God until his death in 1855 at the age of 85, living up to one of the lines of his epitaph on a large memorial in Zion Lutheran Cemetery in Middletown. The line reads: “He was generous and just in all his relations of life.”

He is still remembered today, not just because of the memorial. The Sons of the American Revolution From Wikimedia Commons chartered a Frederick County chapter in 1920 that is named after Everhart.

AMERICA AT 250 | July 1, 2026 | 17

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Stamp Repudiation Day Frederick County was the first to say ‘no’ to unfair taxation

By JAMES RADA JR.

Special to The News-Post

Most people wouldn’t think of Frederick County as a place where revolution was fomented. It is often forgotten amid other places like Boston and Philadelphia.

However, when the British Parliament passed the Stamp Act in 1765, the American colonists were not happy when the news reached them.

The Stamp Act revenue was supposed to finance the costs of keeping British troops in North America. It was the first internal tax levied directly on American colonies. It required all official documents in the colonies be printed on a specially stamped paper.

The news of this tax reached Maryland in May 1765, when the text of the act was printed in the Maryland Gazette. Newspapers like the Gazette opposed the AMERICA act because they also would have to be printed on the taxed paper, increasing their costs.

The stamped paper arrived in Maryland in October 1764, shortly before the act was to take effect Nov. 1.

Mike Maharrey wrote in a Tenth Amendment Center article that between May and October, the citizens’ anger over the Stamp Act had “reached the point that Gov. Horatio Sharpe was afraid the colonists would destroy the paper if it was offloaded. He requested that the stamped paper remain onboard the ship until the situation cooled off. As a result, when Nov. 1, the effective date of the Stamp Act rolled around, there was no stamped paper available in the Maryland colony.”

In mid-November 1764, 12 magistrates of the Frederick County court ordered a man to be released on bail and directed court clerk John Darnall to draw up the paperwork for the court. With no official stamped paper available, Darnall said that his office couldn’t conduct any official business until it received the paper, essentially bringing legal and commercial business to a halt in the county.

The magistrates ordered him to continue without the stamped paper.

When Darnall refused, he was found in contempt of court and jailed. After a night in jail, he said he would comStaff file photos by Ric Dugan ply, paid a fine, and was released.

On Nov. 23, the magistrates unanDottie Olson, left, and Sharon Suarez read a script during a 2025 reenactment of Frederick County’s stand against the British Stamp imously ruled that the Stamp Act would be ignored. The stated two Act of 1765. The reenactment celebrated the 260th anniversary of Repudiation Day and took place at Frederick’s City Hall, which reasons for this decision: 1) There formerly was the county courthouse.

AMERICA AT 250 | July 1, 2026 | 19

Staff file photo by Ric Dugan

Carol Darick, representing the Carrollton Manor Chapter DAR, holds a sign during the 260th anniversary of Repudiation Day reenactment at Frederick City Hall in 2025. The event was in recognition of Frederick County’s stand against the British Stamp Act of 1765. had been no formal notice of the act’s passage and implementation and 2) It was impractical to halt all business in the county because no stamped paper was available.

Their ruling read, in part: “It is the unanimous resolution and opinion of this Court that all business thereof shall

and ought to be transacted in the usual and accustom manner without any inconvenience or delay to be occasioned from the want of stamped paper, parchment of vellum and that all proceedings shall be valid and effectual without the use of stamps, and they enjoin and order all sheriffs, clerks, counsellors, attorneys

and all officers of the court to proceed in their several avocations as usual which resolution and opinion are grounded on the following reasons.”

This was the first act of revolt against the Stamp Act, and it was done by simply ignoring it.

Some historians believe this act of re-

pudiation was actually a bit of theatrics.

Ryan Bass and Pat Barron wrote in their article “Repudiation of the Stamp Act”: “Darnall had served in that capacity as court clerk since the founding of the county in 1748. One of the sitting magistrates for the November 1765 Court Term was James Dickson, who was Darnall’s son-in-law. As Millard M. Rice points out in his book This Was the Life, a careful reading of the court proceedings prior to Nov. 18, 1765 shows no evidence of anyone at the Frederick County Court having a concern about conducting legal business without the Stamp Act paper.

“The justices selected one seemingly insignificant case on which to make their ruling. The justices refer to ‘this Province,’ implying an expansion beyond the boundaries of Frederick County, and an indication there may have been others, at a higher level of government, involved in formulating the decision. One can speculate the justices, besides seeking an opportunity to snub the Stamp Act, also were providing Darnall some political cover by ‘forcing’ him to accept the court’s ruling.”

The 12 magistrates who defied the law have become known as “The Twelve Immortals.” They are: Thomas Beatty, Peter Bainbridge, Josiah Beall, Samuel Beall, William Blair, James Dickson, Andrew Heugh, Charles Jones, William Luckett, David Lynn, Thomas Price and Joseph Smith.

A week after they took their stand against unfair taxation, the people of Frederick Town showed their support.

They held a mock funeral, in which they buried a copy of the Stamp Act with an effigy of a royal tax collector on the grounds of the county courthouse, which is now where Frederick City Hall is located.

The “Colours of the Towns Company” and drummers led the procession, followed by the townspeople, who car(See REPUDIATION 20)

LEFT: Jeanie Falletta, left, and others parade Sunday through downtown Frederick during a 260th anniversary of Repudiation Day reenactment in 2025. RIGHT: Frederick County Sheriff Chuck Jenkins places handcuffs on Frederick County Circuit Court Clerk Sandy Dalton, who was portraying John Darnall, during a 2025 reenactment. Darnall was a clerk of the Frederick County court in 1765 who refused to disobey the British Stamp Act.

20 | July 1, 2026 | AMERICA AT 250

Staff file photos by Ric Dugan

A reenactment to commemorate the 260th anniversary of Repudiation Day was held at Frederick City Hall in 2025. The event was in recognition of Frederick County’s stand against the British Stamp Act of 1765.

(REPUDIATION from 19) ried a large banner followed by a coffin covered in anti-Stamp Act slogans. This was followed by an effigy of the tax collector, who was the sole mourner and the Sons of Liberty “two and two.”

“The STAMP-ACT having received a mortal wound by the Hands of Justice, on Saturday last gave up the Ghost, to the great joy of the Inhabitants of Frederick County. The lifeless body lay exposed to public Ignominy ‘til Yesterday, when it was thought proper, for preventing infection-from its stench to bury it in the following manner,” according to the Maryland Gazette.

This defiance inspired other places to do similar things by capturing or destroying the stamped paper and forcing officials to have to make decisions to ignore the Stamp Act. This led to colonial assemblies passing resolutions that spoke of the natural rights of colonists and stated that the Stamp Act was unlawful and void.

The British Parliament repealed the act on March 18, 1766, without it ever having been effectively enforced.

In 1894, the Maryland General Assembly made Nov. 23 a bank half-holiday in Frederick County to celebrate Repudiation Day, the day when the Twelve Immortals repudiated the Stamp Act. In 1904, the Frederick Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution placed a plaque listing the names of the 12 magistrates in the Frederick County Courthouse.

30 | JULY X, 2026 | AMERICA AT 250 AMERICA AT 250 | July 1, 2026 | 21

America — A Year-By-Year Look 1777 The Continental Army endured Valley Forge and American forces won at Saratoga, a turning point that helped persuade France to back the Revolution.

1778 The Treaty of Alliance with France brought the United States its most important foreign partner in the Revolutionary War.

1779 John Paul Jones won fame aboard the Bonhomme Richard, answering surrender demands with defiance during a dramatic naval battle.

1780 The treason of Benedict Arnold shocked the Patriot cause and made his name a lasting synonym for betrayal.

1781 British General Cornwallis surrendered at Yorktown, effectively ending major fighting in the American Revolution.

1782 Preliminary peace articles between the United States and Great Britain recognized American independence in principle.

1783 The Treaty of Paris formally ended the Revolutionary War and recognized the United States as an independent nation.

1784 The Confederation Congress ratified the Treaty of Paris, completing the legal end of the war for independence.

1785 Congress adopted the Land Ordinance of 1785, establishing a system for surveying and selling western lands.

1786 Shays’ Rebellion exposed weaknesses in the Articles of Confederation and helped build momentum for a stronger national government.

1787 Delegates met in Philadelphia and wrote the United States Constitution, creating the framework still used today.

1788 New Hampshire became the ninth state to ratify the Constitution, putting the new federal government into effect.

1789 George Washington took the oath of office as the first president of the United States in New York City.

This image provided by the National Archives shows the 19th-century 1801 engraving “Drafting the Declaration of Independence” by Alonzo Chappel which depicts of the the committee chosen to draft a declaration of independence.

The five members are, from left, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Philip Livingston and Roger Sherman. One of the nation’s founding fathers -—but but never president -— Franklin was born to a soapmaker and earned his wealth as printer, publisher and inventor.

The information on the pages about American History “America — A Year-By-Year Look” was created by an editor and supplemented through the assistance of artificial intelligence, then reviewed by Ogden Newspapers employees.

AMERICA AT 250 | JULY 1, 2026 | 31

22 | July 1, 2026 | AMERICA AT 250

1812 Ships battle during the War of 1812. The war was primarily caused by British maritime blockades, the forced impressment of American sailors into the Royal Navy, and British military support for Native American tribes resisting U.S. expansion.

1790

1799

The first federal census counted nearly 4 million people in the young United States.

George Washington died at Mount Vernon, prompting nationwide mourning for the Revolutionary War leader and first president.

1791 The Bill of Rights was ratified, adding the first 10 amendments to the Constitution.

1792 The Coinage Act created the U.S. Mint and established the dollar as the nation’s standard unit of money.

1793 Eli Whitney’s cotton gin was introduced, transforming agriculture and deepening the nation’s dependence on enslaved labor.

1794 The Whiskey Rebellion tested federal authority under President Washington and ended when militia forces marched into western Pennsylvania.

1795 The Treaty of Greenville opened much of present-day Ohio to American settlement after conflict in the Northwest Territory.

1796 George Washington’s Farewell Address warned against permanent foreign alliances and bitter partisan division.

1797 John Adams became the second president, marking the first peaceful transfer of executive power under the Constitution.

1798 The Alien and Sedition Acts ignited a national debate over civil liberties, immigration and federal power.

1800 The election of 1800 produced the first peaceful transfer of power between rival political parties in American history.

1801 Thomas Jefferson was inaugurated and called for unity after one of the nation’s most divisive early elections.

1802 Congress passed the Enabling Act of 1802, beginning the process that led to Ohio becoming the first state formed from the Northwest Territory.

1803 The Louisiana Purchase doubled the size of the United States and opened vast western lands to American expansion.

1804 The Lewis and Clark Expedition set out to explore the newly acquired Louisiana Territory and the route to the Pacific.

1805 Lewis and Clark reached the Pacific Ocean, completing one of the most famous exploratory journeys in U.S. history.

1806 Zebulon Pike began an expedition that helped map parts of the West and later gave his name to Pikes Peak.

1807 Congress passed a law ending the legal impor-

tation of enslaved people into the United States effective in 1808.

1808 The federal ban on importing enslaved people took effect, though slavery itself continued in much of the country.

1809 James Madison became president as tensions with Great Britain continued to rise.

1810 The United States continued expanding into the Mississippi Valley as tensions grew over Spanish control of nearby territories.

1811 William Henry Harrison’s forces fought Tecumseh’s confederacy at the Battle of Tippecanoe in Indiana Territory.

1812 The United States declared war on Great Britain, beginning the War of 1812.

1813 Oliver Hazard Perry won the Battle of Lake Erie, giving the United States control of the lake during the War of 1812.

1814 British troops burned public buildings in Washington, D.C., while defenders at Fort McHenry inspired the future national anthem.

1815 Andrew Jackson’s victory at the Battle of New Orleans became a legendary American triumph, though the peace treaty had already been signed.

AMERICA AT 250 | July 1, 2026 | 23

24 32 | July JULY 1, 2026 | AMERICA AMERICAAT AT250 250

1816 Indiana entered the Union as the 19th state.

1817 Construction began on the Erie Canal, a project that would transform transportation and commerce in the young republic.

1831

1832

Nat Turner’s rebellion in Virginia became one of the most significant uprisings by enslaved people in American history.

South Carolina’s nullification crisis challenged federal authority over tariffs and foreshadowed later sectional conflict.

1818 Illinois became the 21st state, expanding the Union deeper into the Old Northwest.

1819 The Supreme Court’s McCulloch v. Maryland decision strengthened federal power and protected the national bank from state interference.

1820 The Missouri Compromise admitted Missouri as a slave state and Maine as a free state, temporarily balancing sectional tensions.

1821 Missouri entered the Union as the 24th state.

1822 Authorities in Charleston claimed to uncover a slave revolt plot allegedly led by Denmark Vesey, intensifying Southern fears of rebellion.

1823 President James Monroe announced the Monroe Doctrine, warning European powers against new colonization in the Americas.

1824 The presidential election ended without an Electoral College majority and was decided by the House of Representatives.

1825 The Erie Canal opened, linking the Great Lakes with the Hudson River and helping make New York a commercial powerhouse.

1826 John Adams and Thomas Jefferson both died on July 4, the 50th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.

1827 New York abolished slavery within the state, a major step in Northern emancipation before the Civil War.

1828 Andrew Jackson won the presidency in an election that signaled the rise of mass democracy and modern campaigning.

1829 David Walker published his Appeal, one of the era’s most forceful antislavery writings.

1830 Congress passed the Indian Removal Act, leading to forced removals of Native peoples from their homelands.

1865

Main Street in Richmond, Va., in 1865. The city is undergoing reconstruction from the fires set in April 1865 during the city’s evacuation just before the Confederate surrender at the end of the American Civil War. The spire of Second Baptist Church can be seen in the background.

AMERICA AMERICA AT AT 250 250 || JULY July 1, 1, 2026 2026 || 33 25

1833 The Compromise Tariff of 1833 helped defuse the nullification crisis between South Carolina and the federal government.

1834 The Whig Party began to emerge as a national opposition movement to Andrew Jackson’s Democrats.

1835 The Second Seminole War began in Florida, becoming one of the longest and costliest Indian wars in U.S. history.

1836 Texas won independence from Mexico after the battles of the Alamo and San Jacinto.

1837 Michigan became the 26th state, and the Panic of 1837 triggered a severe economic depression.

1838 The forced removal of the Cherokee on the Trail of Tears became one of the darkest episodes in American history.

1839 The Amistad case began after Africans aboard a Spanish schooner seized control of the ship, leading to a landmark freedom case.

1840 William Henry Harrison’s log-cabin campaign helped usher in a new age of popular presidential politics.

1841 William Henry Harrison died after only a month in office, making John Tyler the first vice president to become president by succession.

1842 The Webster-Ashburton Treaty settled boundary disputes between the United States and British North America.

1843 The Oregon Trail carried thousands of settlers westward in what became known as the Great Migration of 1843.

1844 Samuel Morse sent the famous telegraph message ‘What hath God wrought’ from Washington to Baltimore.

1845 Texas was annexed by the United States, intensifying tensions with Mexico and the debate over slavery.

1846 The United States went to war with Mexico, and Iowa entered the Union as the 29th state.

1847 American forces captured Mexico City during

1904

A steam shovel used for excavating and loading French dirt cars is shown in Culebra Cut, Culebra, in the Panama Canal Zone in 1904.

the Mexican-American War.

creation of the Republican Party.

1848

1855

The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ended the Mexican-American War and added vast western territories to the United States.

Bleeding Kansas violence escalated as proslavery and antislavery settlers fought over the territory’s future.

1849

1856

The California Gold Rush drew thousands of fortune seekers west and accelerated California’s path to statehood.

1850 The Compromise of 1850 admitted California as a free state and toughened the fugitive slave law.

1851 Abolitionist Sojourner Truth delivered her famous “Ain’t I a Woman?” speech in Ohio, becoming one of the most influential voices for both racial equality and women’s rights.

1852 Harriet Beecher Stowe’s “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” became a publishing sensation and sharpened national debate over slavery.

1853

Preston Brooks caned Senator Charles Sumner on the Senate floor, symbolizing the collapse of civility over slavery.

1857 The Supreme Court’s Dred Scott decision denied citizenship to Black Americans and inflamed sectional tensions.

1858 The Lincoln-Douglas debates made Abraham Lincoln a national figure in the struggle over slavery’s expansion.

1859 John Brown’s raid on Harpers Ferry intensified fears and hopes surrounding the coming conflict over slavery.

1860

The Gadsden Purchase added land in present-day Arizona and New Mexico for a southern railroad route.

Abraham Lincoln was elected president, prompting the first Southern states to move toward secession.

1854

1861

The Kansas-Nebraska Act reopened the slavery question in the territories and helped lead to the

The Civil War began with the firing on Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor.

34 JULY 1, 2026 || AMERICA AMERICAAT AT250 250 26 || July

1929

BELOW RIGHT: People gather on the sub-treasury building steps across from the New York Stock Exchange in New York on

“Black Thursday,” Oct. 24, 1929. Thousands of investors lost their savings in the worst stock market crash in Wall Street history after a five-day frenzy of heavy trading. Too much speculation with borrowed money had inflated market values unrealistically. Huge buying orders, hastily erected by powerful financial interest, finally checked a frantic sell-off. The Great Depression followed thereafter.

1862

The Homestead Act opened western land to settlers, while the Battle of Antietam led to the preliminary Emancipation Emancipation Proclamation.

Proclamation. preliminary

1863 1863

Lincoln issued issued the the Emancipation Emancipation ProclamaProclamaLincoln tion, West West Virginia Virginia became became aa state, state, and and the the Battle Battle tion, of Gettysburg marked a turning point. of Gettysburg marked a turning point.

1864 1864

Lincoln won won re-election re-election as as Union Union armies armies Lincoln pressed toward victory in the Civil War. pressed toward victory in the Civil War.

1865 1865

The Civil Civil War War ended, ended, the the Thirteenth Thirteenth AmendThe Amendment abolished slavery, and Abraham ment abolished slavery, and Abraham Lincoln Lincoln was assassinated. was assassinated.

1866 1866

Congress passed passed the the Civil Civil Rights Rights Act Act of of 1866, 1866, Congress asserting citizenship rights for formerly enslaved asserting citizenship rights for formerly enslaved people. people.

1867 1867

The United States purchased Alaska from The United States purchased Alaska from RusRussia for $7.2 million. sia for $7.2 million.

1868 1868

The Fourteenth Amendment guaranteed The Fourteenth Amendment birthbirthright citizenship and equal guaranteed protection under right citizenship and equal protection under the the law. law.

The The Associated Associated Press Press

1869 1869

1876 The United States celebrated its Centennial

1870 1870 The Fifteenth Amendment prohibited denying

1877 1877 Federal troops withdrew from the South, effec-

The first transcontinental railroad was The first at transcontinental railroadUtah. was comcompleted Promontory Summit, pleted at Promontory Summit, Utah.

The rights Fifteenth Amendment prohibited denyvoting based on race, color or previous ing voting rights based on race, color or previous condition of servitude. condition of servitude.

1871 1871 The Ku Klux Klan Act strengthened federal

The to Kucombat Klux Klan Actviolence strengthened efforts racial duringfederal efforts to combat racial violence during ReconReconstruction. struction.

1872 1872 Yellowstone National Park was established,

Yellowstone National Park was bebeginning America’s national parkestablished, idea. ginning America’s national park idea.

1873 1873 The Panic of 1873 triggered a long economic

The Panicand of 1873 triggered a long economic depression deepened political unrest during depression and deepened political unrest during Reconstruction.

Reconstruction.

1874 1874 The Woman’s Christian Temperance Union

wasThe founded, becoming a powerful forceUnion in social Woman’s Christian Temperance reform and Prohibition was founded, becomingpolitics. a powerful force in social reform 1875 and Prohibition politics.

1875 The Civil Rights Act of 1875 sought to protect

equal to public though Theaccess Civil Rights Act accommodations, of 1875 sought to protect it was access later struck down. equal to public accommodations, though it was later struck down.

1876

Thethe United States celebrated its Centennial while disputed Hayes-Tilden election exposed while the disputed Hayes-Tilden election exposed deep postwar divisions. deep postwar divisions.

tively ending Reconstruction.

Federal troops withdrew from the South, effectively ending Reconstruction.

1878 1878 The Bland-Allison Act revived limited silver

coinage amid nationalAct debate over money and The Bland-Allison revived limited silver debt. amid national debate over money and coinage debt.

1879 1879 Thomas Edison demonstrated a practical incandescent electricdemonstrated light, helping alaunch theinelecThomas Edison practical tric age. candescent electric light, helping launch the electric age.

1880 1880 James A. Garfield won the presidency in an

election reflected thethe power of post-Civil Jamesthat A. Garfield won presidency in anWar party loyalties. election that reflected the power of post-Civil War party loyalties.

1881 1881 President Garfield was assassinated, and ChesterPresident A. Arthur Garfield became was president. assassinated, and Chester A. Arthur became president.

1882

1882 The Chinese Exclusion Act became the first

major law to bar immigration on Thefederal Chinese Exclusion Act becamebased the first nationality. major federal law to bar immigration based on nationality.

1883

1883 The Pendleton Civil Service Act began

The Pendleton Civil Service Act began replacreplacing patronage with merit-based federal ing patronage with merit-based federal employemployment. ment.

1884 1884 Grover Cleveland was elected president, beGrover was elected coming theCleveland first Democrat to winpresident, the White becoming the first Democrat House after the Civil War. to win the White House 1885 after the Civil War.

1885 The Statue of Liberty arrived in New York HarborThe in pieces France.

Statuefrom of Liberty arrived in New York Harbor in pieces from France.

1886 The Statue of Liberty was dedicated. The Hay1886 market affair shook the American laborThe movement.

The Statue of Liberty was dedicated.

Haymarket affair shook the American labor movement.

1887

1887 The Dawes Act divided Native American tribal

lands individual allotments, devastating Theinto Dawes Act divided Native with American tribal effectsinto on tribal sovereignty. lands individual allotments, with devastating effects on tribal sovereignty.

1888 1888 Benjamin Harrison won the presidency de-

Benjamin Harrison despite losing the popularwon votethe to presidency Grover Cleveland. spite losing the popular vote to Grover Cleveland.

1889 1889 North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana and North Dakota, South the Dakota, Montana and Washington all entered Union.

Washington all entered the Union.

1890 1890 The Sherman Antitrust Act gave the federal

The Sherman Antitrust Act gave the federal government a tool to challenge monopolies and government a tool to challenge monopolies and restrain corporate power.

AMERICA AT 250 | July 1, 2026 | 27

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between workers and railroads.

1895 Booker T. Washington delivered the Atlan1895

ta Exposition address, shaping debate Black Booker T. Washington delivered theover Atlanadvancement after Reconstruction. ta Exposition address, shaping debate over Black advancement after Reconstruction.

1896

The Supreme Court’s Plessy v. Ferguson deci1896 sion upheld racial segregation the doctrine The Supreme Court’s Plessyunder v. Ferguson deciof ‘separate equal.’ sion upheldbut racial segregation under the doctrine of ‘separate but equal.’

1897

1897 The Klondike Gold Rush drew thousands of Americans and Canadians Alaska andofthe The Klondike Gold Rushtoward drew thousands Yukon.

Americans and Canadians toward Alaska and the Yukon.

1898 1898 The Spanish-American War made the United TheaSpanish-American the possesUnited States global power with War new made overseas States a global power with new overseas possessions. sions.

1899 1899 The Philippine-American War began, raising

Thedebate Philippine-American began, raising fierce over empire andWar self-determination. fierce debate over empire and self-determination.

1900 1900 The Galveston hurricane became the deadliest

The Galveston became the deadliest natural disaster inhurricane U.S. history. natural disaster in U.S. history.

1901 1901

Theodore Roosevelt became president after Theodore Roosevelt became president after William McKinley was assassinated in Buffalo.

William McKinley was assassinated in Buffalo.

1902 1902

The Newlands Reclamation Act promoted irThe Newlands Reclamation Act parts promoted rigation projects that transformed of theirrigation projects that transformed parts of the American West.

American West.

1903 1903

The Wright brothers achieved powered flight at The Wright brothers achieved powered flight at Kitty Kitty Hawk, Hawk, North North Carolina.

Carolina.

1904 1904

The The United United States States began began work work on on the the PanaPanama Canal after backing Panama’s separation ma Canal after backing Panama’s separation from from Colombia.

Colombia.

Photobybythe theU.S U.SNavy Navy Photo

1941

This is the scene as about 6,000 persons gathered before the SubTreasury building in New York City, Sept. 25, 1941, for the opening of the three-month celebration marking the 150th anniversary of the ratification of the Bill of Rights.

restrain corporate power.

1891 1891 Congress created the forest reserve system, an early milestone in federal conservation policy. an Congress created the forest reserve system, early milestone in federal conservation policy.

1892

Ellis Island opened as the nation’s main immi1892 gration stationopened in New as York Ellis Island theHarbor. nation’s main immigration station in New York Harbor.

1893

1893 The World’s Columbian Exposition opened in Chicago, showcasing American industry, archi-in The World’s Columbian Exposition opened tecture and ambition.American industry, archiChicago, showcasing tecture and ambition.

1894 1894 The Pullman Strike became a national labor

Theand Pullman Strike became a national labor crisis brought federal troops into a conflict crisis and brought federal troops into a conflict between workers and railroads.

1905 1905

The The Industrial Industrial Workers Workers of of the the World World was was founded founded in in Chicago Chicago as as aa radical radical labor labor union. union.

1906

The Pure Food and Drug Act and Meat Inspection Act marked major victories for Progressive Era reform.

1907 Oklahoma entered the Union as the 46th state.

1908 Ford introduced the Model T, putting automobile ownership within reach of millions of Americans.

1909

The NAACP was founded to fight racial discrimination and defend defend civil civil rights. rights. crimination and

36 | JULY 1, 2026 | AMERICA AT 250

AMERICA AT 250 | July 1, 2026 | 29

1910 Angel Island immigration station opened in

1910 San Francisco Bay, processing many immigrants

from Asia.

Angel Island immigration station opened in San Francisco Bay, processing many immigrants 1911 from Asia.

The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in New 1911 York killed 146 workers and spurred workplace safety Thereforms.

Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in New York 1912killed 146 workers and spurred workplace safety reforms.

Arizona and New Mexico entered the Union, 1912 completing the 48 contiguous states.

Arizona and New Mexico entered the Union, 1913 completing the 48 contiguous states.

The Sixteenth Amendment authorized a feder1913 al income tax, and the Seventeenth Amendment provided for direct election of authorized senators. a federThe Sixteenth Amendment al income tax, and the Seventeenth Amendment 1914 provided for direct election of senators.

The Panama Canal opened, dramatically short1914 ening ocean travel between the Atlantic and Pacific.

The Panama Canal opened, dramatically shortening 1915 ocean travel between the Atlantic and Pacific.

The first long-distance telephone call connect1915 ed New York and San Francisco.

The first long-distance telephone call connect1916 ed New York and San Francisco.

Congress created the National Park Service to 1916 manage and protect the nation’s growing park system.

Congress created the National Park Service to manage 1917 and protect the nation’s growing park system.

The United States entered World War I after 1917 years of neutrality.

The United States entered World War I after 1918 years of neutrality.

American troops helped turn the tide on the 1918 Western Front, and the war ended with the armistice of November American troops11. helped turn the tide on the Western Front, and the war ended with the armi1919 stice of November 11.

The Eighteenth Amendment was ratified, pav-

1919 ing the way for national Prohibition, and the

Nineteenth Amendment was sent toratified, the states for The Eighteenth Amendment was pavratification. ing the way for national Prohibition, and the Nineteenth Amendment was sent to the states for 1920 ratification.

The Nineteenth Amendment was ratified, 1920 guaranteeing women the right to vote nationThe Nineteenth Amendment was ratified, guarwide. anteeing women the right to vote nationwide.

1921 1921 The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier was dediTheatTomb of theNational Unknown Soldier was dedicated Arlington Cemetery. cated at Arlington National Cemetery.

1922 1922

The Lincoln Memorial was dedicated in WashThe Lincoln Memorial was dedicated in Washington, D.C. ington, D.C.

1923 1923

President Warren Warren G. G. Harding Harding died died in in office, office, President and Calvin Calvin Coolidge Coolidge was was sworn sworn in in by by his his father father in in and Vermont.

Vermont.

1924

The Indian Indian Citizenship Citizenship Act Act granted granted U.S. U.S. citicitiThe zenship to Native Americans born in the United zenship to Native Americans born in the United States.

States.

1955

Rosa Rosa Parks, Parks, left, left, who who was was fined fined $10 $10 and and court court costs costs for for violating violating Montgomery’s segregation ordinance for city buses, makes Montgomery’s segregation ordinance for city buses, makes bond bond for for appeal to Circuit Court on Dec. 5, 1955.

Signing the bond were E.D. Nixon, appeal to Circuit Court on Dec. 5, 1955. Signing the bond were E.D. Nixon, center, center, former former state state president president of of the the NAACP, NAACP, and and attorney attorney Fred Fred Gray.

Gray. Gray Gray hinted hinted that that the the ordinance requiring segregation will be attacked as unconstitutional. ordinance requiring segregation will be attacked as unconstitutional.

1925 1925

1930 The Smoot-Hawley Tariff raised import duties

The Trial in in Tennessee Tennesseeput putevolution, evolution, The Scopes Scopes Trial religion and public public education educationat atthe thecenter centerofofnanational debate. tional debate.

and worsened international trade tensions during The Smoot-Hawley Tariff raised import duties and worsened international trade tensions during the Depression. the Depression.

1926

1931 1931 The Star-Spangled Banner officially became

Route 66 was established, established, eventually eventuallybecoming one of America’s famous highways. becoming one ofmost America’s most famous highways.

1927

Charles Lindbergh completed the first solo 1927

nonstop flight from New York to Paris.

Charles Lindbergh completed the first solo nonstop 1928 flight from New York to Paris.

Herbert Hoover was elected president just be1928 fore the nation entered Greatpresident Depression.

Herbert Hoover was the elected just

1929 the nation entered the Great Depression. before The stock market crash of 1929 marked the be1929 ginning of the Great Depression.

The stock market crash of 1929 marked the 1930 beginning of the Great Depression.

Star-Spangled Banner officially became theThe national anthem of the United States. the national anthem of the United States.

1932 1932

Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected president afD. aRoosevelt president afterFranklin promising New Dealwas for elected the American peoter promising a New Deal for the American people. ple.

1933 1933

The New New Deal Deal began, began, and and the the Twenty-first Twenty-first The Amendment repealed Prohibition.

Amendment repealed Prohibition.

1934 1934

The Securities Securities and and Exchange Exchange Commission Commission was was The created to to regulate regulate Wall Wall Street Street after after the the market market crash. crash. created

30 | July 1, 2026 | AMERICA AT 250

AMERICA AT 250 | JULY 1, 2026 | 37

1935

1943

into a major Cold War conflict.

Social Security was enacted, creating a lasting federal safety net for older Americans.

Allied victories in North Africa and Italy marked a turning point in World War II.

1951

1936

1944

The Twenty-second Amendment limited presidents to two elected terms.

Jesse Owens won four gold medals at the Berlin Olympics, challenging Nazi racial ideology before the world.

Allied forces landed at Normandy on D-Day, beginning the liberation of Western Europe.

1952

1937

1945

The Golden Gate Bridge opened, becoming an engineering landmark and an American icon.

World War II ended, and the United Nations was founded with the United States as a central member.

1938

1946

The Fair Labor Standards Act established a federal minimum wage and restrictions on child labor.

Winston Churchill delivered his ‘Iron Curtain’ speech in Missouri, helping define the emerging Cold War.

1939

1947

The New York World’s Fair opened as war began in Europe, showcasing visions of America’s future.

The Truman Doctrine signaled a new American policy of containing communism as the Cold War emerged.

1940

1948

Franklin Roosevelt won an unprecedented third term as the world crisis deepened.

President Truman ordered the desegregation of the U.S. armed forces.

1941

1949

Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, bringing the United States into World War II.

NATO was founded, binding the United States to a peacetime military alliance with Western Europe.

1942 Japanese Americans were forced into internment camps under Executive Order 9066.

1950

Dwight D. Eisenhower was elected president after commanding Allied forces in World War II.

1953 The Korean War armistice ended active fighting on the peninsula, though no formal peace treaty followed.

1954 The Supreme Court’s Brown v. Board of Education decision declared public school segregation unconstitutional.

1955 The Montgomery Bus Boycott began after Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat.

1956 The Federal-Aid Highway Act launched the Interstate Highway System.

1957 Federal troops escorted the Little Rock Nine into Central High School, enforcing school desegregation.

The Korean War began, drawing U.S. forces

1971 Newsmen wait in line outside the White House press office for their copies of the transcript of White House tapes related to the Watergate break-in.

Photos by The Associated Press

38 | JULY 1, 2026 | AMERICA AT 250

AMERICA AT 250 | July 1, 2026 | 31

1958

sassinated in Dallas.

most turbulent years.

NASA was created in response to the space race with the Soviet Union.

1964

1969

1959 Alaska and Hawaii became the 49th and 50th states.

1960 John F. Kennedy won the presidency after the first televised presidential debates helped reshape modern campaigns.

1961 Alan Shepard became the first American in space, and the Freedom Rides challenged segregation in interstate travel.

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 outlawed segregation in public accommodations and banned employment discrimination.

1965 The Voting Rights Act became law after the Selma campaign exposed violent resistance to Black voting rights.

1966 The National Historic Preservation Act strengthened protection for historic places across the United States.

Apollo 11 landed on the Moon, and Neil Armstrong became the first person to walk on its surface.

1970 The first Earth Day was held, and the Environmental Protection Agency was created later that year.

1971 The Twenty-sixth Amendment lowered the voting age to 18.

1967

1972

John Glenn became the first American to orbit Earth during the Mercury-Atlas 6 mission.

Thurgood Marshall became the first Black justice on the U.S. Supreme Court.

The Watergate break-in began the scandal that would bring down a president.

1963

1968

1973

Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his ‘I Have a Dream’ speech, and President Kennedy was as-

Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy were assassinated during one of the nation’s

The Paris Peace Accords ended direct U.S. military involvement in the Vietnam War.

1962

Photos by The Associated Press

A residential residential area area lies lies in in ruins ruins after after an an Iraqi Iraqi Scud Scud missile missile attack attack in in Tel Tel Aviv, Aviv, Israel, Israel, on on Jan. Jan. 18, 18, 1991.

1991. The The Iraqi Iraqi missile missile attack attack came came 1991 Aone day after U.S. forces launched Operation Desert Storm the Gulf War against Iraq. one day after U.S. forces launched Operation Desert Storm — the Gulf War — against Iraq.

AMERICA AT 250 | JULY 1, 2026 | 39

32 | July 1, 2026 | AMERICA AT 250

1984 Geraldine Ferraro became the first woman nominated for vice president by a major U.S. political party.

1985 The first version of Microsoft Windows was released, foreshadowing a transformation in personal computing.

1986 The space shuttle Challenger exploded after launch, killing all seven crew members.

1987 President Reagan challenged Mikhail Gorbachev to ‘tear down this wall’ during a speech in Berlin.

1988 George H. W. Bush was elected president after serving eight years as vice president.

1989 The Berlin Wall fell, symbolizing the approaching end of the Cold War.

1990 The Americans with Disabilities Act became law, expanding civil rights protections for people with disabilities.

1991 A U.S.-led coalition liberated Kuwait in the Gulf War.

1992 The Twenty-seventh Amendment, first proposed in 1789, was finally ratified.

1993

Barack Obama delivers his victory speech at his 2008 President-elect election night party at Grant Park in Chicago on Nov. 4, 2008. and Israel.

1974

1979

Richard Nixon resigned the presidency, and Gerald Ford became president.

The Iran hostage crisis began when Americans were seized at the U.S. Embassy in Tehran.

1975

1980

The Vietnam War ended with the fall of Saigon.

1976 The United States celebrated its Bicentennial with national commemorations of 200 years of independence.

1977 Jimmy Carter became president and emphasized human rights as a theme of American foreign policy.

The U.S. Olympic hockey team defeated the Soviet Union in the ‘Miracle on Ice.’

1981 Ronald Reagan became president and survived an assassination attempt in Washington, D.C.

1982 The Vietnam Veterans Memorial was dedicated in Washington, D.C.

The North American Free Trade Agreement was signed into law, reshaping trade among the United States, Canada and Mexico.

1994 The Violence Against Women Act became law as part of a major federal crime bill.

1995 The Oklahoma City bombing killed 168 people and became the deadliest act of domestic terrorism in U.S. history.

1996 Atlanta hosted the Summer Olympics, bringing the Games back to the United States.

1997 Madeleine Albright became the first woman to serve as U.S. secretary of state.

1998 John Glenn returned to space aboard the shuttle Discovery at age 77.

1978

1983

1999

The Camp David Accords were negotiated with U.S. mediation, leading to peace between Egypt

Sally Ride became the first American woman in space.

The Senate acquitted President Bill Clinton after his impeachment trial.

AMERICA AT 250 | July 1, 2026 | 33

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2011 Construction Construction continues continueson on the theNational National September September 1111Memorial Memorial at atthe theWorld World Trade TradeCenter Center site, site,Tuesday, Tuesday, May May10, 10,2011, 2011,z in inNew NewYork.

York.

On Onthe theleft leftisis 11World WorldTrade Trade Center, Center,also also known knownas as the theFreedom Freedom Tower.

Tower.

Photo Photoby byThe The Associated AssociatedPress Press

2000

2009

2018

The disputed presidential election was ultimately resolved by Bush v. Gore, leading to George W. Bush’s election as the 43rd president of the United States.

Sonia Sotomayor became the first Latina justice on the U.S. Supreme Court.

The First Step Act became law, one of the most significant federal criminal justice reforms in decades.

2010

2019

The Affordable Care Act was signed into law, reshaping health insurance and health policy.

The U.S. women’s national soccer team won its fourth World Cup title.

2011

2020

2001 The Sept. 11 terrorist attacks killed nearly 3,000 people and reshaped American security and foreign policy.

2002 The Department of Homeland Security was created in response to the Sept. 11 attacks.

2003 The United States invaded Iraq, beginning a long and controversial war.

2004 The National World War II Memorial was dedicated in Washington, D.C.

U.S. forces killed Osama bin Laden in Pakistan nearly 10 years after the September 11 attacks.

2012 Hurricane Sandy struck the East Coast, causing severe damage from the Caribbean to New York and New Jersey.

The Boston Marathon bombing killed three people and injured hundreds at one of America’s most famous races.

2023

Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans and the Gulf Coast, exposing major failures in disaster preparedness.

2015

2007 The iPhone was introduced, accelerating the smartphone revolution in American life.

2008 Barack Obama was elected the first Black president of the United States.

Juneteenth became a federal holiday, recognizing the end of slavery in the United States.

2022

2014

Twitter was launched, becoming part of a new era of social media and public communication.

2021

2013

2005

2006

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted American life, and a presidential election produced record turnout.

The National Sept. 11 Memorial Museum opened in New York City.

Ketanji Brown Jackson became the first Black woman to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court.

The United States marked 247 years of independence while preparing for the coming semiquincentennial.

2024

The Supreme Court’s Obergefell v. Hodges decision recognized same-sex marriage nationwide.

A total solar eclipse crossed parts of the United States, drawing national attention to science and skywatching.

2016

2025

Donald J. Trump was elected the 45th president of the United States.

President Donald J. Trump began his second term in office.

2017

2026

A total solar eclipse crossed the United States from Oregon to South Carolina, drawing millions of viewers.

The United States celebrates its semiquincentennial, marking 250 years since the Declaration of Independence.

| JULY | 1 AMERICA 250| July 1, 2026| 35 AMERICA ATAT 250 1, 2026

Declaration of Independence IN CONGRESS, JULY 4, 1776.

The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen In Congress, July 4, 1776 united States of America, When in the Course

commit on the Inhabitants of these States:

For cutting offabuses our Trade with all parts of the are accustomed. But when a long train of and usurpations, pursuing Foraimposing Taxes on usthem without our absolute invariably the same Objectworld: evinces design to reduce under of human events, it becomes necessary for one Despotism, it is their right,Consent: it is their duty, to throw off such Government, he to unanimous ofwhich the thirteen people dissolve theDeclaration political bands have united States of America, For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits and to provide new Guards for their future security.--Such has been the When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one connected them with another, and to assume among of Trial by Jury: patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is nowSeas the necessity which peopleoftothe dissolve theseparate political the powers earth, the andbands equal which have connected them For transporting us beyond to be tried for constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government.

The history station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s pretended offenses with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated and God and entitle them,station a decenttorespect theLaws opinions For abolishing the free System of injuries English Laws separate equal whichtothe of Nature and of Nature’s God of mankind requires that they should declare the in a neighboring establishing therein an usurpations, all having in direct object theProvince, establishment of an absolute entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they causes which impel them to the separation.

Arbitrary government, andbe enlarging its Boundaries Tyranny over these States.

To prove this, let Facts submitted to a candid should We declare the causes which impel them hold these truths to be self-evident, thatto the separation. so as to render it at once an example and fit world. ...

We truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, allhold men these are created equal, that they are endowed instrument for introducing the same absolute rule We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in by their withby certain into these Colonies: that they areCreator endowed theirunalienable Creator with certain unalienable Rights, General Congress, Assembled, appealing toour theCharters, Supreme Judge ofour the world Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and For taking away abolishing that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to for the rectitude of our intentions, do, inLaws, the Name, and fundamentally

by Authority of the pursuit of Happiness.–That to secure these most valuable and altering thethe secure these rights, Governments instituted rights, Governments are institutedare among Men, among Men, deriving their Formssolemnly of our Governments: good People of these Colonies, publish and declare, That these just powers the powers consent of the governed, derivingfrom their just from the consent of --That whenever any Form For suspending ourFree own and Legislatures, and States; United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Independent of Government destructive of these the governed,becomes –That whenever any Form of ends, it is the Right of the declaring themselves invested with power that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, to and that SIGNERS DECLARATION Government destructive ends,new Government, legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.

People to alter orbecomes to abolish it, and of tothese institute layingOF its THE all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and it is the on Right of the People toand alterorganizing or to abolishits powers in such form, as to He has abdicated Government here, by declaring foundation such principles OF INDEPENDENCE ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, it, and to institute new Government, laying its us out of his Protection and waging War against us.they themfoundation shall seem likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish onmost such principles and organizing He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, Thomas Lynch Jr. to do all other indeed, will dictate Governments long established should John not Adams be Commerce, and and Things which the Independent its powers in suchthat form, as to them shall seem burnt Acts our towns, and destroyed lives of our States Samuel Adams McKean most for likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. changed light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience mayThomas of right do. And for thepeople. support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance indeed, will dictate that Governments He is at this we timemutually transporting large to Armies Josiahare Bartlett Arthurprotection Middleton of divine Providence, hath Prudence, shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils on the pledge each other long established should not be changed for light the forms to which they ofour foreign Mercenaries our Lives, our Fortunes and sacred Honor. to complete the works sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing Carter Braxton Lewis Morris

T

AMERICA

and transient causes; and accordingly all experience of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun Charles Carroll Robert Morris hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy scarcely suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally Samuel Chase John Morton themselves by abolishing the forms to which they unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.

Abraham Clark Thomas Nelson Jr. are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken George Clymer William Paca and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Object evinces a design to reduce them under Country, to become the executioners of their friends William Ellery Robert Treat Paine absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.

William Floyd John Penn to throw off such Government, and to provide new He has excited domestic insurrections amongst Benjamin Franklin George Read Guards for their future security.–Such has been the us, and has endeavored to bring on the inhabitants patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, Elbridge Gerry Caesar Rodney now the necessity which constrains them to alter whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished Button Gwinnett George Ross their former Systems of Government. The history destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.

Lyman Hall Benjamin Rush of the present King of Great Britain is a history In every stage of these Oppressions We have of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: John Hancock Edward Rutledge in direct object the establishment of an absolute Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by Benjamin Harrison Roger Sherman Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts repeated injury. A Prince whose character is thus be submitted to a candid world. marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is John Hart James Smith He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most unfit to be the ruler of a free people.

Joseph Hewes Richard Stockton wholesome and necessary for the public good.

Nor have We been wanting in attentions to Thomas Heyward Jr. Thomas Stone He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws our British brethren. We have warned them from of immediate and pressing importance, unless time to time of attempts by their legislature to William Hooper George Taylor suspended in their operation till his Assent should extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us.

Stephen Hopkins Matthew Thornton be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly We have reminded them of the circumstances Francis Hopkinson George Walton neglected to attend to them. of our emigration “Declaration and settlement here. We John haveTrumbull, 1819 of Independence,” He has refused to pass other Laws for the appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, Samuel Huntington William Whipple accommodation of large districts of people, and we have conjured them by the ties of our Thomas Jefferson William Williams unless those people would relinquish the right common kindred to disavow these usurpations, The above text is an excerpt.

Read the full document at https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/declaration-transcript The above text is an excerpt.

Read the full document at www.archives.gov/founding-docs/declaration-transcript Francis Lightfoot Lee James Wilson of Representation in the Legislature, a right which, would inevitably interrupt our connections inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only. and correspondence. They too have been deaf Richard Henry Lee John Witherspoon He has called together legislative bodies at to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We Francis Lewis Oliver Wolcott places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which

36 24 | July JULY 1, 2026 | AMERICA AMERICAAT AT250 250

“We will not, under any threat, or in the face of any danger, surrender the guarantees of liberty our forefathers framed for us in our Bill of Rights.”

— Franklin D. Roosevelt, 1941

Bill of Rights

AMENDMENT I Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

AMERICA

AMENDMENT II A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.

AMENDMENT III No Soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the Owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law.

district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defence.

AMENDMENT VII In Suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury, shall be otherwise re-examined in any Court of the United States, than according to the rules of the common law.

AMENDMENT IV The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.

AMENDMENT V No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury,

AMENDMENT VI In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and

AMENDMENT VIII Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.

AMENDMENT IX The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.

AMENDMENT X The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.

AMERICA AT 250 | July 1, 2026 | 37

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Sunday -Thursday, October 18-22: $979 per person (double occupancy) includes four nights of oceanfront accommodations, eight Meals, and three Shows: Legends In Concert, One, The Show at Alabama Theater, Carolina Opry, Le Grand Cirque Presents Maximum Velocity, a twohour eco-cruise of Murrells Inlet, and Shopping at Broadway at the Beach.

CHARLESTON, SC, CHARLOTTE, MOUNT AIRY

Sunday, October 25-Thursday, October 29 5 days/4 nights, 2 nights in Charleston, 1 night in Charlotte, 1 night in Mount Airy $1199 per person (double occupancy includes 8 Meals, Billy Graham Library, Historical tour of Charleston, Boone Hall Plantation, Spirit of Carolina Cruise, Old City Market, storyteller in Mount Airy, tour of Mount Airy, Andy Griffith Museum, Billy Graham Museum

NASHVILLE COUNTRY CHRISTMAS AT GAYLORD OPRYLAND RESORT

Thursday-Sunday, December 17-20 $2199 per person (double occupancy). includes roundtrip airfare, roundtrip bus to airport, 3 nights lodging at Gaylord Opryland Resort, 6 Meals, four shows including Christmas Dinner show in ballroom at Gaylord Opryland, Amy Grant & Vince Gill at the Ryman, General Jackson Showboat Luncheon Cruise with entertainment., Grand Ole Opry Christmas, Country Music Hall of Fame, Studio B guided city tour of Nashville, Delta Flatboat ride, Treasures for the Holidays, Ice.

CHRISTMAS IN NEW YORK

Friday- Sunday, December 18-20: $799 per person includes two nights lodging at the Sheraton New York Times Square and a Four-Hour Guided Tour of New York City and the Statue of Liberty. This fantastic mid-town location at 7th Avenue and 53rd Street is close to Times Square, Central Park, and Rockefeller Center. It is also located in the heart of the theater district, a short walk to many New York City attractions.

BALTIMORE ORIOLES BUS TRIPS ALL GAMES INCLUDE ALL YOU CAN EAT CLUB LEVEL SEATING ORIOLES AT CAMDEN YARDS BUS TRIPS Thursday, July 9 vs. Cubs 6:35 p.m. $139 Saturday, July 25 vs. Braves 7:05 p.m. $149

HAWAIIAN SHIRT NIGHT

Thursday, August 20 vs. Yankees 6:35 p.m. $149 BEACH HAT NIGHT Saturday, August 22 vs. Rays 7:05 p.m. $149 PETE ALONSO BOBBLEHEAD Monday, September 7 vs. Guardians 1:35 p.m.$129

1 DAY TRIPS JOSHUA AT SIGHT & SOUND Friday, August 18, December $179 per person. Includes a meal at Hershey Farms NEW YORK CITY 1-Day Trip October 10, November 28, December 5,12,19 $105 per person OCEAN CITY Saturday, July 18, October 25 (Sunfest) $89 per person WIND CREEK CASINO Saturday, August 8, October 10 $63 per person, $30 Bonus RADIO CITY MUSIC HALL CHRISTMAS SPECTACULAR Monday, November 30, $229 per person featuring the world-famous Rockettes AMERICAN MUSIC THEATRE CHRISTMAS SHOW WINTER WONDERLAND Thursday, December 17, includes the show and meal. $149

12 | JULY 1, 2026 | AMERICA AT 250 38 | July 1, 2026 | AMERICA AT 250

An A-to-Z of American History A

pollo 11

In 1969, Apollo 11 carried Americans to the Moon, fulfilling President John F. Kennedy’s challenge and marking one of humanity’s greatest achievements.

B

ald Eagle

Adopted as the national emblem in 1782, the bald eagle symbolizes strength, freedom and the independence of the United States.

C

onstitution

The United States Constitution established the framework of American government and remains the oldest written national constitution still in use.

D

eclaration of Independence

Adopted on July 4, 1776, the Declaration announced America’s separation from Britain and proclaimed that all men are created equal.

NASA

In this July 1969 file photo, Astronaut Edwin Aldrin walks by the footpad of the Apollo 11 Lunar Module.

E

llis Island

More than 12 million immigrants entered the United States through Ellis Island between 1892 and 1954.

F

ord’s Assembly Line

In 1913, Henry Ford revolutionized manufacturing with the moving assembly line, making automobiles affordable for millions.

G

ettysburg

The Battle of Gettysburg in 1863 marked a turning point in the Civil War and inspired the Gettysburg Address.

H

omestead Act

Signed in 1862, the Homestead Act encouraged westward expansion by granting settlers land in the American frontier.

I

nterstate Highway System

Authorized in 1956, the Interstate Highway System became the largest public works project in American history.

J

azz

On April 27, 1937, men work at the Ford Motor Company’s River Rouge Plant in Dearborn, Mich.

Born in New Orleans, jazz became America’s original art form and influenced music around the world.

The information on the pages about “An A-to-Z of American History” was gathered by an editor and supplemented through the assistance of artificial intelligence, then reviewed by Ogden Newspapers employees.

AMERICA AT 250 | JULY 1, 2026 | 13 AMERICA AT 250 | July 1, 2026 | 39

W

ashington, D.C.

The nation’s capital serves as the seat of the federal government and a symbol of American democracy.

X

-15

The North American X-15 helped pave the way for the American space program by setting speed and altitude records.

Y

osemite

Yosemite National Park showcases some of the most spectacular landscapes in the United States and helped inspire the conservation movement.

Library of Congress

Orville Wright, lying at the controls on the lower wing, pilots the Wright Flyer on the first powered flight by a heavier-than-air aircraft on Dec. 17, 1903, at Kitty Hawk, N.C. In the moments before going airborne, his brother, Wilbur Wright, watching right, guided and steadied the plane as it accelerated along the starting rail at left.

K

itty Hawk

At Kitty Hawk in 1903, Orville Wright and Wilbur Wright achieved the first powered flight.

L

iberty Bell

The Liberty Bell became an enduring symbol of American independence and freedom.

M

ount Rushmore

This iconic monument honors Presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln.

N

ational Parks

America created the world’s first national park, Yellowstone National Park, in 1872.

O

regon Trail

Hundreds of thousands of pioneers traveled the Oregon Trail during the 19th century in search of opportunity in the West.

P

lymouth Colony

Established in 1620, Plymouth Colony became one of the earliest permanent English settlements in New England.

Z

immerman Telegram

The Zimmerman Telegram helped draw the United States into World War I after Germany sought an alliance with Mexico against America.

Q

uakers

Members of the Religious Society of Friends helped shape the American character through their commitment to religious freedom, equality, abolition of slavery and social justice. Their influence can be seen from colonial Pennsylvania to the reform movements that helped define the nation.

R

evolutionary War

The American Revolution secured independence from Great Britain and created the United States.

S

tatue of Liberty

Gifted by France in 1886, the Statue of Liberty welcomed generations of immigrants to America.

T

ranscontinental Railroad

Completed in 1869, the railroad connected the East and West coasts and transformed commerce and travel.

U

ncle Sam

Uncle Sam emerged during the War of 1812 and became the personification of the United States.

V

alley Forge

At Valley Forge, George Washington and the Continental Army endured a difficult winter that strengthened the Revolutionary cause.

Associated Press

X-15 pilot Neil A. Armstrong is pictured in front of his experimental high-speed rocket-powered research aircraft at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., in July 1962.

40 | July 1, 2026 | AMERICA AT 250

AMERICA AT 250 | JULY 1, 2026 | 25

“With malice toward none, with charity for all... let us strive on to finish the work we are in.”

— Abraham Lincoln

Gettysburg Address PRESIDENT ABRAHAM LINCOLN at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania Nov. 19, 1862 Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth, on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.

Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.

But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate— we can not consecrate—we can not hallow—this

AMERICA

ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us— that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion—that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain—that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.

AMERICA AT 250 | July 1, 2026 | 41

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2 | JULY 1, 2026 | AMERICA AT 250 2 | JULY 1, 2026 | AMERICA AT 250 42 | July 1, 2026 | AMERICA AT 250

The The Symbols Symbols of of America America Official National Symbols Official National Symbols

American Flag American Flag flag is perhaps the nation’s most The American

recognizable symbol, representing sacrifice The American flag is perhaps theunity, nation’s most and freedom.symbol, Its 13 stripes honor the original recognizable representing unity, sacrifice colonies that declared independence from Great and freedom.

Its 13 stripes honor the original Britain, its 50 stars symbolize the states colonieswhile that declared independence from Great that nowwhile makeitsup50the Union.

From battlefields Britain, stars symbolize the states to classrooms, from landing to momentstoof that now make upthe themoon Union.

From battlefields national mourning, flag landing has served as a powerful classrooms, from thethe moon to moments of reminder of both thethe country’s national mourning, flag hasideals servedand as athe powerful sacrifices defend them.ideals and the reminder made of bothtothe country’s sacrifices made to defend them.

Bald Eagle Bald Eagleas the national emblem in 1782, the bald Chosen

eagle symbolizes courage in and freedom.

Chosen as the strength, national emblem 1782, the bald Found only in North America, the eagle’s soaring eagle symbolizes strength, courage and freedom. flight and commanding presence a fitting Found only in North America, themade eagle’sit soaring image for acommanding young nationpresence determined to itchart its flight and made a fitting own course.

Though oncedetermined endangered,tothe bald image for a young nation chart its eagle’s recovery through own course.

Though onceconservation endangered,efforts the bald also reflects America’s growing commitment eagle’s recovery through conservation effortsto protecting natural heritage. also reflectsitsAmerica’s growing commitment to protecting its natural heritage.

American Bison American Bison bison became the national The American

mammal in 2016, bison recognizing itsthe deep connection The American became national to the nation’s history, ecologyits and Native American mammal in 2016, recognizing deep connection cultures.

Once history, numbering in the tens of millions to the nation’s ecology and Native American across theOnce Greatnumbering Plains, thein bison helped sustain cultures. the tens of millions Indigenous peoples andthe shaped landscape of across the Great Plains, bisonthe helped sustain the American West. Its near extinction in the 19th Indigenous peoples and shaped the landscape of century and later recovery the19th the American West.

Its nearsymbolize extinctionboth in the consequences of unchecked expansion andthe the century and later recovery symbolize both power of conservation. consequences of unchecked expansion and the power of conservation.

Great Seal of the United States Great ofSeal theappears United States TheSeal Great on official government

documents, andon theofficial one-dollar bill, The Greatpassports Seal appears government representing the sovereignty and ideals of bill, the documents, passports and the one-dollar nation. The bald clutching and an olive representing the eagle sovereignty andarrows ideals of the branch symbolizes America’s desire for peace nation. The bald eagle clutching arrows and anwhile olive remaining preparedAmerica’s to defenddesire itself. for Thepeace shieldwhile branch symbolizes represents the unity of states, while motto “E remaining prepared to the defend itself.

Thethe shield Pluribus Unum” reflects the idea that many states “E represents the unity of the states, while the motto and peoples formreflects one nation.

Pluribus Unum” the idea that many states and peoples form one nation.

“In God We Trust” “InAdopted God We as Trust” the national motto in 1956, “In God

WeAdopted Trust” reflects role faith hasinplayed in the as the the national motto 1956, “In God nation’s history and culture.

Thehas phrase appears We Trust” reflects the role faith played in the on U.S. currency andculture. in manyThe public institutions. nation’s history and phrase appears Though interpretations of on U.S. currency and in vary manyamong publicAmericans institutions. differentinterpretations beliefs, the motto the idea that Though varyrepresents among Americans of moral principles andmotto spiritual values have longthat different beliefs, the represents the idea influenced publicand life spiritual in the United States. moral principles values have long influenced public life in the United States.

“E Pluribus Unum” “E Latin Pluribus Unum” for “Out of many, one,” “E Pluribus Unum”

hasLatin symbolized unity “E since the nation’s for “OutAmerican of many, one,” Pluribus Unum” founding.

Originally referring to since the joining of the has symbolized American unity the nation’s 13 coloniesOriginally into one nation, the has come founding. referring tophrase the joining of theto represent the blending of diverse peoples, 13 colonies into one nation, the phrase hascultures come to and backgrounds into aofshared national identity.

It represent the blending diverse peoples, cultures reflects the ongoing American of unity and backgrounds into a sharedexperiment national identity.

It reflects the ongoing American experiment of unity

The Statue of Liberty The Statue of Liberty

Gifted to the United States by France in 1886, the Gifted the United States

by France in 1886, the Statue ofto Liberty stands as a global symbol of freedom Statue of Liberty stands as a global symbol of freedom and democracy. For millions of immigrants arriving and democracy.

For millions of immigrants arriving through New York Harbor, “Lady Liberty” represented through York Harbor, “Ladyland.

Liberty” represented hope andNew opportunity in a new Her torch, held high hope in a new Her torch, held high aboveand theopportunity harbor, continues to land. symbolize the promise above the harbor, continues to symbolize the promise of liberty and the enduring belief that America is a place of liberty and the America is a place where people canenduring pursue a belief betterthat future. where people can pursue a better future.

amid diversity. amid diversity.

The Star-Spangled Banner TheWritten Star-Spangled

by FrancisBanner Scott Key during the War

of 1812, “The Banner” became the Written byStar-Spangled Francis Scott Key during the War national anthem in 1931. Inspired bybecame the sightthe of of 1812, “The Star-Spangled Banner” the American flaginstill flying after the bombardment national anthem 1931.

Inspired by the sight of of McHenry, captures of theFort American flagthe stillsong flying after thethemes bombardment resilience and patriotism. is performed at of sporting of Fort McHenry, the songItcaptures themes events, ceremonies and national observances, resilience and patriotism.

It is performed at sporting uniting ceremonies Americans in moments celebration and events, and nationalofobservances, remembrance. uniting Americans in moments of celebration and remembrance.

The Rose TheThe Rose rose was designated the

national flower 1986 and symbolizes The rose wasin designated the beauty, andinresilience. nationallove flower 1986 and Roses symbolizes have appeared inresilience.

AmericanRoses gardens, beauty, love and ceremonies andintraditions have appeared Americanfor gardens, generations.and Their wide variety ceremonies traditions for of colors and meanings reflects diversity and generations.

Their widethe variety of colors spiritmeanings of the American and reflects people. the diversity and spirit of the American people.

to commemorate the 50th anniversary of William Penn’s Charter of Privileges, it became of associated to commemorate the 50th anniversary William with theCharter ideals of American Revolution.

Penn’s of the Privileges, it became associated Its famous crack added to its legend, and with the ideals ofonly the American Revolution. abolitionists lateronly embraced theitsbell as a symbol Its famous crack added to legend, and of the fight against and for abolitionists laterslavery embraced thecivil bell rights. as a symbol of the fight against slavery and for civil rights.

Uncle Sam Uncle Sam Uncle Sam emerged during the War of 1812 and

evolved personification of the Uncleinto Samthe emerged during the WarUnited of 1812States and government the American people.

Often depicted evolved into and the personification of the United States a star-spangled hat pointing governmentin and the Americantop people.

Often depicted directly at the viewer, Sam became in a star-spangled topUncle hat pointing especially famous through directly at the viewer, Unclemilitary Sam became recruitment posters duringmilitary World Wars I especially famous through and II. The image represents patriotism, recruitment posters during World Wars I national duty and represents the idea that citizens and II. The image patriotism, themselves areand part ofidea the nation’s national duty the that citizens strength. themselves are part of the nation’s strength.

The Liberty Bell The Liberty Bell

The Oak Tree TheNamed Oak Tree the national tree in 2004, the oak

represents strength, endurance and stability.

Named the national tree in 2004, the oak Oaks have long played an endurance important role American represents strength, andin stability.

Oaks history, from providing timber for and homes have long played an important roleships in American to serving as landmarks in communities across the history, from providing timber for ships and homes nation.

Their deep roots in and long lifespanacross makethe to serving as landmarks communities them fitting for aand country that values nation.

Theirsymbols deep roots long lifespan make perseverance and growth. them fitting symbols for a country that values perseverance and growth.

Symbols of Symbols Freedom of & Democracy Freedom & Democracy

Liberty Bell Liberty Bell Bell, housed in Philadelphia, has The Liberty

become one ofBell, the nation’s symbols of The Liberty housed enduring in Philadelphia, has independence equality.enduring Though originally cast become one of and the nation’s symbols of independence and equality. Though originally cast

The Minuteman TheThe Minuteman Minutemen were colonial

militia prepared to fight at a The members Minutemen were colonial moment’s notice during thetoAmerican militia members prepared fight at a Revolution.moment’s Their actions at Lexington Concord notice during theand American marked the beginning of the Revolutionary War. Revolution.

Their actions at Lexington and Concord As symbols, the Minutemen ordinary marked the beginning of the represent Revolutionary War. citizens stepping forward to defend liberty and selfAs symbols, the Minutemen represent ordinary government. citizens stepping forward to defend liberty and selfgovernment.

Symbols of Symbols AmericanofGovernment American Government

The White House TheThe White House White House has served as the residence

andThe workplace of every president White House hasU.S. served as the except residence George Washington.

More simplyexcept a home, it and workplace of every U.S.than president symbolizes the executive of government George Washington.

Morebranch than simply a home, it and the continuity of American symbolizes the executive branchdemocracy. of government Through wars, economic crises and celebrations, and the continuity of American democracy. the Whitewars, House has remained visible reminder Through economic crises aand celebrations, the White House has remained a visible reminder

The information on the pages about “The Symbols of America” was created by an editor and supplemented through the assistance of artificial intelligence, then reviewed by Ogden Newspapers employees.

The information on the pages about “The Symbols of America” was created by an editor and supplemented through the assistance of artificial intelligence, then reviewed by Ogden Newspapers employees.

AMERICA AT 250 | July 1, 2026 | 43

RIGHT: The American Bald Eagle

of stable leadership and the peaceful transfer of power.

U.S. Capitol The U.S. Capitol stands at the heart of the nation’s legislative branch and symbolizes representative democracy. It is where Congress debates laws, declares war, certifies elections and addresses issues facing the nation. Its iconic dome has become one of the most recognizable images in America, representing the idea that government derives its authority from the people.

The Constitution Ratified in 1788, the Constitution created the framework for the American system of government and remains the oldest written national constitution still in use. It established checks and balances among branches of government while protecting the rights of citizens. The Constitution’s ability to adapt through amendments has helped the nation navigate enormous changes while preserving democratic principles.

Declaration of Independence Adopted on July 4, 1776, the Declaration of Independence announced America’s separation from Great Britain and articulated the ideals upon which the nation was founded. Its assertion that “all men are created equal” and possess unalienable rights has inspired democratic movements around the world. Though the nation has struggled to fully live up to those ideals, the document remains a moral compass for generations of Americans.

Bill of Rights The Bill of Rights, ratified in 1791, guarantees many of the freedoms Americans cherish most deeply, including freedom of speech, religion, press and assembly. These first 10 amendments limit government power and protect individual liberties.

They remain central to debates about civil rights, privacy and justice, reflecting the nation’s enduring commitment to personal freedom.

Washington Monument Built to honor George Washington,

commander of the Continental Army and the nation’s first president, the Washington Monument symbolizes leadership, sacrifice and the founding of the republic. Rising prominently above the National Mall, the obelisk serves as a reminder of Washington’s role in guiding the young nation through its earliest and most uncertain years.

Lincoln Memorial The Lincoln Memorial honors President Abraham Lincoln and his leadership during the Civil War, one of the nation’s greatest crises. It also became a symbol of civil rights, most famously serving as the site of Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech in 1963. The memorial represents unity, equality and the ongoing pursuit of freedom.

Symbols of Exploration & Expansion The Mayflower The Mayflower carried Pilgrims from England to the New World in 1620, becoming a symbol of early settlement and religious freedom. The Mayflower Compact, signed aboard the ship, established principles of self-government that influenced later democratic ideas in America. The voyage remains central to the story of colonial America and the nation’s origins.

The American Cowboy The cowboy symbolizes the frontier spirit, independence and rugged individualism often associated with the American West. Though romanticized in books, films and television, cowboys played a real role in cattle drives and western expansion during the 19th century. The image of the cowboy remains tied to ideals of hard work, self-reliance and adventure.

Route 66

Symbols of National Memory

Associated Press photos

Mount Rushmore Mount Rushmore features the carved faces of Presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln, each chosen to represent different chapters of American history. The monument symbolizes the nation’s founding, expansion, conservation and preservation of the Union. Though admired by millions, it also prompts discussion about Native American history and the complexities of national memory.

Known as the “Mother Road,” Route 66 connected Chicago to Los Angeles and became a symbol of mobility, freedom and opportunity.

During the Dust Bowl and Great Depression, families traveled the highway seeking better lives in the West. Later, it embodied the spirit of road trips, adventure and the open road that became deeply woven into American culture.

Golden Gate Bridge Completed in 1937, the Golden Gate Bridge symbolizes American engineering, innovation and ambition. Spanning the entrance to San Francisco Bay, it became an icon of the American West and the possibilities of modern construction. Its graceful design and towering presence continue to represent progress and imagination.

18 | JULY X, 2026 | AMERICA AT 250 44 | July 1, 2026 | AMERICA AT 250

The Innovators 250 of America’s most important and influential people Paul Revere Paul Revere became an American legend for his midnight ride in April 1775, warning colonial militias that British troops were advancing toward Lexington and Concord. A skilled silversmith and engraver, he was also an active member of revolutionary organizations such as the Sons of Liberty. His ride symbolized the courage and urgency that helped ignite the American Revolution. _____ Nathanael Greene Henry Knox Marquis de Lafayette Baron von Steuben

George Washington George Washington is considered the “Father of His Country,” and for good reason. As commander of the Continental Army, he led an undertrained and underfunded force to victory over Great Britain in the Revolutionary War. He then became the first president of the United States, setting enduring precedents such as a peaceful transfer of power and a voluntary two-term limit. His leadership established the tone and legitimacy of the new republic.

Thomas Jefferson John Adams Benjamin Franklin Alexander Hamilton

Dolley Madison Betsy Ross Phillis Wheatley Judith Sargent Murray James Monroe

John Marshall John Marshall transformed the Supreme Court into a coequal branch of government. Serving as chief justice from 1801 to 1835, he authored landmark decisions that established judicial review and strengthened federal authority. His influence on constitutional law was so profound that many historians consider him the most important jurist in American history.

Abigail Adams Mercy Otis Warren

Sacagawea

Gouverneur Morris

Sequoyah

George Mason

Red Jacket

Richard Henry Lee

Black Hawk

Roger Sherman

Pontiac

Robert Morris

Ethan Allen

Crispus Attucks

Charles Carroll

John Jay Samuel Adams Patrick Henry Thomas Paine John Hancock

Haym Salomon Andrew Jackson

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln guided the nation through the Civil War and preserved the Union during its gravest crisis. His Emancipation Proclamation transformed the conflict into a fight against slavery, and his leadership paved the way for the 13th Amendment. Lincoln’s words and moral clarity continue to define America’s highest ideals.

Ulysses S. Grant Theodore Roosevelt Franklin D. Roosevelt Woodrow Wilson James K. Polk Harry S. Truman Dwight D. Eisenhower John F. Kennedy

as the Vietnam War overshadowed his achievements. _____ Richard Nixon Gerald Ford Jimmy Carter Ronald Reagan George H. W. Bush Bill Clinton George W. Bush Barack Obama Donald Trump Joe Biden Henry Clay Daniel Webster John C. Calhoun Thurgood Marshall Earl Warren Sandra Day O’Connor Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Lyndon B. Johnson

Antonin Scalia

Lyndon B. Johnson used his extraordinary political skills to enact the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and the Great Society programs.

Few presidents have had a more direct impact on modern American life, even

Martin Luther King Jr. Martin Luther King Jr. became the moral voice of the civil rights movement, advocating nonviolent resistance to segregation and injustice. His leadership helped

Tecumseh Tecumseh was one of the greatest Native American leaders in U.S. history. He sought to unite tribes across the Midwest and South to resist American expansion and protect Indigenous lands. Though he was killed during the War of 1812, his vision of intertribal cooperation and defense of sovereignty made him a lasting symbol of Native resistance. _____

James Madison

Elbridge Gerry

Frederick Douglass Born into slavery, Frederick Douglass escaped and became one of America’s most powerful advocates for abolition and equal rights. His speeches and autobiographies exposed the brutality of slavery and challenged the nation to live up to its ideals.

The information on the pages about “The Innovators” was gathered by an editor and supplemented through the assistance of artificial intelligence, then reviewed by Ogden Newspapers employees.

AMERICA AT 250 | July 1, 2026 | 45

Reflections on 250 Years On View JULY 4–26

Open Daily FREE Admission 40 S Carroll St • Frederick MD • delaplaine.org

AMERICA AT 250 | JULY 1, 2026 | 19

46 | July 1, 2026 | AMERICA AT 250 secure landmark civil rights legislation and inspired generations to pursue equality through peaceful protest.

Jonas Salk Jonas Salk developed the first successful vaccine against polio, a disease that once paralyzed or killed thousands of children each year. Introduced in 1955, the vaccine became one of the greatest public health breakthroughs in history.

Salk refused to patent it, saying, “Could you patent the sun?”

Harriet Tubman Rosa Parks Malcolm X W.E.B. Du Bois Booker T. Washington Ida B. Wells A. Philip Randolph Bayard Rustin Cesar Chavez Dolores Huerta

Walter Reuther Walter Reuther transformed the United Auto Workers into one of the nation’s most influential unions. He helped secure better wages, pensions and health benefits while also supporting civil rights and environmental causes, linking labor progress to broader social justice.

Ella Baker Fannie Lou Hamer Medgar Evers John Lewis Coretta Scott King Bryan Stevenson

Associated Press

President Dwight D. Eisenhower talks in his White House office on April 29, 1960 with Dr. Jonas Salk, discoverer of the antipolio vaccine bearing his name. across political lines.

William Tecumseh Sherman

Henry Kissinger

Hyman Rickover

Alexander Graham Bell

Clara Barton

Madeleine Albright

Margaret Sanger

Hillary Clinton

Dorothea Dix

George C. Marshall

Carter G. Woodson

George S. Patton

William Tecumseh Sherman’s campaigns in the Civil War, particularly his March to the Sea, helped break the Confederacy’s capacity to continue fighting. His use of total war tactics changed military strategy and hastened Union victory.

Wilma Mankiller

Douglas MacArthur

Robert E. Lee

Russell Means

Omar Bradley

Stonewall Jackson

Chester Nimitz

Winfield Scott

Frances Perkins

Vine Deloria Jr. Harvey Milk Marsha P. Johnson Shirley Chisholm Benjamin Banneker

Colin Powell Colin Powell rose from humble beginnings in the Bronx to become one of the most respected military and diplomatic leaders in modern American history. A decorated Vietnam veteran, he later served as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff during the Gulf War, helping oversee a swift coalition victory.

In 2001, Powell became the first African American Secretary of State, representing the United States on the world stage during a pivotal period after the September 11 attacks. Known for his leadership, discipline and emphasis on public service, Powell remained a widely admired figure

Mary McLeod Bethune Mary McLeod Bethune founded Bethune-Cookman University and advised President Franklin Roosevelt. She championed education as the pathway to advancement and became one of the most influential Black women leaders of the 20th century.

John J. Pershing Curtis LeMay Norman Schwarzkopf David Petraeus Thomas Edison

Alexander Graham Bell revolutionized human communication by inventing the telephone. His work laid the foundation for modern telecommunications and transformed business, journalism and personal life.

Nikola Tesla Henry Ford Andrew Carnegie John D. Rockefeller Cornelius Vanderbilt J. P. Morgan Eli Whitney Samuel Morse Orville Wright

Wilbur Wright Wilbur Wright, working alongside his brother Orville, helped achieve the first controlled, powered airplane flight in 1903. Though both brothers were essential, Wilbur was often regarded as the chief theoretician and strategist behind their efforts. Their success launched the

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42 | JULY 1, 2026 | AMERICA AT 250 48 | July 1, 2026 | AMERICA AT 250

50 States: The Formation of the Union States Listed in Order of Admission to the Union: DELAWARE

Date of Statehood: December 7, 1787 Capital: Dover Largest City: Wilmington State Motto: Liberty and Independence Nickname: The First State State Bird: Blue Hen Chicken Name Origin: Named for Thomas West, 3rd Baron De La Warr.

Historic Distinction: First state to ratify the U.S. Constitution.

Famous Resident: Joe Biden (longtime Delaware senator and resident) Key Contribution: Set the constitutional ratification process in motion.

Fun Fact: Delaware has fewer counties than any other state—just three.

PENNSYLVANIA

Date of Statehood: December 12, 1787 Capital: Harrisburg Largest City: Philadelphia State Motto: Virtue, Liberty and Independence Nickname: The Keystone State State Bird: Ruffed Grouse Name Origin: “Penn’s Woods,” honoring William Penn.

Historic Distinction: Home to Independence Hall, where both the Declaration and Constitution were debated.

Famous Native: James Buchanan Key Contribution: Cradle of American independence.

Fun Fact: Philadelphia served as the nation’s capital twice.

NEW JERSEY

Date of Statehood: December 18, 1787 Capital: Trenton Largest City: Newark State Motto: Liberty and Prosperity Nickname: The Garden State State Bird: Eastern Goldfinch Historic Distinction: Site of more than 100 Revolutionary War battles.

Famous Native: Frank Sinatra Key Contribution: Strategic crossroads during the Revolution.

Fun Fact: New Jersey has the highest population density of any state.

GEORGIA

Date of Statehood: January 2, 1788 Capital and Largest City: Atlanta State Motto: Wisdom, Justice, Moderation Nickname: The Peach State State Bird: Brown Thrasher Historic Distinction: Last of the original 13 colonies to be founded.

Famous Native: Martin Luther King Jr.

Key Contribution: Birthplace of one of America’s most influential civil rights leaders.

Fun Fact: Atlanta hosted the 1996 Summer Olympics.

CONNECTICUT

Date of Statehood: January 9, 1788 Capital: Hartford Largest City: Bridgeport State Motto: Qui Transtulit Sustinet (“He Who Transplanted Still Sustains”) Nickname: The Constitution State State Bird: American Robin Historic Distinction: Home of the Fundamental Orders of 1639, often called America’s first written constitution.

Famous Native: Noah Webster Key Contribution: Influenced constitutional government and American language.

Fun Fact: Hartford was once known as the insurance capital of the world.

MASSACHUSETTS

Date of Statehood: February 6, 1788 Capital and Largest City: Boston State Motto: Ense Petit Placidam Sub Libertate Quietem (“By the Sword We Seek Peace, but Peace Only Under Liberty”) Nickname: The Bay State State Bird: Black-capped Chickadee Historic Distinction: Site of the Boston Tea Party and the Battles of Lexington and Concord.

Famous Native: John Adams Key Contribution: Sparked the American Revolution.

Fun Fact: The first American public school opened in Boston in 1635.

MARYLAND

Date of Statehood: April 28, 1788 Capital: Annapolis Largest City: Baltimore State Motto: Fatti maschii, parole femine (“Strong deeds,

gentle words”) Nickname: The Old Line State State Bird: Baltimore Oriole Historic Distinction: Francis Scott Key wrote “The Star-Spangled Banner” after witnessing the defense of Fort McHenry.

Famous Native: Thurgood Marshall Key Contribution: Birthplace of the national anthem.

Fun Fact: Annapolis served briefly as the nation’s capital.

SOUTH CAROLINA

Date of Statehood: May 23, 1788 Capital: Columbia Largest City: Charleston State Motto: Two — Dum Spiro Spero (“While I Breathe, I Hope”); Animis Opibusque Parati — (“Prepared in Mind and Resources.”)

Nickname: The Palmetto State State Bird: Carolina Wren Historic Distinction: The Civil War began with the bombardment of Fort Sumter in Charleston

Harbor.

Famous Native: Dizzy Gillespie Key Contribution: Played a central role in both the Revolution and Civil War. Fun Fact: The palmetto tree on the state flag honors a Revolutionary War fort built from palmetto logs.

NEW HAMPSHIRE

Date of Statehood: June 21, 1788 Capital: Concord Largest City: Manchester State Motto: Live Free or Die Nickname: The Granite State

State Bird: Purple Finch Historic Distinction: Ninth state to ratify the Constitution, making it the required state to put the Constitution into effect.

Famous Native: Daniel Webster Key Contribution: Secured the Constitution’s adoption.

Fun Fact: Its presidential primary is the nation’s first.

VIRGINIA

Date of Statehood: June 25, 1788 Capital: Richmond Largest City: Virginia Beach State Motto: Sic Semper Tyrannis (“Thus Always to

Tyrants”) Nickname: The Old Dominion State Bird: Northern Cardinal Historic Distinction: Birthplace of eight U.S. presidents, more than any other state.

Famous Native: George Washington Key Contribution: Produced many of the nation’s founders and early leaders.

Fun Fact: Jamestown was the first permanent English settlement in North America.

NEW YORK

Date of Statehood: July 26, 1788 Capital: Albany Largest City: New York City State Motto: Excelsior (“Ever Upward”) Nickname: The Empire State State Bird: Eastern Bluebird Historic Distinction: Home to Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, the symbolic gateway for millions of immigrants.

Famous Native: Theodore Roosevelt Key Contribution: America’s financial, media and immigration capital.

Fun Fact: New York City has been the nation’s largest city since the first federal census in 1790.

NORTH CAROLINA

Date of Statehood: November 21, 1789 Capital: Raleigh Largest City: Charlotte State Motto: Esse Quam Videri (“To Be Rather Than to

Seem”) Nickname: The Tar Heel State State Bird: Northern Cardinal Historic Distinction: Site of the Wright brothers’ first flight at Kitty Hawk.

Famous Native: Michael Jordan Key Contribution: Birthplace of powered flight.

The information on the pages about “50 States: The Formation of the Union” was created by an editor and supplemented through the assistance of artificial intelligence, then reviewed by Ogden Newspapers employees.

AMERICA AT 250 | July 1, 2026 | 49

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42 AMERICA AT AT 250 250 50 || JULY July 1, 2026 || AMERICA

50 States: The Formation of the Union Fun Fact: Northin Carolina naval stores such States Listed Ordersupplied of Admission as tar, pitch and turpentine, giving rise to the “Tar to the Union: Heel” nickname.

DELAWARE RHODE ISLAND

Date of Statehood: December Date of Statehood: May 29, 7, 1787 1790 Capital: Dover Capital and Largest City: Largest City: ProvidenceWilmington State Motto: State Motto: Liberty Hope and Independence Nickname: The Ocean State Nickname: First StateRed State Bird: The Rhode Island State Bird: Blue Hen Chicken Historic Distinction: Last of the original 13 states to Name Origin: Named for Thomas West, 3rd Baron De ratify the Constitution.

La Warr.

Famous Native: H.P. Lovecraft Historic Distinction:Pioneer First state to ratify the U.S.and ConKey Contribution: of religious liberty stitution. separation of church and state.

Famous Resident: Joe Biden senaFun Fact: Rhode Island is the(longtime smallestDelaware state by area. tor and resident) Key Contribution: Set the constitutional ratification proVERMONT cess in motion.

Date of Statehood: March 4, Fun Fact: Delaware has fewer counties than any other 1791 state—just three.

Capital: Montpelier Largest City: Burlington PENNSYLVANIA State Motto: Freedom and DateUnity of Statehood: December 12, 1787 Nickname: The Green Mountain State Capital: Harrisburg State Bird: Hermit Thrush Largest City: Philadelphia Historic Distinction: Existed as an independent republic State Motto: Virtue, Liberty before joining the Union. and Independence Famous Native: Calvin Coolidge Nickname: The Keystone State Key Contribution: Early abolitionist leadership and a State Bird: Ruffed tradition of localGrouse democracy.

Name Origin: “Penn’sisWoods,” honoring William Fun Fact: Montpelier the least populous state capiPenn. tal in the United States.

Historic Distinction: Home to Independence Hall, where both the Declaration and Constitution were KENTUCKY debated.

Date of Statehood: June 1, Famous Native: James Buchanan 1792 Key Contribution: Cradle of American independence.

Capital: Frankfort Fun Fact: Philadelphia served asCity: the nation’s capital Largest Louisville twice.

State Motto: United We Stand, Divided We Fall NEW Nickname: The Bluegrass StateJERSEY Date of Statehood: December State Bird: Northern Cardinal 18, 1787 Historic Distinction: Birthplace of both Abraham LinCapital: Trenton coln and Jefferson Davis.

Largest Famous Native: Abraham LincolnCity: Newark State Motto: Liberty andthe ProsKey Contribution: Border-state influence during perity Civil War. Nickname: TheKentucky Garden State Fun Fact: The Derby has been run since State Bird: Eastern Goldfinch 1875.

Historic Distinction: Site of more than 100 Revolutionary War battles.

TENNESSEE Famous Native: Frank Sinatra Date of Statehood: June 1, Key Contribution: Strategic 1796 crossroads during the Revolution.

Capital: Nashville Fun Fact: New Jersey hasLargest the highest City:population Nashville density of any state.

State Motto: Agriculture and Commerce Nickname: The VolunteerGEORGIA State Date of Statehood: January State Bird: Northern Mockingbird 2, 1788 Historic Distinction: Home in part to Great Smoky Capital and Largest City:visitAtMountains National Park, consistently the most lanta ed national park in the country.

State Motto: Wisdom, Justice, Famous Native: Dolly Parton Moderation Key Contribution: A major force in American music, Nickname: The Peach State from country to rock ’n’ roll.

State Bird:Bristol BrownisThrasher Fun Fact: known as the “Birthplace of CounHistoric Distinction: Last of the original 13 colonies to try Music.” be founded.

Famous Native: Martin Luther King Jr.

Key Contribution: Birthplace OHIOof one of America’s most influential civil rightsDate leaders. of Statehood: March 1, Fun Fact: Atlanta hosted the1803 1996 Summer Olympics.

Capital and Largest City: CoCONNECTICUT lumbus Date of Statehood: January State Motto: With God, All 9, 1788Are Possible Things Nickname: The BuckeyeCapital: State Hartford Largest City: Bridgeport State Bird: Northern Cardinal State Motto: QuiU.S. Transtulit Historic Distinction: Birthplace of seven presiWho dents and aviation pioneerSustinet Orville(“He Wright; theTransWright planted brothers Still laterSustains”) made Dayton, Ohio, central to their Nickname: work. The Constitution State State Bird: American Robin Famous Native: Neil Armstrong Historic Distinction: Home of in the Fundamental Key Contribution: Leadership industry, aviationOrand ders of 1639, often called America’s first written politics.

Funconstitution.

Fact: Cleveland is home to the Rock and Roll Hall Famous Native: Noah Webster of Fame.

Key Contribution: Influenced constitutional government and American LOUISIANA language.

Fun Fact: Hartford was once as the insurance Date known of Statehood: April 30, capital of the world.

1812 Capital: Baton Rouge MASSACHUSETTS Largest City: New Orleans Date of Statehood: State Motto: Union, February Justice and 6, 1788 Confidence Capital and Largest City: Nickname: The Pelican State State Bird: Brown Pelican Boston Motto:Purchase Ense Petit PlacidHistoric Distinction: TheState Louisiana doubled am Sub Libertate Quietem the size of the United States. (“By the Sword We Armstrong Seek Peace, but Peace Only UnFamous Native: Louis Liberty”) Birthplace of jazz and a unique blend Keyder Contribution: Nickname: The Bay State of French, Spanish and Creole culture.

State Bird:New Black-capped Chickadee Fun Fact: Orleans hosts the world-famous Mardi Historic Gras Distinction: celebration. Site of the Boston Tea Party and the Battles of Lexington and Concord.

Famous Native: John Adams INDIANA Key Contribution: Sparked Datethe of American Statehood:Revolution.

December Fun Fact: The first American11, public 1816 school opened in Boston in 1635.

Capital and Largest City: Indianapolis MARYLAND State Motto: The Crossroads of Date of Statehood: April 28, America 1788 Nickname: The Hoosier State Capital: Annapolis State Bird: Northern Cardinal Largest City: Baltimore Historic Distinction: A manufacturing and transportation State Motto: Fatti maschii, papowerhouse in the Midwest.

Famous Native: Cole Porter role femine (“Strong deeds, words”) Leadership in agriculture, industry Keygentle Contribution: Nickname: The Old Line State and motorsports.

State Bird:The Baltimore Oriole500 is the world’s most faFun Fact: Indianapolis Historic mousDistinction: auto race. Francis Scott Key wrote “The Star-Spangled Banner” after witnessing the defense of Fort McHenry.

MISSISSIPPI Famous Native: Thurgood Marshall Date of Statehood: December Key Contribution: Birthplace the national anthem.

10,of 1817 Fun Fact: Annapolis served briefly the nation’s Capital andasLargest City: capital.

Jackson State Motto: Virtute et Armis SOUTH CAROLINA (“By Valor and Arms”) Date of Statehood: May 23, Nickname: The Magnolia State 1788 State Bird: Northern Mockingbird Capital: Columbia Historic Distinction: The Mississippi Delta helped Largest City: Charleston give birth to the blues.

State Motto: Two — Dum Famous Native: B.B. King Spiro Spero (“While I Key Contribution: Profound influence on American Breathe, I Hope”); Animis Opibusque Parati — music and civil rights history. in Mind andRiver Resources.”)

Fun(“Prepared Fact: The Mississippi forms much of the Nickname: The Palmetto State state’s western boundary.

State Bird: Carolina Wren Historic Distinction: The Civil War began with the bombardment of Fort Sumter in Charleston

Harbor.

ILLINOIS Famous Native: Dizzy Gillespie Date of Statehood: December Key Contribution: Played a3, central 1818 role in both the Revolution and CivilCapital: War. Springfield Fun Fact: The palmetto tree on the state flag honors a Largest City: Chicago Revolutionary War fort built from State palmetto logs.

State Motto: Sovereignty, National Union NEW HAMPSHIRE Nickname: The Prairie State Date of Statehood: June 21, State Bird: Northern Cardinal Historic Distinction: Home 1788 of Abraham Lincoln during Capital: Concord his rise to national prominence.

Famous Native: Ronald Largest Reagan City: Manchester StateofMotto: Live Free or Die Key Contribution: A center transportation, architecNickname: The Granite State ture, agriculture and political leadership.

State Bird:Chicago Purple Finch Fun Fact: is the birthplace of the modern skyHistoric Distinction: Ninth state to ratify the Constituscraper. tion, making it the required state to put the Constitution into effect.

ALABAMA Famous Native: Daniel Webster Date of Statehood: December Key Contribution: Secured the adoption.

14,Constitution’s 1819 Fun Fact: Its presidentialCapital: primaryMontgomery is the nation’s first.

Largest City: Huntsville VIRGINIA State Motto: Audemus Jura DateNostra of Statehood: June 25, Defendere (“We 1788 Dare Defend Our Rights”) Capital:State Richmond Nickname: The Yellowhammer Largest City: Virginia Beach State Bird: Yellowhammer Motto: Sic Semper Historic Distinction: A State central battleground of the Always to Civil Rights Movement, Tyrannis including(“Thus the Montgomery Tyrants”) Bus Boycott and Selma marches.

Nickname: The Old Dominion Famous Native: Rosa Parks (whose pivotal stand ocState Bird: in Northern Cardinal curred Montgomery) Historic Distinction: Birthplace of eight U.S.the presiKey Contribution: Crucial chapters in both space dents, more any other state. race and thethan struggle for civil rights.

Famous Native: George Washington Fun Fact: Huntsville is known as “Rocket City” beKeycause Contribution: Produced many ofprogram. the nation’s of NASA and the U.S. space founders and early leaders.

Fun Fact: Jamestown was the first permanent English MAINE settlement in North America.

Date of Statehood: March 15, 1820 NEW YORK Capital: Augusta Date of Statehood: July 26, Largest City: Portland 1788 State Motto: Dirigo (“I Lead”) Capital: Albany Nickname: The Pine Tree Largest City: New York City State State Motto: Excelsior (“Ever State Bird: Black-capped Chickadee Upward”) Historic Distinction: Admitted as part of the MissouNickname: The Empire State ri Compromise.

State Bird: Eastern Bluebird Famous Native: Stephen King Historic Distinction: Home totradition, Statue ofshipbuilding Liberty and Key Contribution: Maritime Ellis Island, the symbolic gateway for millions of and lobster fisheries.

Funimmigrants.

Fact: Maine is the only state that borders exactly Famous Native: Theodore Roosevelt one other state.

Key Contribution: America’s financial, media and immigration capital. MISSOURI Fun Fact: New York CityDate has been the nation’s largest of Statehood: August city since the first federal10, census 1821 in 1790.

Capital: Jefferson City NORTH CAROLINA Largest City: Kansas City Date Statehood: November Stateof Motto: Salus Populi Su21, 1789Lex Esto (“The Welprema Capital: fare of the People Shall Be theRaleigh Supreme Law”) Largest Nickname: The Show-Me State City: Charlotte State Motto: Esse Quam VidState Bird: Eastern Bluebird eri (“To Be Rather Than to Historic Distinction: Gateway to westward expansion Seem”) through St. Louis.

Nickname: The Tar HeelS.State Famous Native: Harry Truman State Bird: NorthernStarting Cardinal Key Contribution: point for the Oregon, SanHistoric Site of the Wright brothers’ first ta Fe Distinction: and California trails.

Kitty Hawk. Arch is the tallest monument Funflight Fact:atThe Gateway Famous in theNative: UnitedMichael States. Jordan Key Contribution: Birthplace of powered flight.

The information on the pages about “50 States: The Formation of the Union” was created by an editor and supplemented through the assistance of artificial intelligence, then reviewed by Ogden Newspapers employees.

AMERICA AT 250 | July 1, 2026 | 51 44 | JULY X, 2026 | AMERICA AT 250

ARKANSAS

Date of Statehood: June 15, 1836 Capital and Largest City: Little Rock State Motto: Regnat Populus (“The People Rule”) Nickname: The Natural State State Bird: Northern Mockingbird Historic Distinction: Site of the 1957 Little Rock school integration crisis.

Famous Native: Bill Clinton Key Contribution: A pivotal state in the modern civil rights movement.

Fun Fact: Arkansas contains the world’s only public diamond mine, Crater of Diamonds State Park.

MICHIGAN

Date of Statehood: January 26, 1837 Capital: Lansing Largest City: Detroit State Motto: Si Quaeris Peninsulam Amoenam Circumspice (“If You Seek a Pleasant Peninsula, Look About You”) Nickname: The Great Lakes State State Bird: American Robin Historic Distinction: Birthplace of the modern automobile industry.

Famous Native: Henry Ford Key Contribution: Revolutionized manufacturing and transportation.

Fun Fact: Michigan consists of two peninsulas and touches four of the five Great Lakes.

FLORIDA

Date of Statehood: March 3, 1845 Capital: Tallahassee Largest City: Jacksonville State Motto: In God We Trust Nickname: The Sunshine State State Bird: Northern Mockingbird Historic Distinction: Gateway to Latin America and home to America’s space coast.

Famous Native: Faye Dunaway Key Contribution: Tourism, aerospace and agriculture.

Fun Fact: Most U.S. crewed spaceflights have launched from Kennedy Space Center.

TEXAS

Date of Statehood: December 29, 1845 Capital: Austin Largest City: Houston State Motto: Friendship Nickname: The Lone Star State State Bird: Northern Mockingbird Historic Distinction: Former independent republic before joining the United States.

Famous Native: Lyndon B. Johnson Key Contribution: Energy production, cattle culture and aerospace.

Fun Fact: Texas is larger than any European country except Russia.

IOWA

Date of Statehood: December 28, 1846 Capital and Largest City: Des Moines State Motto: Our Liberties We Prize and Our Rights We

Will Maintain Nickname: The Hawkeye State State Bird: Eastern Goldfinch

Historic Distinction: The Iowa caucuses long played an outsized role in presidential politics.

Famous Native: Herbert Hoover Key Contribution: Agricultural leadership, especially corn and soybeans.

Fun Fact: Herbert Hoover was born in West Branch.

WISCONSIN

Date of Statehood: May 29, 1848 Capital: Madison Largest City: Milwaukee State Motto: Forward Nickname: The Badger State State Bird: American Robin Historic Distinction: A national leader in progressive reform and labor innovation.

Famous Native: Frank Lloyd Wright Key Contribution: Dairy production and political reform.

Fun Fact: Wisconsin is known as “America’s Dairyland.”

CALIFORNIA

Date of Statehood: September 9, 1850 Capital: Sacramento Largest City: Los Angeles State Motto: Eureka (“I Have Found It”) Nickname: The Golden State State Bird: California Quail Historic Distinction: Admitted during the Gold Rush, which transformed the American West.

Famous Native: Richard Nixon Key Contribution: Global leadership in technology, entertainment, agriculture and innovation.

Fun Fact: If California were a country, it would rank among the world’s largest economies.

MINNESOTA

Date of Statehood: May 11, 1858 Capital: Saint Paul Largest City: Minneapolis State Motto: L’Étoile du Nord (“The Star of the North”) Nickname: The North Star State State Bird: Common Loon Historic Distinction: Headwaters of the Mississippi River begin at Lake Itasca.

Famous Native: Prince Key Contribution: Leadership in healthcare, retail and outdoor conservation.

Fun Fact: Minnesota is known as the “Land of 10,000 Lakes,” though it has more than 11,000.

OREGON

Date of Statehood: February 14, 1859 Capital: Salem Largest City: Portland State Motto: Alis Volat Propriis (“She Flies With Her Own

Wings”) Nickname: The Beaver State State Bird: Western Meadowlark Historic Distinction: Destination of the Oregon Trail.

Famous Native: Linus Pauling Key Contribution: Environmental stewardship, forestry and athletic innovation.

Fun Fact: Nike is headquartered near Portland.

KANSAS

Date of Statehood: January 29, 1861 Capital: Topeka Largest City: Wichita State Motto: Ad Astra per Aspera (“To the Stars Through Difficulties”) Nickname: The Sunflower State State Bird: Western Meadowlark Historic Distinction: “Bleeding Kansas” foreshadowed the Civil War. Famous Native: Amelia Earhart Key Contribution: Wheat production and aviation manufacturing.

Fun Fact: The state motto later inspired NASA’s spirit of exploration.

WEST VIRGINIA

Date of Statehood: June 20, 1863 Capital and Largest City: Charleston State Motto: Montani Semper Liberi (“Mountaineers Are

Always Free”) Nickname: The Mountain State State Bird: Northern Cardinal Historic Distinction: The only state formed by separating from a Confederate state during the Civil War. Famous Native: Jerry West Key Contribution: Coal, natural gas, labor activism and world-class outdoor recreation.

Fun Fact: New River Gorge National Park and Preserve is home to the iconic New River Gorge Bridge.

NEVADA

Date of Statehood: October 31, 1864 Capital: Carson City Largest City: Las Vegas State Motto: All for Our Country Nickname: The Silver State State Bird: Mountain Bluebird Historic Distinction: Admitted during the Civil War to support the Union and Abraham Lincoln.

Famous Native: Andre Agassi Key Contribution: Mining, tourism and entertainment.

Fun Fact: Las Vegas is one of the world’s most visited tourist destinations.

NEBRASKA

Date of Statehood: March 1, 1867 Capital: Lincoln Largest City: Omaha State Motto: Equality Before

the Law Nickname: The Cornhusker State State Bird: Western Meadowlark Historic Distinction: The only state with a unicameral legislature.

Famous Native: Marlon Brando Key Contribution: Agriculture and transportation across the Great Plains.

Fun Fact: Berkshire Hathaway is headquartered in Omaha.

COLORADO

Date of Statehood: August 1, 1876 Capital and Largest City: Denver State Motto: Nil Sine Numine (“Nothing Without Providence”)

52 | July 1, 2026 | AMERICA AT 250 AMERICA AT 250 | JULY 1, 2026 | 45 Nickname: The Centennial State State Bird: Lark Bunting Historic Distinction: Admitted exactly 100 years after the Declaration of Independence.

Famous Native: Byron White Key Contribution: Mining, skiing, outdoor recreation and aerospace.

Fun Fact: Colorado’s state flag includes a red “C” for both Colorado and “centennial.”

NORTH DAKOTA

Date of Statehood: November 2, 1889 Capital: Bismarck Largest City: Fargo State Motto: Liberty and Union, Now and Forever, One and

Inseparable Nickname: The Peace Garden State State Bird: Western Meadowlark Historic Distinction: Admitted the same day as South Dakota; the exact order remains intentionally uncertain.

Famous Native: Lawrence Welk Key Contribution: Agriculture and energy production.

Fun Fact: Theodore Roosevelt National Park honors the conservation-minded president.

SOUTH DAKOTA

Date of Statehood: November 2, 1889 Capital: Pierre Largest City: Sioux Falls State Motto: Under God the People Rule Nickname: The Mount Rushmore State State Bird: Ring-necked Pheasant Historic Distinction: Home to Mount Rushmore National Memorial.

Famous Native: Tom Brokaw Key Contribution: Tourism, agriculture and Native American history.

Fun Fact: Badlands National Park preserves one of America’s most dramatic landscapes.

MONTANA

Date of Statehood: November 8, 1889 Capital: Helena Largest City: Billings State Motto: Oro y Plata (“Gold and Silver”) Nickname: Big Sky Country State Bird: Western Meadowlark Historic Distinction: Home to Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument, site of one of the most famous battles of the American West.

Famous Native: Jeannette Rankin Key Contribution: Mining, ranching and public lands conservation.

Fun Fact: Montana has the largest grizzly bear population in the lower 48 states.

WASHINGTON

Date of Statehood: November 11, 1889 Capital: Olympia Largest City: Seattle State Motto: Washington has no official state motto; ‘Al-ki’/‘Alki,’ meaning ‘by and by,’ is an unofficial territorial motto.

Nickname: The Evergreen State State Bird: American Goldfinch Historic Distinction: Home to Boeing and Microsoft, two companies that transformed aviation and computing.

Famous Native: Bing Crosby Key Contribution: Aerospace, software and global trade.

Fun Fact: Mount Rainier rises 14,411 feet above sea level.

IDAHO

Date of Statehood: July 3, 1890 Capital and Largest City: Boise State Motto: Esto Perpetua (“Let It Be Perpetual”) Nickname: The Gem State State Bird: Mountain Bluebird Historic Distinction: Known for rich mineral deposits and fertile agricultural land.

Famous Native: Sacagawea Key Contribution: Potatoes, mining and technological innovation.

Fun Fact: Idaho produces roughly one-third of the potatoes grown in the United States.

WYOMING

Date of Statehood: July 10, 1890 Capital and Largest City: Cheyenne State Motto: Equal Rights Nickname: The Equality State State Bird: Western Meadowlark Historic Distinction: First territory to grant women the right to vote in 1869.

Famous Native: Jackson Pollock Key Contribution: Set the national standard for women’s political equality.

Fun Fact: Most of Yellowstone National Park lies within Wyoming.

UTAH

Date of Statehood: January 4, 1896 Capital and Largest City: Salt Lake City State Motto: Industry Nickname: The Beehive State State Bird: California Gull Historic Distinction: Settled by Mormon pioneers led by Brigham Young.

Famous Resident: Mitt Romney Key Contribution: Religious settlement, mining and outdoor recreation.

Fun Fact: Utah has five national parks, known collectively as the “Mighty Five.”

OKLAHOMA

Date of Statehood: November 16, 1907 Capital and Largest City: Oklahoma City State Motto: Labor Omnia Vincit (“Labor Conquers

All Things”) Nickname: The Sooner State State Bird: Scissor-tailed Flycatcher Historic Distinction: The 1889 Land Run remains one of the most dramatic settlement events in American history.

Famous Native: Woody Guthrie Key Contribution: Native American heritage, energy production and popular music.

Fun Fact: Oklahoma has more man-made lakes than any other state.

NEW MEXICO

Date of Statehood: January 6, 1912 Capital: Santa Fe Largest City: Albuquerque State Motto: Crescit Eundo (“It Grows as It Goes”) Nickname: The Land of Enchantment State Bird: Greater Roadrunner Historic Distinction: Site of the Trinity test in 1945.

Famous Native: Neil Patrick Harris Key Contribution: Native American, Hispanic and scientific heritage.

Fun Fact: Santa Fe is the oldest state capital in the United States.

ARIZONA

Date of Statehood: February 14, 1912 Capital and Largest City: Phoenix State Motto: Ditat Deus (“God Enriches”) Nickname: The Grand Canyon State State Bird: Cactus Wren Historic Distinction: Home to Grand Canyon National Park, one of the natural wonders of the world.

Famous Native: Barry Goldwater Key Contribution: Mining, aerospace and tourism.

Fun Fact: Arizona was the last of the contiguous 48 states to join the Union.

ALASKA

Date of Statehood: January 3, 1959 Capital: Juneau Largest City: Anchorage State Motto: North to the Future Nickname: The Last Frontier State Bird: Willow Ptarmigan Historic Distinction: Purchased from Russia in 1867 for $7.2 million.

Famous Native: Elizabeth Peratrovich Key Contribution: Strategic defense, oil and natural resources.

Fun Fact: Alaska is larger than Texas, California and Montana combined.

HAWAII

Date of Statehood: August 21, 1959 Capital and Largest City: Honolulu State Motto: Ua Mau ke Ea o ka Aina i ka Pono (“The Life of the Land Is Perpetuated in Righteousness”) Nickname: The Aloha State State Bird: Nene (Hawaiian Goose) Historic Distinction: America’s only island state and the only state once governed as an internationally recognized kingdom.

Famous Native: Barack Obama (born in Honolulu) Key Contribution: Strategic Pacific location and rich Polynesian heritage.

Fun Fact: Attack on Pearl Harbor drew the United States into World War II.

AMERICA AT 250 | July 1, 2026 | 53

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