Chapter 1: What anniversary is being celebrated in this episode?
Hey, ThruLine listeners, it's Rand here.
And Ramtin.
So as many of you know, this year marks the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
On July 4th, 1776, the Declaration boldly announced to the world that 13 British colonies were shedding the weight of empire and separating from Great Britain under the banner of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
a new nation called the United States of America was born. And it would be guided by a radical idea that ordinary people could and should govern themselves, that the noisy chaos of democracy was worth it and possible.
Like all milestone anniversaries, this year is a chance for us to stop and ask ourselves, what is the American story? What have we achieved in the past 250 years? Where have we stumbled? And where are we headed next?
These are big questions, especially right now when the country is arguably more divided than ever on what the future should look like or even what counts as American history.
Yeah, there's no sugarcoating this. As we approach the 250th anniversary, there's going to be a lot of celebrations and also a fair amount of people who just don't think there's much to celebrate.
Where does this leave ThruLine? Well, we knew as NPR's history show, we wanted to do something to mark this year. So we're launching a new weekly miniseries that's part of NPR's America in Pursuit project. Every Tuesday from now until July 4th, we'll feature a different moment from our archives that all together will take you on a journey through the last two centuries of U.S.
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Chapter 2: What questions should we ask about the American story today?
But as we've explored a lot on the show, that's only one part of America's origin.
The founders were all wealthy, white, landowning men. Some were slave owners, too. And yes, the Declaration of Independence, July 4th, is the birthday of the U.S. in one sense. But remember, just a few years ago, we were having this conversation with Nicole Hannah-Jones about the 1619 Project.
This is a project in the New York Times arguing that slavery is the foundational American institution that our founders were. Many of them, if not most, hypocrites who said they were founding a nation on the idea of freedom while engaging in slavery.
The 1619 Project made the argument that the story of the U.S. really begins with the docking of the first slave ships in 1619.
It caused a lot of commotion. And a year after it was published, the 1776 Commission was founded under the first Trump administration with the stated goal of, quote, promoting patriotic education and a true understanding of American history, countering narratives like the 1619 Project, and advising on the 250th anniversary of independence.
We will teach our children the truth about America, that we are the most exceptional nation on the face of the earth and getting better every single day. We're not going to let it fail.
I think I may have said this in class a few times. Everything is a pendulum. It kind of swings one way and the other. Things get more progressive. Things may get more conservative, back and forth.
It's not earth-shattering to say that history is political. It always has been. Where we choose to start the story, what narratives dominate, who we include.
And for some, 1619 and 1776 miss an even bigger story.
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Chapter 3: How do historians view the founding fathers and their contributions?
Is it celebration? What is the tone and tenor of what it is that we are doing?
This is Adrienne Whaley. She's the director of education and community engagement at the Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia.
I was born and raised in Philadelphia, and so I've always had the history of the American Revolution right in my own backyard.
She understands why people might have reservations about this year's anniversary.
I think what gives me comfort, and I can probably speak for a lot of my peers as well, or at least if not comfort, then a sense of groundedness. is that we have never had one clear understanding of what America was or is as a nation.
So for Adrienne, the thing worth celebrating is the fact that we as a country are still striving to figure it out, despite the divisions, obstacles, and setbacks over the years.
We at the Museum of the American Revolution, our entire mission is about uncovering and sharing information these compelling stories about diverse people and complex events that sparked this ongoing experiment in liberty, equality, and self-government.
In the lead-up to the 250th anniversary, the museum has a special exhibit called The Declaration's Journey. And the part that Adrienne likes the most is right when you walk in.
The coolest thing, like the thing that you were greeted by when you walk into the exhibition is this display that's got two things on it. One of them is a Windsor chair.
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