By STEVE BRAWNER
The United States is celebrating its America250 semiquincentennial, and Arkansas is doing its part to plan the party.
The semiquincentennial (“simee-quin-centennial”) marks 250 years since the Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776.
It’s the second major national milestone during my lifetime. The country’s 200-year Bicentennial in 1976 was a huge deal. An American Freedom Train featuring historical artifacts rolled past our house in Wynne. I went to school one day dressed as Abraham Lincoln with a stovetop paper hat that Mom painstakingly had made, and which I ditched in favor of some flimsy headgear I glued together in class.
Now it’s 50 years later, and another party is in the works.
Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism Secretary Shea Lewis is chairing an Arkansas250 commission appointed by Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders that’s been meeting in communities across the state.
The celebration the commission is planning will mark Arkansas’ history and its contribution to the United States. Arkansas250 flags are being distributed to all 75 counties. A curriculum is helping schools teach Arkansas history as it relates to the semiquincentennial.
Other elements of the statewide celebration include the installation of America250 historical markers in various places across the state. The first one was erected at Bauxite, a Saline County community where bauxite ore was mined during World War 2 for the aluminum used for the country’s war arsenal. Other sites include Little Rock civil rights leader Daisy Bates’ home; the Louisiana Purchase State Park, which marks the starting point for surveying the land acquired through the massive Louisiana Purchase in 1803; and Arkansas Post National Memorial. It commemorates the only Revolutionary War skirmish fought within the land mass that became Arkansas.
Did you know there was a Revolutionary War skirmish fought here? I did not.
Lewis said the state’s signature event will occur in Little Rock June 27, the Saturday before July 4. The plan is to hold a late afternoon parade at the State Capitol. All 75 counties will participate. Entertainment will be followed by, naturally, a fireworks display.
Meanwhile, the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts, the Clinton Presidential Center, the Old State House Museum, and the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville are offering their own exhibits.
The national celebration will include the Great American State Fair June 25 through July 10 on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Each state will have a tent celebrating its role in American history. Lewis said Arkansas’ exhibit might celebrate its agricultural heritage and tout its outdoor recreation opportunities. The state is participating in the America250’s America Gives effort to encourage and document volunteer service. Similar to the Freedom Train 50 years ago, Freedom Trucks will travel the country with historical exhibits. There’s also a Freedom Plane carrying historical documents including the 1783 Treaty of Paris, where Great Britain recognized the United States as an independent nation.
The Bicentennial celebration in 1976 occurred three years after the last American troops left Vietnam. It was two years after President Richard Nixon resigned as a result of the Watergate scandal. It was not the United States’ best moment.
The America250 event likewise occurs at a time of national discord, which there’s no need to describe in detail.
Lewis understandably did not want to comment on the political environment. However, he feels good about what Arkansas250 is seeking to accomplish.
“I think this is an opportunity for a unifying moment,” he said. “I think this is an opportunity for us to look and bring folks together and celebrate, to me, the greatest country in the world, and the opportunity that we have to live here.”
A unifying moment would be a nice 250th birthday present.
I’ll need something to wear to the party. Mom, can you make another Abraham Lincoln hat?
Steve Brawner’s column is syndicated to 21 outlets in Arkansas. Email him at brawnersteve@mac.com.
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