Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

Resources

Resources

Explore local and national resources to help plan America 250 events in your community.

American Association for State and Local History (AASLH)

America’s Semiquincentennial presents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to share the whole history of our nation and to make progress in becoming a more perfect union. To support nationwide efforts, AASLH has created the 250th Anniversary Program Handbook and the Making History at 250 Field Guide to help organizations enhance public engagement with history.

Visit the AASLH website for additional planning resources, FAQs, and the national initiative tracker.

America250 National Website

America250.org is the official website of the U.S. Semiquincentennial Commission, established by congress in 2016 to plan and orchestrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence of the United States. The nonpartisan Commission, chaired by former Treasurer of the United States Rosie Rios, is working with America250.org, Inc., to engage Americans across the country in designing the largest and most inclusive anniversary observance in our nation’s history.

Decorative Arts Trust’s Collecting250 Resource

The Decorative Arts Trust’s Collecting 250 online resource celebrates the United States Semiquincentennial by featuring 250 historic objects from across the country, including the Afro-American Heritage Bicentennial Commemorative Quilt preserved in the Oregon Historical Society’s museum collection. All are invited to browse this online collection of meaningful and impactful objects that represent independence, identity, and community. The hope of this resource is to encourage the exploration of material culture collections online and in person at the wealth of institutions located throughout our nation.

Marines Across America

The Marine Corps Heritage Foundation is celebrating the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Marine Corps throughout 2025 with events nationwide leading up to its official birthday on November 10. As part of the commemoration, the Marines Across America program is highlighting Marines from every state who have made a lasting impact in their communities.

Anyone can contribute by submitting the name and story of a Marine who embodies the values of Honor, Courage, and Commitment through their open submission form.

Oregon Humanities Beyond 250

Oregon Humanities invites you to join a statewide reflection on the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Through library trainings, public conversations, letter-writing projects, and more, Beyond 250 offers ways to explore our shared past and imagine a collective future.

Visit Beyond 250 for resources, toolkits, and community-driven dialogues spanning 2025 and 2026.

Public Media Making History at 250

Public media stations have long chronicled the stories of our communities. In celebration of the semiquincentennial, stations across the country have joined together through Public Media Making History at 250, a national project from The National Educational Telecommunications Association (NETA).

Organized around the AASLH Making History at 250 themes, the collection highlights how Americans make and remember history. Documentaries from OPB’s Oregon Experience are featured in:

Explore the full collection at Public Media Making History at 250

Revolutionary War Pension Files Transcription Project

Volunteer as a Citizen Archivist!

The National Park Service and the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) are collaborating on a special project to transcribe the pension records of more than 80,000 of America’s first veterans and their widows. Not only could you be the first person in 200 years to learn their stories, but your efforts will make a permanent contribution to the historical record in time for the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution! Learn how you can become a citizen archivist by visiting archives.gov.

The United States at 250: The Paradox of Commemoration

A blog post by Brad Parker published on Dear Oregon

This spring, Brad Parker, member of the America 250 Oregon Commission, traveled to Washington, D.C., to gather with people from across the country who are preparing to commemorate this milestone in our country’s history. In this post published on the Oregon Historical Society blog, Dear Oregon, Parker shares highlights from the convening and offers thoughts as a K–12 educator and social science specialist on how the 250th anniversary can reflect all our American stories and move us toward a “more perfect union.”