What in the word?

Shortly after Planet Word opened, I told our programming staff that we needed to begin thinking about how we would observe special, word-related occasions. Well, the biggest one of all is the upcoming 250^th anniversary of the July 4, 1776, signing of the Declaration of Independence. And since we had opened in 2020, I thought we had plenty of time to plan an appropriate Planet-Wordy observance.

Early projections predicted an influx of tourists to celebrate this remarkable semi quincentennial, and we wanted to be ready. Destination DC, which supports D.C. tourism, pulled together several working groups to coordinate and promote the celebrations being planned by various cultural organizations and museums around the city. For our part, we planned a series of speakers and events around the theme Language & Liberty, showing how our language has evolved over the past 250 years and how our understanding of the words of the Declaration has evolved, too.

But as we began this special year, concerns began to surface. I started to feel uneasy about what this anniversary would portend.

Will all those expected tourists materialize? Will international tourists want to visit a country that is not exactly expressing friendliness toward its traditional European allies, not to mention its Asian and Latin American friends?

Don’t the Administration’s designs on Greenland directly contradict the Declaration’s support for a country’s right to self-determination and self-governance? Or its belligerence against Venezuela?

Will the streets of Washington and other cities be calm if ICE actions continue to raise civil rights concerns and upset residents?

Will exhibits in our national museums reflect the expertise of curators and aim to present historical truths rather than government mandates to tell a more pleasant or acceptable story?

The militaristic parade held this past June 14, on President Trump’s birthday, saw tanks and troops rolling down the Mall — a sight many people likened to shows of strength more apt to be seen in authoritarian-led countries.

All these actions have cast a pall on what might be in store this coming Fourth of July.

Will we be treated to a bigger, better fireworks display and maybe more people crowding the grounds for family picnics — or shows of firearms and squadrons of uniformed National Guardsmen?

Just like I wanted to start planning for the 250^th as soon as we opened our doors, many Americans have probably been eagerly awaiting July 2026 to celebrate America and all it’s accomplished. How sad if we won’t feel like celebrating when the date is actually upon us?

And those words are still powerful and alive. Just this past weekend, a judge in Texas ordered the release from detention of a 5-year-old boy and his immigrant father, asking whether the government was ignorant of an American historical document called the Declaration of Independence.

Our first A250 program was held on Sunday, with Walter Isaacson deconstructing “The Greatest Sentence Ever Written,” the title of his new book and referring to that most inspirational sentence of our founding documents: “We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain inalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

After Isaacson’s talk, which drew connections from the debates that shaped those 250-year-old words to the controversies we are still facing today, the audience lingered to discuss those ideas among themselves. It was wonderful to see people engaging with these words and sharing ideas about our civic responsibility.

I hope you’ll join the conversation in the coming months, culminating on the Fourth of July. I can’t wait for the red, white, and blueberry pies, the patriotic songs, the oompahpah of high school bands, the parades floating down Main Streets. Together with our neighbors we will think again upon America’s promise, marvel at its natural beauty, and vow once again to live up to the words of the remarkable Declaration we have been entrusted to preserve.

—Ann Friedman, founder of Planet Word