"We The People" lecture series kicks off in September at state history museum | | |
The Washington State Historical Society is proud to present a nine-part lecture series titled "We the People" as part of America's 250th.
These programs will consider how Washington State aligns with and fulfills the nation's foundational principles of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, and how that has changed over time.
The series will also examine the Washington state identity, which is constantly evolving, and what it means to be a Washingtonian.
The series will be held on the third Thursday of each month beginning in September at the Washington State History Museum in Tacoma. The programs are free and open to the public; registration is not required.
| | | DATE | TIME | TOPIC | PARTNERS | | Sept. 18 | 5:30 p.m. | Fighting for the Puyallup Tribe | UW Press, Ramona Bennett, John Hughes, Darrell Hillaire | | Oct. 16 | 3 p.m. | Buhay: the Filipino American Life | Filipino American National Historical Society | | Nov. 20 | 5:30 p.m. | MAIZ: Culinary and Cultural Resilience | Mi Centro | | Dec. 18 | 5:30 p.m. | Washington's Music | Olympia Music History Project | | Jan. 15 | 5:30 p.m. | An Evening with Derek Sheffield | Derek Sheffield (WA Poet Laureate) | | Feb. 19 | 5:30 p.m. | Then and Now: 1776 and 2026 | Buffalo Soldiers Museum | | Mar. 19 | 5:30 p.m. | Evening with HistoryLink | HistoryLink | | April 16 | 5:30 p.m. | We the People Trivia | WA State Archives | | May 21 | 5:30 p.m. | South Sound Day of Remembrance | Tamiko Nimura and Michael Sullivan | | |
Teacher Resource Kit Now Available | | |
An America's 250th Resource Kit for Teachers is now available on the Resources page of our website.
This is a curated set of databases, collections, primary and secondary source documents, and classroom activities on four topics:
- Pacific Northwest Treaties
- the Washington State Constitution
- the Revolutionary War
- the Declaration of Independence
Also available are "quick guides" for each of these topics that highlight a few items from each set of materials with guiding questions, state standards, introductions to the sources, and areas for further research.
The resource kit was developed by the education staff of the Washington State Historical Society. For more information or additional support, please contact Kevin Budrevich-Ryan, senior manager of K-12 services, at kevin.budrevich-ryan@wshs.wa.gov.
| | Two WA Students and Teacher Receive
National America250 Recognition | | |
Madeline Johnson,17, of Bremerton (Kitsap County), a rising senior at Central Kitsap High School in Silverdale, won a second-place award in the America’s Field Trip national competition with her artwork of the Statute of Liberty (right). America’s Field Trip is a national contest for students in grades 3-12 to reflect on the question “What Does America Mean to You?” More than 7,000 students from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. territories participated. As one of 75 second-place winners, Madeline will receive a cash prize.
Cooper Brix, 17, of Woodinville (King County), a rising senior at Woodinville High School, and Kathleen Hartman, an eighth-grade social studies teacher at Leota Middle School in Woodinville, were selected as a student-teacher team to participate in the 2025 Young People’s Continental Congress held in Philadelphia this month. Student-teacher delegations from 27 states participated in the congress, sponsored by National History Day, to explore our nation’s founding and learn how the ideals of the founding era continue to be debated, discussed and refined during the past 250 years.
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Presentations
The Washington 250 team is scheduled to speak at several upcoming events. If you would like a presentation to your group, please contact us at info@america250wa.org.
Aug. 12: Stilly Valley Chamber of Commerce, Arlington
Oct 7: Gig Harbor Midday Rotary Club, Gig Harbor
Oct. 8-10: PLACES Conference, Gig Harbor
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Webinars
Aug. 5 | 2 p.m. |Civic Engagement Project for Students
The Civic Learning Council, in collaboration with the Washington State Council for the Social Studies, will host a webinar about their project that encourages elementary school teachers to partner with local history museums to explore symbols that represent democracy. CLC members will share details about the activities in this project, discuss strategies for engaging with students, and funding available to facilitate field trips to museums. Free and open to all. REGISTER HERE
Coming Soon:
Date TBC: Engaging Youth in America's 250th with the Youth250 Bureau
Date TBC: Creating a Museum of Service with the National Museum and Center for Service
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Ideas from our Partners
Need some inspiration about what you can do in your community for America's 250th? Check out some of our partner ideas.
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"Our Declarations" Exhibit in Clark County
The people, events, and documents created during the Revolutionary War period had an immense, and continued, effect on the world. In an effort to grapple with the ideas put forth 250 years ago and engage the community in the commemoration, the Clark County Historical Museum will create an exhibit focused on the concept of “Our Declarations.” The museum will work directly with community members to pose questions based on pivotal founding documents, and highlight reactions in the form of oral, written, and artistic responses, as Clark County’s collective and contemporary commemoration of America's 250th.
Group City Photo in Puyallup
Various organizations, under the leadership of the City of Puyallup (Pierce County), have come together to create a planning committee for America's 250th. Among their many creative ideas is a suggestion to take a group photo of the community during their Fourth of July celebration, perhaps with everyone waving an American flag. They hope the photo can be displayed around the city for years to come as a reminder of this historic milestone.
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Upcoming Partner Events
A statewide calendar of events is coming soon, but in the meantime, check out the following events:
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July 26: Chehalis Festival
The Spirit of 76 Living History Association (Thurston County) will be in Chehalis (Lewis County) for another living history event.
Aug. 15-17: Early American Heritage Festival
The Early American Heritage Festival in Rainier (Thurston County) is an annual event sponsored by the Spirit of 76 Living History Association (Thurston County). The festival explores the challenges of life in early America and the conflict that divided and ultimately united the United States. Open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday at Wilkowski Park.
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Don't forget to start thinking about your local plans for our key 2026 dates.
Day of Service: Sunday, June 14, 2026
Communities will organize local service projects such as helping digitize historical photographs at your history museum or participating in community cleanup events.
Independence Day: Saturday, July 4, 2026
Incorporate our official themes of America's 250th anniversary—We the People, Power of Place, and Sharing History—into your existing July 4th activities.
Washington Museum Day: Saturday, August 8, 2026
In collaboration with the Washington Museum Association, museums across the state will offer free or discounted admission and promote the “Out of Many, One” project.
Day of Civic Engagement: Thursday September 17, 2026
Communities are invited to plan activities to inspire civic participation such as hosting voter registration, meet-and-greets with civic leaders, or a civics-themed trivia night.
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Coming Up: 250 State Committee Meeting
Oct. 9, 2025 at 1:00 p.m. (PT) | Online
State committee meetings are quarterly and open to the public.
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Previous Meetings
View on TVW
Watch recordings of previous meetings courtesy of TVW.
| | Check Out Our First Promotional Video! | Share this newsletter with any organization that might be interested in becoming an America 250 WA partner! | | | | |
