Why do we have commemorations? If you're on
a Bicentennial planning committee, you may be asking yourself that! And you'll
be glad to know that historians are asking the same question - all over the
world. For a good answer, go to Robin McLachlan's tutorial on "Commemorations"
at Charles Sturt University, Australia, and browse his extensive public history
pages.
Also see how other towns and institutions have
worked to make their anniversaries meaningful and to preserve the historical
significance of the day for future generations.
BICENTENNIAL MEMORIES
Here are two
history-orientated Bicentenial celebrations we helped celebrate last year: Leeds, Maine
University of Georgia
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Memories last a lifetime - longer if they
are shared with younger generations and preserved as family heirlooms. Fourth
grade students in Elizabeth Burgos's class at Barrett
Elementary in Arlington, Virginia participated in a "Swapping Stories"
project that will give a new generation lasting memories of their town's
Bicentennial year. With the help of Arts Instructor Judy Klevins, the youngsters
made new "senior" friends, and via their stories, traveled back and forth
together over two generations in time. The children's journals and collages
will remain to carry this experience on into their own elder years. |
Planning a bicentennial of any kind, usually calls for a review of the literary
legacies of earlier celebrations and more often than not, an update is in order.
Today's written Bicentennial Histories differ from their antecedents in important
ways. Most put the pioneer story in the context of what happened before, and who
came after the founding years. In addition to cloth and paperbound versions, many
Bicentennial histories and lesson plans are now also published on the Internet. Taking their literary impulses into the community,
the alumni of two large educational institutions are volunteering for Bicentennial
Literacy projects. See Middlebury College's
Page 1 Literacy Project and University of South Carolina's Middle
School Outreach Project.
Of course, century celebrations are an opportunity
to bring young people actively into the history of their own community. For
this purpose, the government of Australia and the National Trust worked with
many talented hands to create a virtual family history treasure hunt - "Ida's
Quest" - to celebrate the "Centenary of Federation". A locally crafted Bicentennial
history Treasure Hunt entertained youngsters (of all ages) in Unadilla,
New York.
MODERN MEMORIALS
Bicentennials can be the pretext (and catalyst)
for legislating major civic improvements, commissioning public monuments, and
creating communal works of art that display traditional skills for future generations.
Here are some Bicentennial-inspired public works you'll want to see on the WWW
and, if possible, in person:
