BOSTON — From her sneakers to her red T-shirt, Gov. Maura T. Healey embodied MA250, the statewide project designed to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution that she, along with her leadership team, state legislators and local officials, launched with some fanfare Tuesday.
Starting her remarks with a resounding “Huzzah!” Healey greeted the red-coated National Lancers, the official mounted cavalry of the state, as they rode up to the State House steps. Reenactors from the Danvers Militia stood at attention as Healey welcomed Paul Revere to the podium, fresh from his ride up Beacon Street to warn of the incoming British soldiers.
“Thank you for the timely message,” Healey told Revere when he delivered his parchment. She also thanked him for laying the cornerstone of the building, along with Samuel Adams, a former governor of the state. “Thank you for bringing history to life.”
The state Office of Travel and Tourism is distributing $1.5 million in over three dozen grants in support of programs to celebrate the anniversary. Events range from parades to Colonial faires, musters and battle reenactments. The office revealed the official logo Tuesday and launched the first wave of advertisements and marketing campaigns designed to attract local and national tourism to the Bay State.
“We’re the birthplace, baby, of this great country of ours,” Healey said, pointing out that John Adams penned the state constitution, used as a model for the U.S. Constitution. “Massachusetts is where the Revolution began and it continues. We were first in freedom and we’re first in health care, innovation, education.”
The firsts are listed on the official anniversary T-shirts: First Thanksgiving, public park, public school, public library, university, printing press in America, lighthouse in America and first battle of the American Revolution.
“Massachusetts will lead the country in celebrating the nation’s history for the next two years,” Healey said as she announced the state’s theme for the celebration: The ongoing revolutions and innovations in the Bay State.
The project is designed to include the voices of all Massachusetts residents, from Indigenous peoples to recent migrants and everyone in between.
“The goal of MASS250 is to uplift all communities,” said Lt. Gov. Kimberly Driscoll.
The launch coincided with National Constitution Day, according to Sen. Paul Mark, D-Pittsfield, who said the U.S. Constitution, the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights are the founding documents of the nation. They were the base, Mark said, of the new democracy.
The project is designed to showcase and spotlight Massachusetts’ firsts and its ongoing leadership in technology, education and medicine.
“Massachusetts continues to embrace revolution, change,” said Rep. Mindy Domb, D-Amherst.
The state Secretary of the Executive Office of Economic Development, Yvonne Hao, suggested residents stop to reflect on the cause for celebration of the 250th anniversary of the Revolution.
“Patriot’s Day is an easy day to take for granted,” Hao said, until, “you stand on the Lexington Green at 5:30 in the morning,” of that fateful day, early to catch the reenactment of the first military engagement between the Colonials and the British. She described the ragtag Colonials who lined up in a defensive position and the advance of the British troops riding in on horses, in uniform, with long guns.
She praised the “vision, courage and will” of the Colonials that led them to mount the offensive and win the battle.
“They were the ‘O.G.’ revolutionaries,” Hao said.
In a playful moment, the governor returned to her rural New Hampshire roots and mounted one of the Lancers’ steeds. “It was awesome,” Healey said in response to a question about the short ride she took along Beacon Street. “I grew up with horses in New Hampshire. It’s not my first time on a horse.”
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