A Milestone 250 Years in the Making
Pupils from St. Mary's School prepare for a sesquicentennial open house on April 26, 1968. This photo is from the Museum's Pantagraph Negatives Collection.
2026 is the semiquincentennial, or 250th anniversary, of the Declaration of Independence.
When representatives from the original 13 colonies signed the document on July 4, 1776, they declared their independence and severed ties to the British crown, changing the course of human history.
When the U.S. Constitution was ratified in 1789, this nation was established as a representative democracy in which citizens elect officials to make decisions on their behalf and to represent their constituents' interests and opinions. As President Abraham Lincoln said in his Gettysburg address, the United States established “a government of the people, by the people, for the people.”
The McLean County Museum of History is marking this historic milestone with a series of programming and content designed to explore the historical context of the declaration, examine its influence on our lives, and gather in community to think about what we, the people, want the next 250 years to look like.
We want to know what you think! What does this historic moment mean to you? What do you want McLean County to look like 250 years from now? Click here to share your two cents with us!
Click here to read what the Museum's staff has to say about the semiquincentennial.
Engaging the Power of the People and the Arts
Communities around the country are marking this milestone in various ways – ours is leaning into the power of the arts. We’re collaborating with the McLean County Arts Center and other community partners to host free art-making workshops and an exhibit highlighting artworks from local artists of all ages and experience levels.
A More Perfect Union: A Community Exhibition Commemorating America 250 opened with a reception at the McLean County Arts Center on Friday, June 19, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m.
The exhibit features the work of over 50 local artists, spanning several generations, experience levels, and mediums. All of their pieces relate to one of the following four themes:
Who is considered “American” – and who gets to decide?
Beyond the American Revolution of 1776, what are other revolutionary moments in the histories of our country, our state, and our communities?
What is the relationship between history and memory? How does what we choose to remember shape the narrative of what we understand to be U.S. American identity/legacy over time?
How did/does the natural environment shape historical events, including settlement and migration, imperialism and expansion, and economic development and innovation? How did/do those events, in turn, affect the environment and the lands we inhabit?
These themes are inspired by America 250 materials produced by the American Association for State and Local History (AASLH).
Read this WGLT article to hear from some of the artists who contributed to the exhibition: https://www.wglt.org/local-news/2026-06-17/art-exhibition-celebrates-250-years-of-america-while-aspiring-a-more-perfect-union
The exhibit will be up through June 31, 2026 at the McLean County Arts Center. It’s always free to visit the MCAC. They are open Monday through Saturday. Please visit mcac.org for more information.
In collaboration with our community partners, we’re hosting five events to facilitate intergenerational dialogue about American Democracy.
With the exception of our kick off event, each discussion will begin with a short presentation on the historical context of each phrase and why it was included in the Declaration. Program participants will then break into facilitated small group discussions to reflect on:
What do these founding principles mean to you?
How have things changed in our society since 1776?
How have these principles been upheld?
What impact do they still have on our nation today?
At the end of each discussion, participants will be given information on how to get more involved in our community and become more civically engaged.
Democracy Dialogues Event Schedule
U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Richard Durbin and former U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood kicked off our “Democracy Dialogues” series on Tuesday, February 17, 2026, at 7 p.m. in Illinois State University’s Braden Auditorium at the Bone Student Center.
This free, all-ages-welcome event was hosted by the McLean County Museum of History in collaboration with Illinois State University, WGLT, the Dirksen Congressional Center, and other community partners. It set the tone for four forthcoming Democracy Dialogue events throughout the community in 2026.
Drawing on decades of public service and working “across the aisle,” Senator Durbin and Secretary LaHood explored the nation’s founding ideals, how those principles have shaped our history, and the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.
The questions asked of these seasoned statesmen were generated from community submissions and curated by event organizers.
Click here to read an event recap by Museum Volunteer Julia Pérez on ISU's blog.
This event will focus on the phrase "Life and Liberty." Dr. Matthijs Tieleman, Assistant Professor of History at Illinois State University, will kick off the event.
We will meet in the courtroom, located on the second floor of the Museum, at 1 p.m.
Registration is encouraged but not required to participate. Please visit https://bit.ly/Democracy1776 to register.
Questions? Click here to contact us.
This is the second discussion of the series and will focus on the "Pursuit of Happiness." The historical context will be provided by Erik Rankin, Instructional Assistant Professor in the Department of Politics and Government at Illinois State University and President and CEO of the Illinois Prairie Community Foundation.
We will meet at the YMCA located at 202 St. Joseph Dr. in Bloomington at 1 p.m.
Registration is encouraged but not required to participate. Please visit https://bit.ly/Democracy1776 to register.
Questions? Please contact us by clicking here.
This event will focus on the phrase "All Men Are Created Equal." Dr. Meghan Leonard, Associated Professor and Associate Chair of the Department of Politics and Government at Illinois State University, will present the historical context for this session.
We will meet in the Community Commons Building rooms 1406-1407 at Heartland Community College (1500 W. Raab Rd. Normal, IL) at 6:30 p.m.
Registration is encouraged but not required to participate. Please visit https://bit.ly/Democracy1776 to register.
The forth and final installment of our Democracy Dialogues series will explore the phrase "Consent of the Governed." Dr. Robert Bradley, Professor Emeritus of the Department of Politics and Government at Illinois State University, will present the historical context for this session.
We will meet at the YWCA McLean County, located at 1201 N. Hershey Rd. in Bloomington, at 6:30 p.m.
Registration is encouraged but not required to participate. Please visit https://bit.ly/Democracy1776 to register.
Questions? Please contact us by clicking here.
These dynamic sessions wouldn’t be possible without the support of our community partners:
Unidentified women gather to mourn the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on April 5, 1968 at the McLean County Courthouse - which today is the McLean County Museum of History. This photo is from our Pantagraph Negatives Collection.
Resources
Want to dive deeper? Check out some of these incredible resources compiled from our friends and partners across the country.
The Declaration of Independence Guided Questions compiled by Illinois Humanities
Youth250 Made By Us & Civic Season
DEMOCRACY REQUIRES PARTICIPATION!
Get informed with these local news outlets:
Get connected with your representatives and municipal officials:
Look up your elected officials at ballotpedia.org/Who_represents_me
City of Bloomington
Town of Normal
County of McLean
Get involved in your community:
Volunteer with one of these non-profit, non-partisan organizations
McLean County Museum of History
Please note there are many more organizations to volunteer with that are not on this list - we encourage you to do your own research and get involved with local groups that align with your personal values.
Become an election judge
Attend municipal meetings and legislative sessions
VOTE!
There are opportunities for Illinois to cast their vote in 2026: the state primary on Tuesday, March 17 and the general election on Tuesday, November 3.
Illinois allows voters to register in person on the day they vote, or ahead of time via mail or online.
Check your voter registration status here: https://ova.elections.il.gov/registrationlookup.aspx
Voters in McLean County, living outside of Bloomington, should register to vote with the McLean County Clerk at mcleancountyil.gov/202/Voter-Registration.
Bloomington Voters should register to vote via the City of Bloomington Board of Elections at bloomingtonelectionsil.gov.
Visit vote411.org/il-lwvmc to quickly access a nonpartisan online guide to see what's on your ballot, check voter registration, and more.