By Madeleine Rosenberg, AASLH Pomeroy Foundation Semiquincentennial Manager

The U.S. 250th anniversary in 2026 is now less than three years away. As we rapidly approach this momentous milestone, the pressure grows to make the most of the transformative potential of the anniversary. For our field, the tremendous promise of the Semiquincentennial will only be fulfilled if history organizations of all types, sizes, and locations feel they can find entry points that make the commemoration relevant and meaningful to their audiences.

To help identify those entry points, in 2021 AASLH developed Making History at 250: The Field Guide to the U.S. Semiquincentennial to provide unity of vision and purpose for what will otherwise be a largely grassroots commemoration. Created with support from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and in collaboration with dozens of history leaders nationwide, the Field Guide presents five interpretive themes for history practitioners hoping to make the most of the 250th.

There is power in using a shared vocabulary, and the Field Guide has already shaped 250th planning across the country, including at the state level in New York, Washington, Connecticut, Illinois, and Wisconsin. In addition to state-wide organizations, we are also seeing the Field Guide used by county and regional planning entities and history organizations, historic sites, and museums.

Through generous support from the NEH and later the William G. Pomeroy Foundation, AASLH has been able to print 20,000 Field Guides to distribute widely. Recently, we became the grateful recipient of another grant from the NEH, which has made possible distributing another 12,500 hard copies. To coordinate this distribution, AASLH released a survey soliciting requests for copies to field services offices, state humanities councils, state history administrators, state 250th commissions, and other key entities. The response has been inspiring. With requests from 50 varied institutions across 33 American states and territories—from Amerika Samoa/American Samoa to Wyoming and from Puerto Rico to Alabama—we have been gratified to see the expansive demand for the Field Guide for 250th planners seeking direction and momentum.

If you weren’t able to request a hard copy of the Field Guide during this round of printing, you can still access it online here. We hope you and your colleagues will use it to spark conversations and planning for the 250th as the anniversary grows ever closer.

For questions about the Field Guide, contact rosenberg@aaslh.org. To learn more about AASLH’s preparations for the U.S. 250th, visit aaslh.org/250.

List of organizations requesting Field Guides from the third printing:

  • African American Museum of Southern Arizona
  • Alabama and US Commission
  • Alabama Department of Archives and History
  • Amerika Samoa Humanities Council
  • Arkansas Humanities Council
  • Association of Maine Archives and Museums
  • Delaware Heritage Commission
  • Delaware Humanities
  • Florida Humanities
  • Fundación Puertorriqueña de las Humanidades
  • Georgia Association of Museums
  • Georgia Humanities
  • HD SOUTH
  • Heritage Museum
  • Humanities Kansas
  • Humanities North Dakota
  • Humanities Tennessee
  • Humanities Texas
  • Idaho State Historical Society
  • Indiana Historical Society
  • Indiana Humanities
  • Kentucky Historical Society
  • Lewes Historical Society
  • Maine Humanities Council
  • Maryland Historical Trust
  • Maryland Humanities
  • Minnesota Alliance of Local History Museums
  • Mississippi Humanities Council
  • Missouri Humanities
  • Montana Historical Society
  • Museum Association of Arizona
  • Museum Association of New York
  • New England Museum Association
  • New Jersey Historical Commission
  • North Carolina Department of Natural & Cultural Resources
  • Oregon Historical Society
  • Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission
  • Pinal County Historical Museum
  • Rhode Island 250th Commission
  • Rhode Island Council for the Humanities
  • South Carolina Humanities Council
  • South Carolina 250
  • South Dakota Humanities Council
  • Texas Historical Commission
  • Vail Preservation Society
  • West Virginia Association of Museums
  • Wisconsin Historical Society
  • Wisconsin Humanities
  • Wisconsin Veterans Museum / Wisconsin’s A250 Commission
  • Wyoming Humanities