06/28/2026
Happy Semiquincentennial, America!
As we count down to The Fourth of July 2026, The History Center of San Luis Obispo County wants to celebrate the 250th Birthday of The United States of America with periodic looks at what was happening 250 years ago today:
On June 24, 1776, the citizens of Williamstown, Massachusetts, gathered in a legal town meeting to consider a momentous question facing the American colonies. Residents voted on whether the Continental Congress should declare independence from Great Britain for the safety and future of the colonies. The motion passed overwhelmingly in the affirmative giving their delegates in the Continental Congress the authority to vote for independence the following week. In a report sent to the Speaker of the General Court in Boston, the town declared that its inhabitants would solemnly support such a decision with their lives and fortunes. The vote demonstrated the growing determination of ordinary Americans to break from British rule and showed strong local support for the cause of independence.
And that’s the way it was 250 years ago today.
Please check us out at “historycenterslo.org".
Celebrating America’s 250th birthday this July and all year, Happy 250th America!