What a great question, Anna! And thank you Adam for highlighting some major undertakings here in Michigan (more details about the organization later, but if this info is not on the AASLH initiative tracker, it should be!).

I am a big believer that our local and state organizations need to enthusiastically seize this moment and develop programming to commemorate the 250^th. If we don’t, the Boston Tea Party, the Liberty Bell, and Mount Rushmore will be front and center. We already did that 50 years ago. Instead let’s get stories about L’Anse, River Raisin, Muskegon and every place in between out there. Our Michigan stories need to be heard because they are consequential to our collective pursuit of a more perfect union over the past 250 years!

Among the best resources out there is the American Association for State and Local History. They have been working across the country for years to create a fulsome approach to the 250^th, and they have focused on 5 themes for this year’s commemorations. These themes are outlined in their Field Guide (there is a Spanish-language Field Guide as well):

--Unfinished Revolutions

--Power of Place

--We the People

--The American Experiment

--Doing History

The AALSH has a ton more free resources, too - https://aaslh.org/programs/250th/#tab-6fa01190263ff1c2bf6. One that is particularly useful is a program guide with all sorts of ideas for a variety of programs in a variety of environments. For instance, they have ideas for essay or oratorial contests, developing an oral history program, hosting walking tours of your community, etc.

And drawing on those AASLH themes, the Society of American Archivists is asking all archives large and small across the country to contribute one item to the SAA 250for the 250^th. This effort will create a huge, freely available database of documents, photos, audio and video files, and more from across the country. The SAA effort is open to every institution with archives holdings. It will be excellent to see Michigan well-represented (*wink, *wink)!

One last bit of information about nomenclature for the commemorations: America250 is the official name of a Congressionally chartered corporation. Over the past two years, America250 has become much more focused on selling merchandise (if you are on the official America250 mailing list, you receive more e-mails to purchase branded apparel than information about commemoration efforts). If you aren’t tied to the official efforts, feel free to call the grassroots programs being led by local and state organizations across the country by names other than America250 – e.g., the US 250^th, the Semiquincentennial, the 250^th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, etc. You’ll notice AASLH uses these other names because they are not part of the officially sanctioned organization.

Just like Adam, I am happy to discuss Semiquincentennial efforts any time. And I can share more about the Clarke Historical Library’s exhibit, “From the Consent of the Governed: Michigan and the Values of the Declaration of Independence,” in which we focus on the values expressed in the opening paragraphs of the Declaration of Independence:

--We are all equal,

--We all have the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, and

--The people are empowered to stand up for their rights in the face of tyranny.

Thank you and have an excellent day,

Bryan Whitledge

Public Services Librarian

Clarke Historical Library

Central Michigan University

989-774-2159

whitl1br@cmich.edu

From: Oster, Adam (MDE) via Michlib-l <michlib-l@liblists.org>
Sent: Wednesday, April 15, 2026 5:03 PM
To: Anna Merritt <amerritt@richlandlibrary.org>; michlib-l@liblists.org
Subject: [External] [Michlib-l] Re: Celebrating America250

Hi Anna,

Our approach at the Library of Michigan with our monthly virtual programs (www.Michigan.gov/LMPublicPrograms) is to have several programs that focus on the early development of Michigan as both a territory and state, the collection/preservation of the stories of that initial generation of Michiganders, and other topics faced by researchers of that time period (e.g., vital records prior to 1867, the Public Land Survey System, using out of state collections for Michigan research).

Our colleagues/neighbors at the Michigan State Capitol Education & History Department approached the America 250 themes from how the Michigan Capitol building - and the community of people connected to it - fit within the larger American story: https://www.mscexhibits.org/america-250-programs-schedule. Their programs so far have focused on the architecture of capitol buildings, Michigan Constitutions & Constitutional Conventions, and how the Michigan Pioneer and Historical Society was collecting history in the 1870s. Many of their future programs follow similar themes.

The story of our state offers many ways of exploring the themes of the America 250 celebration and celebrating Michigan’s contributions to the American story. Besides looking at our program list and those of the Michigan State Capitol Education & History Department, I’d also suggest looking at the America250MI website: https://www.america250mi.org/. There are certainly plenty of ideas on there that the Historical Society of Michigan has compiled together. If you (or anyone else) want to have a further conversation about this, feel free to reach out.

Thanks!

Adam

Adam Oster, Community Engagement Librarian

Library of Michigan

Michigan Department of Education

702 W. Kalamazoo St.

P.O. Box 30007

Lansing, MI 48909-7507

ostera@michigan.gov | 517-335-1469 | www.mi.gov/libraryofmichigan

From: Anna Merritt via Michlib-l <michlib-l@liblists.org>
Sent: Wednesday, April 15, 2026 2:56 PM
To: michlib-l@liblists.org
Subject: [Michlib-l] Celebrating America250

CAUTION: This is an External email. Please report suspicious emails via the "Report to Abuse" button in Outlook

Hello All,

Is anyone else having trouble navigating the America250 without bringing up politics or glossing over aspects of America’s history…?

Ideas for programs, displays, etc. seem to either 1.) Put out an uber-patriotic ideal or 2.) Invite debate about current events and politics…

How can we find a balance between sugarcoating our nation’s history and being to ‘woke’ for our more conservative patrons?

All ideas and feedback are welcome. No judgment.

Anna Merritt

(she/her)

Assistant Director / Adult Programmer / Interloan Specialist

Richland Community Library

8951 Park Street

Richland, MI 49083

(269) 629-9085

ZV283

https://www.richlandlibrary.org/

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