America 250 2026

CELEBRATING THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

1776 - 2026

 AMERICAN HISTORY  LOCAL EVENTS  COLORING PAGES  PUZZLES 

Pontotoc Progress  July 1, 2026  C Section

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TABLE OF

Contents

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7 America 250 Celebrations 8 Notable Facts About The Land Of The Free 9 America Then And Now 13 Pontotoc Hills Daughters Of The American Revolution Keep Patriotism Alive

14 A Historical Figure Reenactment Is Set For

Pontotoc's July 4 Semiquincentennial Celebration

18 An Enduring, Ever-Evolving Symbol Of Freedom 19 Fun Facts 22 Coloring Pages 24 Word Search And Puzzle 26 American Revolutionary War Trivia

Ashley Furniture........................................................................12 Behold Home................................................................................3 Bella Casa Furniture................................................................17 City of Pontotoc...........................................................................6 First Choice Bank.....................................................................28 Fooshee Law Office, PLLC....................................................10 Guaranty Bank...........................................................................20 Melinda Nowicki..........................................................................11 Montgomery Drugs................................................................25 Park Medical Clinic...................................................................15

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ADVERTISERS

Patty Turk Properties................................................................3 PEPA................................................................................................2 Pickens Pest Control, Inc.......................................................10 Pontotoc Antiques..................................................................20 Pontotoc County Board of Supervisors.........................16 Pontotoc Progress....................................................................21 Pontotoc Ridge Realty...........................................................20 Pool Specialist..............................................................................6 Price Cutter..................................................................................27 Renasant Bank............................................................................6

Ricky Ferguson...........................................................................17 Service Supply Outdoors.....................................................24 South Main Dental...................................................................10 Town of Ecru..................................................................................11 Town of Sherman........................................................................5 Town of Thaxton........................................................................15 Van McWhirter............................................................................15 Washington Holcomb Tractor Co.....................................15 Wood Eye Clinic.......................................................................27 Pontotoc Progress • pontotoc-progress.com

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America 250 CELEBRATIONS

Pontotoc County is pulling out the red, white and blue and celebrating America’s birthday from Friday through Sunday! So mark your calendars for all the events and enjoy the festivities.

   FRIDAY, JULY 3    TRACE STATE PARK

Disc golf will be the fun thing to do at the park between 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. It is a flex start and you can play any time during these hours. All cards must consist of a minimum of 3 players. To register go to: https://www.discgolfscene. com/tournament/America_250_Anniversary_Flex_at_ Trace_State_Park_2026. Registration closes July 3 at 5 p.m. There are several divisions and charges to play.

For help choosing a division, see the PDGA guidelines.

ECRU

The town of Ecru will have all their celebrations at Blake Mounce Park on Friday evening beginning at 7 p.m. Jason Vernon will open the festivities followed by Jason Carter at 8 p.m. and the fireworks will shoot off at 9 p.m. while Jason Vernon plays music. Make sure you have your Fourth of July feast at home or one of the local restaurants before you come and there will be dessert trucks with sweet treats to buy at the park. The three restaurants that will be open will be the Trolley, Costa and Sonic. Both Nate’s and Zuby’s will be closed.

   SATURDAY, JULY 4    PONTOTOC

The town of Pontotoc is pulling out all stops on Independence Day slating a parade, complete with a float of historical figures as well as entertainment, food and fun at the First Choice Gateway.

Festivities will start at 10 a.m. with the parade that will step off on Main Street beside the Jr. High and travel South. The parade will travel only one way and end at the south end of town this year.

Any bike riders or Little Tikes (battery operated ride-ons) can end at the court house. All others please take a right onto West Green Street and disburse in the parking lots behind Three Rivers or First Baptist Church. There is no registration for this parade, just show up by 9:30 a.m. After the parade, food trucks will open up at 12 noon and folks can rest and eat then go to the pavilion at 2 p.m. to listen to the Pontotoc Sound Showdown. A panel of judges will listen to them and choose a winner. The winner of this will perform with the headliner that evening as well as walk away with $500 in cash. As the evening shadows fall, there will be an official welcome by the Mayor of Pontotoc and other dignitaries and you will get to learn a bit about the history through the Historical Figure Reenactment from the stage. First responders will be honored and then Mitzi Lowery and Kenneth Farr will have a special performance. At 7 p.m., Elvis Tribute Artist Nick Perkins will hit the stage with an All-American Elvis Tribute and country music with the evening festivities concluding with a spectacular firework show at 9 p.m. And to top it all off there will be free cupcakes while supplies last.

SHERMAN

The town of Sherman will kick up festivities with a parade at 5 p.m. and Elvis Tribute Artist Dawson Horn will perform at 6 p.m. At 6:30 p.m., there will be a fun time with the Fire Department. Someone in the bucket truck will drop stress-reliever flame emojis from more than 100 feet in the air onto a target. The flame that lands closest to the bullseye will win $1,000 and second place will win $500! Join them for a funfilled Independence Day event while supporting the volunteers who help protect the community. Every flame purchased helps the Sherman Volunteer Fire Department continue serving the citizens of Sherman. The cost is $25 for one or you can purchase five for $100. At 7 p.m., music cranks up again with music by Chris Williams and Hwy. 29 Band. Fireworks will light up at 9 p.m. to conclude the evening’s festivities.

TRACE STATE PARK

A full slate of activities is on tap at the Trace State Park that all the family can enjoy beginning at 12 noon. Come to the day use area and there will be an 11 hole putt putt disc course. There will also be a dunk tank and water gun wars. Bounce houses will be set up for the children to enjoy and the parents can pause the craft vendors and enjoy eating from the food vendors. At 5 p.m., there will be a flag ceremony with a special surprise that park organizers would not divulge. You have to be there to see it. At 5:30 p.m., the Legends of the Blues will sing as well as the Sound Machine. There will be a barge on the lake and the fireworks will be shot off from that at 9 p.m.

   SUNDAY, JULY 5    THAXTON

There will be an Independence Day celebration at Thaxton Park on Sunday, July 5. There will be free food, music, bounce houses, and a firework show. Festivities will be from 6 p.m. until dark, ending with the fireworks show. Bring lawn chairs to watch the fireworks. The members of Thaxton Baptist Church organizes this event.

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NOTABLE FACTS ABOUT THE

Land of the Free T

he United States of America is often characterized as “the land of the free,” a characterization that serves as a feather in the cap of the nation that will celebrate its two hundred and fiftieth anniversary this year. Upon hearing the phrase “land of the free,” it’s understandable if thoughts immediately go to protected rights like freedom of speech, freedom of religion and freedom of the press. But what about the “land” in the land of the free? As Americans prepare to celebrate their nation’s semiquincentennial, recognition of various geographical features of the land of the free can underscore why the United States of America is such a unique place to call home.

The tallest mountain in the world is in America.

Climbers who train for years in the hopes of one day making their way up Mount Everest might be surprised to learn the mountain located on the border between Koshi Province, Nepal and the Tibet Autonomous Region is not, in fact, the world’s tallest mountain. While Mount Everest is the highest mountain above sea level, the world’s tallest mountain is Mauna Kea, which is in the Hawaiian islands. According to the American Geography Portal, when measured from its base on the sea floor to its summit, Mauna Kea is more than 32,000 feet tall, topping Mount Everest by a few thousand feet.

Oregon is home to one of the world’s deepest lakes.

With a depth of approximately 1,950 feet, Crater Lake in south-central Oregon is the eleventh deepest lake in the world and the second deepest lake in North America. The National Park Service notes that Crater Lake, fed by rain and snow, is among the most pristine lakes on Earth, making it a popular destination for artists, photographers and sightseers.

Alaska’s location makes it a particularly unique place in the land of the free.

It may surprise no one to learn that Alaska features the northernmost point in all of the United States. But it may raise an eyebrow or two to learn that The Last Frontier contains both the easternmost and westernmost points in the country. The Prime Meridian is an imaginary line that divides the Earth into the eastern and western hemispheres. According to The State of Alaska, the westernmost point in the state, and thus the entire country, is Amatignak Island. Seventy miles away and still in Alaska, but on the other side of the meridian and thus technically in the eastern hemisphere, sits Pochnoi Point on Semisopochnoi Island, which is the easternmost point in the country.

You end up in the “same” place no matter which direction you go when departing Stamford, Connecticut.

Located in southwestern Connecticut, Stamford is in a notably unique geographic location. If you travel due east, due west, due south, or due north when departing Stamford, you will end up entering the same state: New York.

This is the only place in all of the United States where traveling along the four compass points will leave you in the same place no matter the direction you choose.

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America THEN and NOW Celebrations of the two hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the United States of America will unfold throughout 2026. As millions join in the festivities, it can be fun to compare the nation in its infancy to the one that has since firmly established itself as a global leader.

POPULATION

STATES

INCOME TAXES • 1776: 0%

• 1780: 2.8 million* • 2025: 342 million**

• 1776: 13 • 2026: 50

* The National Archives note that the first decennial census of the United States was not taken until 1790, so the figure cited for 1780 is a widely accepted estimate of the burgeoning nation’s population during the opening years of the American Revolutionary War.

According to the National Constitution Center, a series of resolutions passed by the Second Continental Congress in September 1776 officially cited the collective colonies fighting in the American Revolutionary War as the “United States.”

Debates regarding income taxes may seem like an ever-present component of American life, but colonists did not pay income tax in 1776. Though taxation was undeniably a notable issue throughout colonial America, the Tax Foundation notes the situation was considerably different in 1776 than it is today, when taxes are a highly debated component of American life. In 1776, the British Crown relied on tariffs and excise taxes to fund the American colonies, whereas modern Americans pay federal and, in most states, state income taxes to finance a range of public goods and services.

** This represents the U.S. Census Bureau population estimate as of late 2025.

LAND MASS

TRANSPORTATION

• 1783: 800,000 sq miles • 2026: just under 3.6 million sq miles

• Late eighteenth century: Horses • 2025: 298.7 million registered vehicles

The Times Atlas of World History indicates that the United States had an area of approximately 800,000 square miles in 1783. The country is considerably larger today, with a rough land mass of just under 3.6 million square miles according to the U.S. Census Bureau. To put that expansion since the nascent days of the nation in perspective, today the combined land mass of the country’s two largest states eclipses the land mass of the entire nation in the early 1780s. Alaska (estimated land mass 571,000 square miles) and Texas (262,000), with roughly 833,000 square miles between them, are larger than the total land mass of the United States in 1783.

The Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress notes that walking was the most common and cheapest mode of transportation in the late eighteenth century. Horses and wagons enabled business and distance travel, but such modes were only available to those who could afford it, greatly limiting who could get around by any means other than their own feet. Getting around in the present day is a little more accessible, and a recent analysis from Hedges & Company found there were 298.7 million registered vehicles in the U.S. in 2025.

S A Nation GETS A NAME

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eptember 9, 1776, may not be the first date Americans think of when pondering their nation’s history, but it’s a significant day nonetheless. According to the National Constitution Center, on September 9, 1776, the Second Continental Congress adopted a new name for a collective of colonies that had been referred to as the “United Colonies.” The name chosen on that day in late summer 1776, the United States of America, has endured. While the opening sentence of the Declaration of Independence, which was issued on July 4, 1776, refers to the “thirteen united States of America,” it was a little more than two months later when the Congress passed a series of resolutions, including one in which it replaced “United Colonies” with “United States” as the fledgling nation’s new name.

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PONTOTOC HILLS DAUGHTERS OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION

I

Keep Patriotism Alive

f there is one women’s organization that has striven to keep patriotism alive from the local level to the national level is the Pontotoc Hills Daughters of the American Revolution.

The National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) is a nonprofit women’s service organization dedicated to promoting historic preservation, education, and patriotism. DAR members are descendants of a patriot of the American independence during the Revolutionary War. The National Society Daughters of the American Revolution was founded on October 11, 1890, during a time that was marked by a revival in patriotism and intense interest in the beginnings of the United States of America. Women felt the desire to express their patriotic feelings and were frustrated by their exclusion from men's organizations formed to perpetuate the memory of ancestors who fought to make this country free and independent. As a result, a group of pioneering women in the nation's capital formed their own organization and the Daughters of the American Revolution has carried the torch of patriotism ever since.

DAR members work to preserve and protect historic sites, monuments, and artifacts that tell the story of America’s founding. The organization supports education through scholarships, grants, literacy programs, and recognition of outstanding students and teachers. DAR chapters also honor veterans, support active-duty military personnel, promote citizenship, and participate in community service projects that strengthen the local community.

Through these efforts, the Daughters of the American Revolution help preserve America’s heritage, inspire civic responsibility, and ensure that future generations understand and appreciate the sacrifices made to secure America’s freedom.

LOCAL CHAPTER

The Pontotoc Hills Daughters of the American Revolution was organized on September 5, 1960 and confirmed by the National Board of Management of the DAR on October 12.

The first regent was Mr. Beulah F. Simmons. Charter members of the DAR were: Lizzie S. Bigham, Marion Bigham, Verdie Campbell, Mattie B. Cooper, Martha F. Fisk, Jo K. Furr, Ruth R. Henderson, Elizabeth B. Knight, Vera B. Knight, Hattie Mae Ray, Mae R. Stark and Hazel F. Street.

Some things Pontotoc Hills Chapter DAR does in the community are awarding the Good Citizen Award and scholarship to outstanding seniors from the local high schools and also

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to deserving sixth graders at the middle schools each year.

The Chapter takes care of the Natchez Trace Monument on Highway 6 in the Black Zion community.

The chapter also promoted Constitution Week one September by participating in Bells Across America by ringing bells on the court square at the same time that other chapters did all across the nation.

In the past, the chapter has made a monetary donation to the Veterans home in Oxford and also sent personal care items along with Christmas cards. Two members, Lynda Tinsley and Martha Jo Coleman, set up and take care of all the exhibits in the Town Square Post Office and Museum.

Present officers of the Chapter include: Regent - Becky Grubbs; Vice Regent - Lisa Lucius; 2nd Vice Regent and Chaplain - Jane Winston; Secretary - Miriam Clark; Treasurer - Ensley Howell; Registrar -Pam Bramlett; Historian - Dora Day and Librarian - Sadie Kenney.

HOW TO BECOME A DAR MEMBER

To be eligible for membership, you must be a woman who is at least 18 years of age and able to prove direct descent from a person who aided in achieving American independence during the period between 19 April 1775 and 26 November 1783.

Chapter members can help you find and document any Revolutionary War patriot ancestors hidden in your family tree. So you can contact any of the chapter members you see listed above or call Becky Grubbs at 662-489-3166.

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A HISTORICAL FIGURE REENACTMENT IS SET FOR PONTOTOC’S JULY 4

Semiquincentennial Celebration

The United States of America has a rich history of those who have stood against tyranny, made their mark by penning great words and captured the heart of the nation through their singing voices. During our Semiquincentennial celebration we will highlight those people in history, some of which have roots in our own red clay hills. Photos by Regina Butler

Harriet ‘Moses’ Tubman Portrayed by Denice Heard

Harriet Tubman was born to slavery in Dorchester County, Maryland. She escaped salvery and made countless missions to rescue some 70 enslaved people through what was known as the Underground Railroad. She was an armed scout and spy for the Union Army during the American Civil War. She is widely credited as the first woman to lead an armed military operation in the U.S.

Thomas Jefferson

Portrayed by Jonathan Butler Thomas Jefferson was the third president of the United States and the author of the Declaration of Independence. Jefferson advocated for individual rights which included the freedom to thought and speech and religion. These helped shape the revolution and the United States.

During his presidency, he peacefully acquired the Louisiana Territory from France and he supported the Lewis and Clark Expedition to find the most direct and practical water routes across the continent for the purpose of commerce.

Patrick Henry

Portrayed by Toby Winston Patrick Henry served as a delegate to the First Contential Congress in 1774. He is a founding father of the United States of America with his most famous declaration “Give me liberty or give me death!” It was spoken to the second Virginia convention in 1775. When he went to the fifth convention in April 1776 he introduced a resolution declaring Virginia independent and urged the congress to declare all the colonies free. He served in the American Revolutionary War and was a Colonel over the first Virginia Regiment. Toby Winston is a direct descendant of Patrick Henry.

Ruby Elzy

Portrayed by Michelle Martin Ruby Elzy was born in Pontotoc and went on to fame as an opera star on Broadway. She entertained for First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt on December 15, 1937. She also worked in films, on radio and the concert stage; appearing in the film Birth of the Blues with Bing Crosby and Mary Martin. She created the role of Serena in George Gershwin’s opera "Porgy and Bess" and performed it more than 800 times.

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George & Martha Washington Portrayed by Don & Ellen Russell

George Washington was the first president of the United States.

He served from 1789 to 1797. When the American Revolutionary War against the British began in 1775, he was appointed commander over the Continental Army and led Patriot forces. He combined a French and American force and led the young country to a victory over the British at Yorktown in 1781. The British acknowledged the sovereign independence of the United States in 1783. They say behind eery good leader is a woman who supports him. The First Lady of the United States was Martha Washington.

During the Revolutionary War, she visited encampments when fighting was lessened during the winter.

When George Washington was elected president she took on the social role of the president’s wife even though she wanted to retire. She understood her role as the First Lady and kept a balance between dignity and humility throughout the years her husband was in office.

Other American Portrayals Not Pictured Include:

Uncle Sam

Portrayed by Justus Wright Since the early part of the nineteenth century Uncle Sam became a common national personification of the United States. He was made popular during 1917 as a tool for recruiting troops in World War I through a poster created by James Montgomery Flagg. Legend says the character came into use during the War of 1812 and may have been named after Samuel Wilson.

Betsy Ross

Portrayed by Cindy Farris Betsy Ross is credited with sewing the first official flag of the fledgling United States. Although her story did not surface until some 96 years later, her grandson told the story to the Historical Society of Pennsylvania. He said in 1776 George Washington and Col. George Ross came to her upholstery shop with a conceptual drawing of a flag. After some discussion and a few changes, the committee liked it and Congress approved it. She was a skilled craftswoman, business owner and enduring symbol of the contribution of women to the American Revolution.

Statue of Liberty

Portrayed by Josie Warren The Statue of Liberty is a copper clad statue of a robed and crowned woman given to the United States from the people of France. She was scheduled to be finished in 1876 to celebrate America’s Centennial, she wound up being built in pieces because of the Franco-Prussian war. However the head and the torch bearing arm was completed and displayed at the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia in 1876. Ten years later, Lady Liberty was dedicated October 28, 1886. The statue is an icon of freedom and of the United States and seen as a symbol of welcome to immigrants arriving by sea. She has stood as a symbol of freedom when America came under attack from abroad and continues to "lift her lamp beside the golden door."

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AN ENDURING, EVER-EVOLVING

Symbol of Freedom T

he American flag has been recognized across the globe as a symbol of freedom for centuries. The Stars and Stripes is recognizable to billions of people worldwide, but the flag has undergone many changes since the United States gained its independence from Great Britain. According to the National Flag Foundation, the national flag of the United States has been revised 27 times since American colonists fought for and won independence from British rule. Of course, many of those changes occurred when a new state or new states were added to the union. Each time a new state joined the union, the flag would have to be adjusted with the addition of an extra star. The 1777 flag included a star for each of the 13 colonies that eventually became one of the initial 13 states, but the modern flag now features 50 stars as representative of the 50 states. Though the flag certainly underwent many changes since the nation’s inception, the NFF notes the current flag has remained unchanged since 1960, when the 50-star version was officially adopted on July 4 in recognition of Hawaii becoming the fiftieth state in 1959.

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Fun Facts

ABOUT SOME OF THE COLONIES THAT FORMED THE UNITED STATES It’s been 250 years since the 13 colonies joined to form the United States of America, but those 13 territories continue to feature prominently throughout the country each and every day. That’s because the 13 stripes on the American flag represent the original 13 colonies.

The American flag serves as a visible reminder of the 13 colonies,

and that’s not the only interesting fact about the territories that would become the United States of America.

There was a constitution that predates the United States Constitution.

ConnecticutHistory.org notes that the Connecticut Colony had a framework for government by the mid-seventeenth century not unlike the one that would be spelled out in the U.S. Constitution. The Fundamental Orders of Connecticut were adopted in 1639 and are considered the first written constitution in America. Roger Ludlow of Windsor is believed to have drafted the Fundamental Orders, which consisted of a preamble and 11 orders (or laws) and mirrored trading company charters common at the time. Notably, the Orders did not reference the authority of the crown.

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Colonial New Jersey was home to a notable rift in a famous family.

Benjamin Franklin was among the most renowned and recognizable of the Founding Fathers of the United States, and his commitment to the ideals of the burgeoning nation did not waver even when the conflict that became the American Revolutionary War divided his family.

William Franklin was a son Benjamin fathered outside his common-law marriage to Deborah Read. Though William was raised by his father and Read, father and son did not see eye-to-eye on every issue, including the war. William, in fact, served as the thirteenth and final Colonial Governor of New Jersey, and remained a steadfast loyalist throughout the conflict. The prospects of victory were looking dim for loyalists by 1781, and William departed for England in 1782, never to return to New Jersey or the infant nation it became a part of. Curiously, William’s own son from an extra-marital relationship, William Temple Franklin, sided with his grandfather during the conflict, and even served Benjamin Franklin while the latter negotiated a pivotal alliance between America and France.

A debt sparked the founding of Pennsylvania.

After the restoration of the Stuart monarchy in 1660, Charles II of England took the throne.

Money was tight at the time, so Sir William Penn, a British admiral, funded the rebuilding of the Royal Navy out of his own pocket. Charles II was petitioned for repayment by Sir William’s son, also named William Penn, twenty years later. But the younger Penn, who had become a Quaker by this point, requested land in lieu of funds, with a goal toward establishing a place where religious tolerance was rule. The king granted the younger Penn’s request in 1681, and decreed that the territory granted to Penn be named after his father. Thus, Pennsylvania got its name.

Rent was cheap in New Hampshire by the mid-eighteenth century.

The colony of New Hampshire was so sparsely populated by the end of the French and Indian War in 1762 that Governor Benning Wentworth came up with a unique way to entice people to move to what’s now known as the Granite State.

According to History.com, Wentworth recruited settlers by offering one-acre lots that required annual rental payments of just a single ear of Indian corn payable on December 25.

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FIREWORKS & FLAG Coloring Page

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PATRIOTIC Coloring Page

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WORDS Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts

Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Rhode Island Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Wyoming

Find the words hidden vertically, horizontally, diagonally, and backwards.

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AMERICA 250 Maze

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AMERICAN REVOLUTIONARY WAR

Trivia

• On which day were the battles at Lexington and Concord fought?

Answer: April 19, 1775

• True or False: Bunker Hill was fought on Bunker Hill.

Answer: False

• Which of these notable rivers did George Washington lead his troops across on December 30, 1776?

A. The Hudson River B. The Delaware River C. The Rubicon D. The Charles River

Answer: B. The Delaware River

Despite its name, the Battle of Bunker Hill on June 17, 1775, was fought on Breed’s Hill.

• This Founding Father famously declared “Give me liberty, or give me death!”

• The mercenary-like forces hired to fight during a speech to the Second Virginia alongside the British during the American Convention in 1775.

Revolutionary War were known as what? A. Benjamin Franklin Answer: Hessians

Though soldiers from various German states were hired and deployed by the British during the conflict, the troops were principally drawn from the German state of Hesse-Cassel.

• This infamous figure was a decorated American military officer who rose to the rank of Major General during the American Revolutionary War. Answer: Benedict Arnold

Though Arnold is today widely remembered as a turncoat, he accomplished much for the Americans before defecting to the British in 1780, including leading the capture of Fort Ticonderoga in 1775.

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B. Thomas Jefferson C. John Adams D. Patrick Henry

• True or False: Fewer than half of all colonists favored fighting for independence from Great Britain.

Answer: True

Though specific figures are hard to confirm, various historians estimate that only about 40 percent of colonists supported the American Revolutionary War, while roughly one in five identified as loyalists to the crown.

The remaining 40 percent are believed to have held moderate views.

• This treaty, signed in 1783, marked the end of the American Revolution.

A. The Treaty of Versailles B. The Treaty of Paris C. The Treaty of Tordesillas D. The Treaty of Accession

Answer: B. The Treaty of Paris

Answer: D. Patrick Henry

• True or False: The American Revolutionary War is the longest conflict in American military history.

Answer: False

While the eight-year-long conflict between the colonists and Great Britain that began in 1775 remained the longest war in American military history for nearly 200 years, the Vietnam War, in which America was engaged between 1960 and 1975, displaced it atop that list in the middle decades of the twentieth century. The invasion of Afghanistan, which began in 2001 and continued until 2021, has since become the longest conflict in American military history.

• True or False: The Continential Congress declared its independence from Great Britain on July 2.

Answer: True

Though Americans annually celebrate the nation’s independence on July 4, the Continential Congress declared its independence on July 2, two days before signing the Declaration of Independence.

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