Topics Related to America 250 NC
Reading Felicity Then and NowAs we approach America’s 250th anniversary, we are revisiting the American Girl: Felicity books, part of the popular American Girl Doll series that paired historical fiction with dolls representing different eras in American history. We’ll be reflecting on how these stories introduced a generation of readers to the American Revolution.
This year marks the 250th anniversary of the Signing of the Declaration of Independence (or the Semiquincentennial). The North Carolina Museum of History is celebrating with a variety of programs, including the newest iteration of a long-standing series.
One of the greatest wonders—and oftentimes biggest challenge—of history are the documents that survive to tell it. What was the author thinking when putting ink to paper? Did they know their words would echo across time? Did they consider, in that moment, who might read their message?
“When did slavery end in the United States?” is a tough question to answer. Most people point to one of three dates: Emancipation Day on January 1, 1863; the ratification of the 13th Amendment on December 6, 1865; or Juneteenth on June 19, 1865. On January 1, 1863, the Emancipation Proclamation provided a pathway to freedom for enslaved African Americans in Union-occupied areas of Confederate states like Beaufort, Elizabeth City, Plymouth, and New Bern in North Carolina.