Do you remember the Bicentennial?


Fifty years ago, my part of the country was abuzz with patriotic fervor. In just a few weeks, the eyes of the world would be upon us as we commemorated the 200th anniversary of the birth of our nation - just about six miles from where I sit writing this. Of course it is the famed Lexington Green and the Battle Road.

In 1975, a major celebration and re-enactment was scheduled. President Ford would be in attendance. Her Majesty was also paying us a visit.

Thanks for reading Trisec's Committee of Correspondence! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

I was a mere lad at the time. A nine-year-old boy taking part in all those things. For weeks my elementary school allowed us to wear patriotic garb, and I remember we put on a marionette show with our grade-school version of those historic events.

I went to the re-enactment at Lexington green, but I only have the vaguest memories of that. I do remember my mother insisting that we drive into Boston to have a look at the Royal Yacht, which was tied up in a place of honor near the USS Constitution.

My boyhood bedroom was even painted in patriotic red, white, and blue. It remained that way until I moved away after graduating High School.

Fast-Forward to 2022. On January first of that year, I was honoured to drive a tourist bus in the First Night parade in Boston. It was all painted as the “Eleanor”, one of the ships from the Tea Party, and it was the official kickoff of the year-long celebration.

I was also fortunate to volunteer at the Tea Party for the 250th anniversary re-enactment. I was well-pleased to be working in the tourism trade at that time, and was looking forward to the many opportunities I would be sure to have to celebrate, participate, and welcome the world to our city again.

But things change.

My work situation changed, and I left what had become a very toxic job in tourism not quite a year ago. The real catastrophe happened on election day last November.

Boston remains the “Cradle of Liberty”. You can go 100 yards in any direction in this city and find something important that happened on the road to independence.

The 250th anniversary celebrations are still planned, but with roughly a month and a half to go, things are strangely quiet. There has not been a lot of news, and we have no idea if any representatives of the Federal Government or the Royal Government will be joining us this time.

But that’s the rub. I was looking forward for all of this, as I have noted. But would I want to see or take part in any such celebration now? Especially if the First Felon decides to make an appearance? It will turn into a jingoistic plate of raw, red, meat for his rabid followers.

I’d rather not see that hallowed ground be desecrated for a Nuremberg Rally.

This city planted the seeds that grew into the tree of Liberty. Thomas Jefferson made perhaps the wisest observation of all - The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants. It is it’s natural manure.

It is perhaps time to take inspiration from those brave Patriots of old. For if we cannot stand up for Liberty again, those ideals are already dead; we just don’t realize it yet.

**Cross-posted as a Substack, Bluesky, and also the old Book of Fascism.**