250 Seconds

There are many ways to celebrate and commemorate the 250 th anniversary of the Declaration
of Independence and the birth of the United States and their impact on our lives and those who
came before us. They will continue to be important for those who come after us.
250 Seconds is an easy and efficient way to get your organization to encourage learning as
well as celebrating. Whether you own a business, preside over a civic organization, attend a PTA
meeting, sit on a city council, or participate in any other type of organization that holds meetings,
simply decide to include 250 Seconds.
250 Seconds is simply a commitment to set aside four minutes and ten seconds at the
opening or closing your meetings to share an inspirational story, focus on an historical event, review
a constitutional principle, or share insights into our foundational documents and principles.
You can write your own text, enlist a volunteer to draft 250 Seconds, or select from
selections on the USA250-OC website. Commit to 250 Seconds for each meeting from July 4, 2025
to July 4, 2026, the 250 th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Let us know how you are
helping to promote civic literacy in Orange County. We will include it on the USA250-OC website.

Essays

Rebellion at the Centennial: How Suffragists Forced a Nation to Listen

| 250 Seconds

The weather in Philadelphia in May can be unpredictable. This morning, May 10, 1876, was no exception. At sunrise, the bell in the tower of Independence Hall rang out and was soon joined by bells and chimes throughout the city for half an hour as the rain...

Evacuation Day: The Real End of the Revolutionary War

| 250 Seconds

It was an overcast morning. Bad weather and other complications had delayed the movement of British troops for nearly a week longer than required by the agreement between General George Washington and British General Guy Carlton, commander-in-chief of all...

Two Lafayettes and One Wild Scheme

| 250 Seconds

In mid-October 1824, a sixty-seven-year-old French visitor arrived in Richmond, Virginia. He had been in the United States since August 15, responding to an invitation initiated by President James Monroe and formalized by a joint resolution of Congress which read, in...

The Story Behind the Story

| 250 Seconds

On April 28, 2026, Britain’s King Charles III visited the United States to join in the 250 th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence which separated 13 North American colonies from the British Empire. By all accounts his visit was a resounding success as he...

The Presidents’ Prayers

| 250 Seconds

It was June 6, 1944. General Dwight D. Eisenhower, Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force, stood on a beach on the Normandy coast of France. Hours earlier the largest armada ever assembled had launched the greatest amphibious invasion in...

Common Bonds of History and Lessons Learned

| 250 Seconds

Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip – Balcony of the Old State House, Boston, 1776 On July 18, 1776, exactly two weeks after the Continental Congress approved the Declaration of Independence, Colonel Thomas Crafts stepped out onto the second-floor...

The Octogenarian Who Charged Into History

| 250 Seconds

Writing to newspaperman and publisher Hezekiah Niles in February 1818, former President John Adams asked and responded to his own question. “What do we mean by the American Revolution?” he asked. “Do we mean the American War? The Revolution was effected...

The Ideal v. the Real

| 250 Seconds

USA250-OC has taken as its basic philosophy a simple but profound observation – that America is the perfect idea: the United States of America is a work in progress. It pits the ideal against the real; principles against human action; the perfect against...

The Man Who Knew Too Much

| 250 Seconds

In July 1815, former President John Adams wrote a letter to his successor, Thomas Jefferson. They had been close allies in the rebellion against Great Britain decades earlier and members of the committee that drafted the Declaration of Independence....

Paul Revere’s Mileage

| 250 Seconds

Embedded in our collective memories are certain scenes of our country’s past. Benjamin Franklin capturing electricity with a kite and a key. Patriots disguised as Native Americans tossing tea overboard at the Boston Tea Party. George Washington crossing the...