The national guide to celebrating the nation's 250th as environed by the American Association for State and Local History outlines four basic ideas for focusing on a refreshed and deeper understanding of the Revolution and its connections to our lives today:
- Unfinished Revolutions
- The Power of Place
- We the People
- The American Experiment
The New York State Commemoration Field Guide further develops these ideas into five themes for the state and local communities, and extends the celebration for all the 250th anniversary years of the Revolution (2024-2033);
- Indigenous history is New York History
- Choose your side
- Power of place
- We the people
- Unfinished Revolutions
For Orange County, the Semiquincentennial Commission selected specific places and events to illustrate these organizing ideas and showcase our area's role in the creation of the nation, suggesting a theme for every anniversary year:
1774/2024: Colonial Communities
1775/2025: Choosing Sides
1776/2026: Independence for All?
1777/2027: Defense of the Hudson
1778/2028: Supplying the Army
1779/2029: Tribal Involvement
1780/2030: Treason, Spies, and Double Agents
1781/2031: Winning the War
1782/2032: Soldiers and Camp Life
1783/2033: Ensuring Peace
