by Anessa Olson

250 years ago, 56 men representing the thirteen British colonies in North America signed the Declaration of Independence and created the nation in which we now live. To celebrate this anniversary, the Ames Public Library has received a grant from WETA, the PBS station who published Ken Burns, Sarah Botstein, and David Schmidt’s new documentary, The American Revolution. We are using this funding to support exhibits, displays, and a special event.

Beginning on March 1, document reproductions will be on exhibit in the library vestibule. These documents showcase not just the soaring rhetoric of the Continental Congress, but also the daily lives and perspectives of ordinary people during the Revolutionary War and the first few decades of our nation’s existence. The exhibit includes an almanac that belonged to George Washington, with handwritten notes on the management of his Mount Vernon farm, the earliest known recipe for roast turkey with cranberry sauce, and a petition to Congress by a Native American community who fought for independence during the war. 

We also invite you to connect more personally with the voices of the American Revolution by participating in our American Revolution Transcribe-a-thon on March 28, from 10am to 2pm. The Library of Congress’s vast holdings are difficult to explore because many of the documents cannot be searched by a computer. To combat this, the Library of Congress’s By the People volunteer transcription program allows volunteers with a computer and internet access to transcribe documents from the library’s collections. Our March 28 transcribe-a-thon will open at 10am with a presentation from Richard Kehrberg of the Iowa State University Department of History on the handwriting and documents of the Revolutionary War era, then introduce you to the By the People project so you can try it yourself. You can bring your own laptop, or borrow one of ours. Snacks and coffee will be provided.

The library is also pleased to host a traveling exhibit by Iowa PBS beginning on March 4. The exhibit will explore Iowa’s own connections with the Revolutionary War and the individuals who played a role in the founding of both our nation and our state.

For more information on the library’s 250th anniversary celebration, please visit our website at www.amespubliclibrary.org. To learn more about the Revolutionary War, check out the educational materials on display upstairs beginning March 1. 

These events are funded by a grant from WETA in conjunction with the release of The American Revolution PBS documentary.

Corporate funding for THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION was provided by Bank of America. Major funding was provided by The Better Angels Society and its members Jeannie and Jonathan Lavine with the Crimson Lion Foundation; and the Blavatnik Family Foundation. Major funding was also provided by David M. Rubenstein; The Robert D. and Patricia E. Kern Family Foundation; Lilly Endowment Inc.; and the following Better Angels Society members: Eric and Wendy Schmidt; Stephen A. Schwarzman; and Kenneth C. Griffin with Griffin Catalyst. Additional support for THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION was provided by: The Arthur Vining Davis Foundations; The Pew Charitable Trusts; Gilbert S. Omenn and Martha A. Darling; Park Foundation; and the following Better Angels Society members: Gilchrist and Amy Berg; Perry and Donna Golkin; The Michelson Foundation; Jacqueline B. Mars; Kissick Family Foundation; Diane and Hal Brierley; John H. N. Fisher and Jennifer Caldwell; John and Catherine Debs; The Fullerton Family Charitable Fund; Philip I. Kent; Gail Elden; Deborah and Jon Dawson; David and Susan Kreisman; The McCloskey Family Charitable Trust; Becky and Jim Morgan; Carol and Ned Spieker; Mark A. Tracy; and Paul and Shelley Whyte. THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION was made possible, in part,with support from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.