The quarter-millennial anniversary of the American Revolution arrives in 2026.  The Journeyman Chronicles is a multi-part series of historical novels following the exploits of Will Yelverton, a young master gunsmith who is pulled into events of the American War for Independence.  

By the time of the signing of the Declaration of Independence several southern states had deposed their royal governors and de facto declared independence.  While we celebrate the battles at Lexington and Concord as the ‘shots heard round the world,’ lesser known but just as important fights between American revolutionaries and British soldiers occurred in the same time frame.  One such battle was the brief fight between British-led, Royal Highland Scottish Regiment and the North Carolina Patriot militia at Moore’s Creek Bridge, North Carolina.  The patriots won the engagement at Moore’s Creek, effectively ending British rule in North Carolina for many of the years of the Revolution. 

In Journeyman: The Bridge, young Will Yelverton is pulled into the fight at Moore’s Creek Bridge despite his plans to move to the frontier and set up shop as a gunsmith.  His life is planned out, yet events conspire to divert him from his planned path.  The Journeyman Chronicles is the multi-part story of Will Yelverton as he is pulled by Revolutionary War events to mature from teenager to adult.  Will’s story is emblematic of the lives of so many young Americans some 250 years ago. 

AMERICA250 Celebration

AMERICA250 is the Federal celebration of the American Revolution.  https://america250.org/discover/what-is-america-250/

American ’semiquincentinneal’ celebration… 250 years since the American Revolution.

• Semi (half) quincentinneal (500 years) = 250 years.

Planning for the celebrations has been damaged by the Covid pandemic…perhaps now that the pandemic seems to be subsiding, there will be more activity.  There seems some slight increase in activity with more states getting on board in 2021.

Information from the 2019 report to the President

• Executive Director of the Commission, Frank Giordano, at fgiordano@America250.gov (Girdano has been replaced)
• America250 has several task forces:
  • Art
  • Culture
  • Sports & Entertainment
  • Civics & Civic Engagement
  • History & Education
  • Innovation, Science & Entrepreneurism
  • International
  • Parks, Preservation & Public Places
  • Veterans
  • Youth.
• Consistent with the legislative intent of Public Law 114-196, Section 9(a), America250 expects significant fundraising from private and corporate sources – ultimately in order to cover an overall projected cost of $300 to $500 million.
• Currently, America250 is negotiating with several major American corporations to become national corporate sponsors at a multi-million-dollar level over the next six years. (As of June 2022, this has failed miserably with only Facebook/Meta contributing)
• Unknown status as of 2022

From the America250 2020 report to Congress:

• America 250 created a visionary framework embracing three common themes—Educate, Engage, and Unite
• As of December 1, 2020, Semiquincentennial entities have been created in eight (8) states: Kentucky, Michigan, New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia; legislation has been introduced in three (3) additional states: Alabama, New York, and Massachusetts; and significant interest has been expressed in the seven (7) following states and territory: Delaware, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, Texas, Utah, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.
• Congress provided $500,000 in Federal funding for (FY) 2019 for the Commission.
  • Increased to an appropriation of $3.3 million in FY 2020.
  • FY 2021 staff was working with House and Senate Appropriators for $8 million.
  •  The Commission is on record of needing a no-year Federal funding baseline of $8 million a year through FY 2026 to fully realize and discharge its Congressional mandate
  • Federal funding will represent roughly 15-20% of the anticipated funding requirements of America 250 through 2026.
  • Unknown status of any of this

These states relevant to Journeyman Chronicles have commissions (see http://download.aaslh.org/USA+250/2019+USA+250.pdf ):

Status as of 2022 unknown.

• Georgia          The Georgia Historical Society plans to provide programming exploring the meaning of American identity at 250 years. They are preparing to launch the effort in 2021, five years in advance of the anniversary.  (As of June 2022, GA did not have a commission)
• New Jersey     New Jersey passed legislation in June 2018 charging the New Jersey Historical Commission (NJHC) with preparing for the Semiquincentennial and calling for a $500,000 annual appropriation for ten years. NJHC selected Crossroads of the American Revolution as their non-profit partner in October 2018. The NJHC hired a public historian to develop history programming for the anniversary, and Crossroads selected consultants to undertake a comprehensive capital needs assessment of the more than 140 sites in the state that have connections to the Revolution. The NJHC is also undertaking a comprehensive survey of K-12 history education in the state.
• North Carolina          North Carolina has established a statewide planning committee for the 250th and devised an initial list of commemoration activities for the state. Statewide themes are to include “Revolutionary North Carolina” and “When Are We US?”
• Pennsylvania             In 2018, the state formed the Pennsylvania Commission for the United States Semiquincentennial. That commission has discussed an ambitious effort to commemorate the anniversary in all counties in the state. They have also expressed the goal to educate all citizens of the Commonwealth about the state and nation’s history up to the present, and to offer educational grant opportunities for young people.
• South Carolina          In 2018, South Carolina established the South Carolina American Revolution Sestercentennial Commission, providing the commission the authority to plan and execute the state’s observance of the 250th anniversary. The commission brings together representatives from the state’s Department of Archives and History and Department of Parks, Recreation, and Tourism, in addition to other appointees.
• Virginia          An informal, statewide planning group, RevolutionaryVA250, meets twice a year to collaborate and coordinate efforts. The group has been recognized through resolutions by the state’s House of Delegates and State Senate. They are also working with national planning partners and a state tourism organization to conduct audience research.

Other relevant resources/websites:

The American Association for State and Local History (AASLH):  https://aaslh.org/

Museum of the American Revolution:  https://www.amrevmuseum.org/