Latest news with #BattlesofLexington
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Detroit to host Army's 250th birthday ball ahead of 'big, beautiful' parade in D.C.
A year ahead of America's 250th birthday — or semiquincentennial, to use a word you may have seldom heard, but likely will soon — the Army is celebrating its own, with military balls nationwide and a "big, beautiful parade" in Washington. In Michigan, the Arsenal of Democracy Chapter of the Association of the United States Army is planning a June 13 birthday bash at the Westin Book Cadillac Hotel in Detroit to celebrate the nation's oldest service branch. Charles Cogger, the chapter president and a retired Army officer, said the association annually celebrates the Army's birthday, but this year, in recognition of the 250th year, it is going to be even bigger and more significant. But more than an anniversary, the celebrations are also a preview of what Americans are likely to see next year as the nation highlights the July 4, 1776, signing of the Declaration of Independence. The document is, of course, America's birth certificate. Although we all know that leading up to any birth, a lot happens. In addition to the Army birthday parties, at least one semiquincentennial event — which involved a tie-in of communities nationwide named Concord, including a village in Michigan — has already taken place. Earlier this year, to commemorate the battle in Concord, in which Americans resisted British efforts to quash rebellion and sparked the Revolutionary War, the town held a festival and parade. As for the ball in Detroit, which the nonprofit Association of the United States Army is sponsoring, it will be styled in the tradition of a military ball and, so far, has attracted hundreds of people throughout the Midwest. The ball is also on the eve of the D.C. parade, the same day 250 years ago that the Second Continental Congress formed the Continental Army, which represented the Thirteen Colonies, and then, after the Declaration of Independence was signed, the United States. Over the past 250 years, the American Army has transformed from what it called "a handful of unorganized and ill-equipped militiamen" into what many now consider to be the world's "most powerful military." After the Battles of Lexington and Concord — later and more poetically referred to in the "Concord Hymn" as the "shot heard 'round the world" — the Continental Congress met in Philadelphia to create a single army to defeat the British. It unanimously selected George Washington to be commander in chief. Washington's commission spelled out that the new army would defend "American liberty" and repel "hostile invasion," ideas that are the basis for troop rallying cries back then and the Army's motto now: "This We'll Defend." To showcase America's military might, the Army is expected to roll tanks and other armored vehicles through D.C.'s streets. Abrams tanks were loaded last week onto rail cars at Fort Cavazos in Texas. Each one weighing about 140,000 pounds, which the Army noted was "a feat of logistics in itself" to simply get them to Washington for the event. News reports put the parade's estimated cost at $25 million to $45 million. Overall, the Army's parade plans call for 28 tanks, 6,700 soldiers, 50 helicopters, 34 horses, two mules and a dog, the New York Times reported Tuesday. And in contrast to Donald Trump's first term, the Pentagon is no longer opposing it. More: Trump's $400M jet gift joins America's bumpy legacy of memorable foreign gifts Resistance to the parade, the Times reported, was to keep politics out of the armed forces. But the Army is now calling the parade, which will be combined with a day-long festival on the National Mall, a chance to see "our soldiers," "our leaders" and "world-class force on full display in our nation's capital." And Trump, who turns 79 on June 14, described the D.C. event on "Meet the Press" as a "big, beautiful parade," adding the coincidence is "not necessarily" about his birthday, but "it's a very important day." On Monday, he boasted that the parade would top the Olympics and World Cup. Planning for America's semiquincentennial, the halfway point of a quincentennial — 500th anniversary — started almost a decade ago with the Semiquincentennial Commission Act, which authorized commemorative coins, stamps, and events. Boston, Philadelphia, Charleston, S.C., and New York are planning celebrations. One of the first events was a re-enactment of the moonlit ride by a 40-year-old silversmith, who on April 18, 1775, warned that the British were coming. It was a planned alert that included lantern signals and memorialized, years later, in a well-known poem, "Paul Revere's Ride." The British came, indeed, which led the next day to the Battles of Lexington and Concord, which triggered the war for independence, which also is how Concord, Massachusetts, outside Boston — and indirectly, Concord, Michigan — were involved in the celebrations. Concord, Massachusetts, history teacher Rob Morrison visited nearly 100 other cities, towns and villages named Concord, including the one in Jackson County, and in March, retired journalist Ken Wyatt wrote about Morrison's plans. Then, on April 19, the date of the first military campaign of the American Revolutionary War, representatives from many of the communities Morrison visited met in Massachusetts to march in one of the first semiquincentennial parades. Wyatt — who was reporting for the Recorder, the Michigan village's weekly — told the Free Press he was invited to the event in Massachusetts and hoped to represent Concord, Michigan, but unfortunately was unable to attend. Last week, Stellantis brands — Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Ram — announced a deal with America250, the bipartisan organization planning celebrations, to be the automotive sponsor and launched a video campaign, "America Made Us." And that brings us back to the Army's birthday. Even though it's ahead of the nation's milestone birthday, it also, in a way, is part of it, because without an American Army to defend the colonies against British efforts to subdue them, there, of course, wouldn't be a United States. Contact Frank Witsil: 313-222-5022 or fwitsil@ The 250th birthday ball in Detroit is from 5-midnight, June 13, and will be held at the Westin Book Cadillac Hotel in Detroit. Tickets are for sale for $178 each, $85 for active duty military, online at This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Army's 250th birthday kicks off early with military ball in Detroit
Epoch Times
25-05-2025
- Politics
- Epoch Times
Reflecting on America's Legislative Tradition
Commentary On May 10, 1775, the Second Continental Congress convened for its opening session in the building that would later become known as Independence Hall. Its organization followed the Battles of Lexington and Concord that April. With all other means of contending with the British Empire then exhausted, its purpose was to place the colonies on a war footing. Two hundred fifty years later, why should we care about the anniversary of a legislative body that no longer exists? After all, it was replaced by a new Congress under the Articles of Confederation in 1781, and was replaced again by the Congress under the Constitution several years later. First and foremost, this body would declare America's independence just 14 months after its convening. In the process, the Continental Congress set forth the most extraordinary political statement about human dignity, freedom, and equality ever written. They changed the world forever. But none of that would have happened if leaders from 12 of the 13 colonies (the 13th joined later on) hadn't decided to form a congress. This was the Congress that created the Continental Army on June 14, 1775, and the next day named a Virginia farmer and veteran of the French and Indian War named George Washington as commander-in-chief. None of the underdog, revolutionary American war effort would have been possible without the critical governance and support of the deliberative body that met together in Philadelphia, and then later in Baltimore, York, and Lancaster, Pennsylvania. We are indebted for our nation's existence to the revolutionaries who took part in that Congress. Some have familiar names like Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and John Hancock, but others are less familiar, like Abraham Clark of New Jersey and William Williams of Connecticut. Related Stories 5/22/2025 5/21/2025 We would be remiss not to see the continuing legacies of the Second Continental Congress 250 years later. The American pattern of organizing legislative bodies is a remarkable feature of our political tradition . Not only did the Constitution make the legislative branch a permanent institution of the federal government, but it also mandated republican government throughout the states. State constitutions set in motion 50 different experiments in legislating. Just as importantly, local governments everywhere rely on legislative bodies—county commissions, city councils, school boards, fire commissions, and water boards—for their governance. The great legislation we remember, from the passage of amendments to ban slavery and give women the vote to the Civil Rights Act, stands alongside countless smaller acts of state and local legislative service to build roads, open schools, and ameliorate poverty. But the American legislative tradition is more than just another element of our political life. The American way of working together in teams is an extraordinary feature of our cultural life, and an indispensable ingredient in our national success. Think of the great sports teams, astronaut crews, and startup companies that made their mark for all the right reasons. Remember Lewis and Clark, the Wright Brothers, and the Doolittle Raiders. In the many thousands of civil society organizations across the country—from food banks and Rotary Clubs to universities and hospitals—teamwork is alive and well. Millions of citizens are members of nonprofit governing boards. Millions more exercise team leadership in public and social sector roles as school principals, church pastors, or government agency executives. The great business writer Jim Collins has observed that great social sector leaders don't just draw on executive skills to move their organizations forward—they use legislative skills too. They listen, persuade, win buy-in, and turn individual talents into collective impact. It turns out these skills are incredibly valuable in business as well. If we are all too aware of counterexamples, where leaders, legislative bodies, and other American institutions have fallen short of their potential, the blame lies in part with those who chose not to get involved. Self-government depends on each one of us doing our part. In that spirit, there could be no more fitting way to celebrate America's 250th birthday than to join the board of a nonprofit or perhaps start one, lobby elected leaders for a needed change, or even run for office. And let us never forget the members of the Second Continental Congress who made the practice of legislating a great American tradition. From RealClearWire Views expressed in this article are opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Yahoo
21-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ali Velshi: ‘No kings': Mass anti-Trump protests sweep across the U.S.
This is an adapted excerpt from the April 20 episode of 'Velshi.' In the three months since Donald Trump returned to the White House, he hasn't done a lot to ease his critics' concerns. Whether it's tariffs, mass deportation or the attempts to eliminate federal agencies, his policies have caused chaos and confusion at every turn. There are also legitimate concerns about his disregard for the law, the Constitution and people's civil liberties. The speed with which his administration has been making these changes has been destabilizing. For a while, people were trying to figure out how to fight back. While there hasn't been one big, unified response, there are signs that momentum for the resistance is building. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York have been on their 'Fighting Oligarchy' tour, which has received a tremendous response. They've been drawing large crowds since last month and drawing attention to billionaires' influence in government. Last week, tens of thousands of people from California to Montana turned out for their rallies. Meanwhile, constituents have flooded town halls all over the country. Many people have been angry and want answers from their representatives. They want to hold them accountable — and in many instances, they want them to fight back against this administration. There have also been individual actions from members of Congress who have galvanized support as well. The latest example of that is Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland's visit to El Salvador to see Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who the U.S. government admits was mistakenly deported to the country. For some, it's been a relief to see people come out and stand up against this administration, partly because there were concerns early on that the resistance movement that greeted Trump at the outset of his first term had grown weary, or that people had no energy nor appetite to fight back this time around. But maybe what we're seeing now is a different kind of resistance: one that's learning to adapt and sustain to become a more lasting movement. On Saturday, that movement continued. People in hundreds of towns and cities across the country gathered again for a day of action, at the White House, at state capitols, at public institutions, at national landmarks, and so on, to protest a number of things this administration has done and is continuing to do. There were signs that called for people to 'resist tyranny,' which also called to mind that Saturday marked the 250th anniversary of the start of the Revolutionary War against Great Britain. Some events were even billed as a 'No Kings' protest, which was a particularly popular message in Massachusetts, where the Battles of Lexington and Concord, the first battles of the Revolutionary War, took place. Other causes also brought people out to the streets, including defending due process rights, a key issue at the heart of Abrego Garcia's case. Abrego Garcia was initially sent to a notorious Salvadoran megaprison, though he told Van Hollen last week that he has since been sent to a different facility. But the Trump administration sent about 200 other men to that prison. And they're trying to send more, using a rarely invoked wartime law called the Alien Enemies Act. One protester in New York City told NPR that that was the No. 1 issue that brought him out to protest Saturday: 'Congress should be stepping up and saying, 'No, we are not at war. You cannot use that.' ... You cannot deport people without due process, and everyone in this country has the right to due process no matter what.' There are other signs that people are continuing to pay attention and figuring out how to engage in their own ways. One of the organizers of Saturday's day of action, the group 50501, whose name stands for 50 protests, 50 states and one movement, said that there were more than just rallies taking place. There were also community-oriented events like food drives, teach-ins and volunteering opportunities. While a significant number of people turned out for Saturday's protests, most estimates and reports suggest it was smaller than the demonstrations from two weeks ago. But, as they say, courage is contagious. Sarah Brenner, a stay-at-home mom who attended a rally in Everett, Washington, told The Seattle Times that large protests like these 'show everyone else who might be feeling alone that there are people who feel the same as them and are feeling brave enough to speak out.' This article was originally published on
Los Angeles Times
20-04-2025
- General
- Los Angeles Times
250 years after America went to war for independence, a divided nation battles over its legacy
LEXINGTON, Mass. — Thousands of people came to this Massachusetts town over the weekend to witness a reenactment of how the American Revolution began 250 years ago, with the blast of gunshot and a trail of colonial spin. Starting with Saturday's anniversary of the Battles of Lexington and Concord, the country will look back to its war of independence and ask where its legacy stands today. Just after dawn Saturday on the Lexington Battle Green, militiamen, muskets in hand, took on a much larger army of British regulars. The battle ended with eight Americans dead and 10 wounded — the dead scattered on the grounds as the British marched off. The regulars would head to Concord but not before a horseman, Dr. Samuel Prescott, rode toward the North Bridge, warning communities along the way that the British were coming. A lone horseman reenacted that ride Saturday, followed by a parade through town and a ceremony at the bridge. The day offered an opportunity to reflect on this seminal moment in history but also consider what this fight means today. 'It's truly momentous,' said Richard Howell, who portrayed Lexington Minuteman Samuel Tidd in the battle. 'This is one of the most sacred pieces of ground in the country, if not the world, because of what it represents,' he said. 'To represent what went on that day, how a small town of Lexington was a vortex of so much. ... Lexington was the first town that was able to anywhere muster men and were the first to face the onslaught of the British.' Among those watching the Lexington reenactment was Brandon Mace, a lieutenant colonel with the Army Reserve who said his fifth great-grandfather Moses Stone was part of the Lexington militia. He said watching the reenactment was 'a little emotional.' 'He made the choice just like I made and my brother made, and my son is in the Army as well,' Mace said. 'We weren't drafted. We weren't forced to do this. He did not know we would be celebrating him today. He did not know that he was participating in the birth of the nation. He just knew his friends and family were in danger.' The semiquincentennial comes as President Trump, the scholarly community and others mark a national divide over whether to have a yearlong party leading up to July 4, 2026, as Trump has called for, or to balance any celebrations with questions about women, the enslaved and Indigenous people and what their stories reveal. The history of Lexington and Concord in Massachusetts is half-known, the myth deeply rooted. Reenactors may with confidence tell us that hundreds of British troops marched from Boston in the early morning of April 19, 1775, and gathered about 14 miles northwest on Lexington's town green. Firsthand witnesses remembered that some British officers yelled, 'Thrown down your arms, ye villains, ye rebels!' and that amid the chaos a shot was heard, followed by 'scattered fire' from the British. The battle turned so fierce that the area reeked of burning powder. By day's end, the fighting had continued around 7 miles west to Concord and some 250 British and 95 Colonists were killed or wounded. But no one has learned who fired first, or why. And the Revolution was initially less a revolution than a demand for better terms. Woody Holton, a professor of early American history at the University of South Carolina, says most scholars agree the rebels of April 1775 weren't looking to leave the empire, but to repair their relationship with King George III and go back to the days preceding the Stamp Act, the Tea Act and other disputes of the previous decade. 'The Colonists only wanted to turn back the clock to 1763,' he said. Stacy Schiff, a Pulitzer Prize-winning historian whose books include biographies of Benjamin Franklin and Samuel Adams, said Lexington and Concord 'galvanized opinion precisely as the Massachusetts men hoped it would, though still it would be a long road to a vote for independence, which Adams felt should have been declared on 20 April 1775.' But at the time, Schiff added, 'it did not seem possible that a mother country and her colony had actually come to blows.' The rebels had already believed their cause greater than a disagreement between subjects and rulers. Well before the turning points of 1776, before the Declaration of Independence or Thomas Paine's exhortation that 'we have it in our power to begin the world over again,' they cast themselves in a drama for the ages. The so-called Suffolk Resolves of 1774, drafted by civic leaders of Suffolk County, Mass., prayed for a life 'unfettered by power, unclogged with shackles,' a fight that would determine the 'fate of this new world, and of unborn millions.' The Revolution was an ongoing story of surprise and improvisation. Military historian Rick Atkinson, whose 'The Fate of the Day' is the second of a planned trilogy on the war, called Lexington and Concord 'a clear win for the home team,' if only because the British hadn't expected such impassioned resistance from the Colonists' militia. The British, ever underestimating those whom King George regarded as a 'deluded and unhappy multitude,' would be knocked back again when the rebels promptly framed and transmitted a narrative blaming the Royal forces. 'Once shots were fired in Lexington, Samuel Adams and Joseph Warren did all in their power to collect statements from witnesses and to circulate them quickly; it was essential that the Colonies, and the world, understand who had fired first,' Schiff said. 'Adams was convinced that the Lexington skirmish would be 'famed in the history of this country.' He knocked himself out to make clear who the aggressors had been.' Neither side imagined a war lasting eight years, or had confidence in what kind of country would be born out of it. The Founders united in their quest for self-government but differed how to actually govern, and whether self-government could even last. Americans have never stopped debating the balance of powers, the rules of enfranchisement or how widely to apply the declaration that 'all men are created equal.' That debate was very much on display Saturday — though mostly on the fringes and with anti-Trump protesters far outnumbered by flag-waving tourists, local residents and history buffs. Many protesters carried signs inspired by the American Revolution including 'No King Then. No King' and 'Resist Like Its 1775,' and one brought a puppet featuring an orange-faced Trump. 'It's a very appropriate place and date to make it clear that as Americans we want to take a stand against what we think is an encroaching autocracy,' Glenn Stark, a retired physics professor who was holding a 'No Kings' sign and watching the ceremony at the North Bridge. 'I feel strongly that it's time to stand here and make it clear that we aren't going to sit back and let this happen to our country.' Democratic Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey, who spoke at the North Bridge ceremony, also used the event to remind the cheering crowd that many of the ideals fought for during the Revolution are once again at risk. 'We live in a moment when our freedoms are once again under attack, including from the highest office in the land,' she said. 'We see things that would be familiar to our Revolutionary predecessors — the silencing of critics, the disappearing people from our streets, demands for unquestioned fealty,' she said. 'Due process is a foundational right. If it can be discarded for one, it can be lost for all.' Italie and Casey write for the Associated Press.
Associated Press
20-04-2025
- Politics
- Associated Press
Anti-Trump protesters rally in New York, Washington and elsewhere across the country
NEW YORK (AP) — Opponents of President Donald Trump's administration took to the streets of communities large and small across the U.S. on Saturday, decrying what they see as threats to the nation's democratic ideals. The disparate events ranged from a march through midtown Manhattan and a rally in front of the White House to a demonstration at a Massachusetts commemoration of 'the shot heard 'round the world' on April 19, 1775, marking the start of the Revolutionary War 250 years ago. Thomas Bassford was among the demonstrators at the reenactment of the Battles of Lexington and Concord outside Boston. The 80-year-old retired mason from Maine said he believes Americans are under attack from their own government and need to stand up against it. 'This is a very perilous time in America for liberty,' said Bassford, who was with his partner, daughter and two grandsons. 'I wanted the boys to learn about the origins of this country and that sometimes we have to fight for freedom.' In Denver, hundreds of protesters gathered at the Colorado State Capitol with banners expressing solidarity with immigrants and telling the Trump administration: 'Hands Off!' People waved U.S. flags, some of them held upside down to signal distress. Thousands of people also marched through downtown Portland, Oregon, while in San Francisco, hundreds spelled out the words 'Impeach & Remove' on a sandy beach along the Pacific Ocean, also with an inverted U.S. flag. People walked through downtown Anchorage, Alaska, with handmade signs listing reasons why they were demonstrating, including one that one that read: 'No sign is BIG enough to list ALL of the reasons I'm here!' Elsewhere protests were planned outside Tesla car dealerships against billionaire Trump adviser Elon Musk and his role in downsizing the federal government. Others organized more community service-oriented events such as food drives, teach-ins and volunteering at local shelters. The protests come just two weeks after similar nationwide demonstrations. Organizers say they oppose what they call Trump's civil rights violations and constitutional violations, including efforts to deport scores of immigrants and to scale back the federal government by firing thousands of government workers and effectively shuttering entire agencies. Some of the events drew on the spirit of the Revolutionary War, calling for 'no kings' and resistance to tyranny. In Anchorage, a colonial reenactor in colonial garb held up a 'No Kings' sign while the person next to him hoisted cardboard that read in part: 'The Feudal Age is OVER.' Boston resident George Bryant, who was among those at the Concord protest, said he is concerned that the president is creating a 'police state.' He held a sign saying, 'Trump fascist regime must go now!' 'He's defying the courts. He's kidnapping students. He's eviscerating the checks and balances,' Bryant said. 'This is fascism.' In Washington, Bob Fasick, a 76-year-old retired federal employee from Springfield, Virginia, said he came out to the rally near the White House out of concern over threats to constitutionally protected due process rights, Social Security and other federal safety-net programs. The Trump administration, among other things, has moved to shutter Social Security Administration field offices, cut funding for government health programs and scale back protections for transgender people. 'I cannot sit still knowing that if I don't do anything and everybody doesn't do something to change this, that the world that we collectively are leaving for the little children, for our neighbors is simply not one that I would want to live,' Fasick said. In Columbia, South Carolina, several hundred people protested at the statehouse holding signs with slogans such as 'Fight Fiercely, Harvard, Fight.' And in Manhattan, protesters rallied against continued deportations of immigrants as they marched from the New York Public Library north toward Central Park and past Trump Tower. 'No fear, no hate, no ICE in our state,' they chanted to a steady drumbeat, referring to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Marshall Green said he is most concerned that Trump invoked the wartime Alien Enemies Act of 1798 by claiming the country is at war with Venezuelan gangs linked to the South American nation's government, even though a recent U.S. intelligence assessment found no coordination between them. 'Congress should be stepping up and saying no, we are not at war. You cannot use that,' said the 61-year-old from Morristown, New Jersey. 'You cannot deport people without due process, and everyone in this country has the right to due process no matter what.' Meanwhile Melinda Charles, of Connecticut, said she worries about 'executive overreach,' citing clashes with the federal courts, Harvard University and other elite colleges. 'We're supposed to have three equal branches of government,' she said, 'and to have the executive branch become so strong, I mean it's just unbelievable.'
