Oregon will officially commemorate its place in American history during a time of increasing political strife in 2026.

The country is growing more divided as the 250^th anniversary of its July 4 founding approaches. Despite that, a state commission is charged with organizing and supporting events that realistically portray Oregon’s role in the legacy of the country, with the help of nonprofit organizations, schools, and federally recognized Native American tribes.

“Our mission is to give Oregonians the opportunity to reflect on the history of their country and state, and to talk about what kind of future they want,” said Kerry Tymchuk, chair of the 15-member America 250 Oregon Commission that was created by the 2024 Oregon Legislature.

It is one of similar organizations in all states and territories formed after the national U.S. Semiquincentennial Commission, which was created by Congress in 2016 to commemorate America’s 250^th anniversary. You can find minutes of the board’s previous meetings here.

Controversy erupted after Donald Trump was reelected president and announced shortly after taking office that he wanted “America’s birthday party” to be a patriotic celebration of the country. Historians and others pushed back against whitewashing history by ignoring the forcible displacement of Native Americans from their traditional lands, the legacy of slavery, the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II, and anything else that might cast the country in a negative light.

“That is so short-sighted. America has done more things right than wrong. We should acknowledge and learn from our mistakes, so they don’t happen again,” said Tymchuk, who is also the executive director of the Oregon Historical Society. He promises the events supported by the commission will be balanced and include both the good and the bad of the state’s history.

The law creating the commission requires it to “ensure an official observance that is inclusive and shares the histories of Oregon’s diverse populations.” Among other things, it must consult with the nine federally recognized Indian tribes in Oregon when planning and developing activities throughout the state to meaningfully include Oregon’s tribal history. They are represented on a subcommittee created by the law.

 In addition, the commission includes Gary Burke, Ceremonial Chief of the Umatillas and Chairman of the Board of Trustees for the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, who also serves on the Oregon Legislative Commission on Indian Services.

As proof, Tymchuk notes OHS is hosting a related exhibition titled The Yasui Family: An American Story. Presented in partnership with the Japanese American Museum of Oregon, it tells the story of the Yasui family, who were among millions of immigrants who came to America seeking new opportunities in the late 1800s and 1900s. After settling in Hood River, they thrived despite racism and oppressive state and federal laws, But their descendants were among those American citizens removed from their homes and sent to internment camps after Pearl Harbor.

“That was not a shining moment in American history, but it would be wrong not to tell it,” Tymchuk said of the OHA exhibit, at 1200 S.W. Park Ave. along Portland’s South Park Blocks.

The exhibit was intentionally planned to run until Sept. 6, 2026, and is prominently featured on the America 250 Oregon Commission’s website. So is an upcoming lecture on anti-Chinese discrimination, sponsored by the Clackamas County Historical Society, on Thursday, Dec. 11.

Titled “Oregon City’s Chinese Expulsion,” the lecture by author Jim Nicita will cover the state’s Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 and the forcible exclusion of 40 male Chinese workers from Oregon City after being blamed for taking “white” jobs. He is scheduled to begin his presentation at 7 p.m. at the Museum of the Oregon Territory, 211 Tumwater Drive in Oregon City.

At the same time, upcoming events are being organized primarily by nonprofit historical societies, museums, and heritage organizations across the state. To help them, the commission has already distributed $50,000 in grants to support individual projects. An additional $50,000 will be made available next year, with the application period opening on Jan. 5.

America 250 survey documents political divide

Ongoing protests in Oregon and across the country symbolize the increasing opposition to the policies of the Trump Administration. A survey conducted by America250.org, the nonprofit partner of the U.S. Semiquincentennial Commission, confirms that the anniversary comes at a politically fraught time. Released in June 2024, it found the public is almost evenly split about whether the country’s best days are behind or ahead of us.

According to the survey, a narrow plurality, 39%, said behind us. Almost as many, 37%, said ahead of us, with 24% not sure.

The responses broke down along partisan and demographic lines. The most optimistic people were Democrats (49%), People of Color (44%), Millennials (43%), and Northeasterners (41%).

The most pessimistic were Republicans (32%), whites (33%), Independent and minor party voters (29%), and Generation Xers and Baby Boomers (34% each).

Despite that, the survey found that the vast majority of Americans are looking forward to the anniversary of the founding of the country. Top feelings associated with the commemoration were “Proud” (34%), “Hopeful” (24%), “Thankful (24%), and “Optimistic” (21%). Only 12% said they were “Unsure” and just 11% said they felt “Indifferent.”

But many respondents were concerned that the anniversary could be politicized — and exactly how broke down along party lines. Twenty-six percent worried “Politicians will use it for political gain,” with the responses nearly evenly split between 28% of Democrats and 25% of Republicans.

Asked how the anniversary could be politicized, however, 23% feared “America’s history will be white-washed and the difficult parts of our history will be ignored.” Democrats were far more concerned about that than Republicans, however, by a margin of 28% to 19%.

On the other side, 20% worried “It will push a ‘woke’ interpretation of American history that focuses on the negative to drive guilt rather than pride.” Republicans far outweighed Democrats with the concern, but a margin of 36% to 10%.

And 16% are simply concerned “It will intensify the political divisions that already exist in the country,” with Democrats outnumbering Republicans by a margin of 20% to 15%.

All of which raises the question of how to celebrate the anniversary without alienating large percentages of the population. The survey found that being honest about both the good and bad in the past while focusing on the future of the country is the best approach. A full 83% agreed with the statement, “The United States have come a long way – and still has a long way to go.”

Nearly three-fourths want the anniversary to reflect on “The future and what kind of country we want to pass on to the next generation.”

As one respondent said, “Focus on the future while not forgetting the past.”

Oregon’s story is largely about land

As a state, Oregon’s role in America’s history is limited because it was not created until almost 83 years after the July 4, 1776, signing of the Declaration of Independence that launched the Revolutionary War. None of the battles that decided the outcome took place here. Only one Revolutionary War soldier, William Cannon, is believed to be buried in the state, interred at the Old Saint Paul Roman Catholic Mission Cemetery in St. Paul.

“There are no Revolutionary War battlegrounds in Oregon,” Tymchuk said.

But, as presented by acclaimed filmmaker Ken Burns in his recent The American Revolution series shown on Oregon Public Broadcasting, the lure of the West was a primary cause for the uprising, because land was widely recognized as valuable, and Britain had prohibited settlement west of the Appalachian Mountains. Capitalists and potential settlers wanted that property, despite the fact that it was already occupied by Indigenous tribes with lengthy histories of their own.

Burns himself describes the war as a “global contest for the prize of North America.”

Even then, after the Revolutionary War was won, the new federal government did not explore Oregon until President Thomas Jefferson authorized the Lewis and Clark Expedition to map the land along the Columbia River from May 14, 1804, to Sept. 23, 1806.

Following the War of 1812 with Britain, the Treaty of 1818 established joint British and American occupancy of the region west of the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific Ocean. Oregon was formally brought under American sovereignty by the  Oregon Treaty of 1846, and the Oregon Territory was created two years later. Oregon was admitted to the United States on Feb. 14, 1859, becoming the 33rd state.

Westward expansion eventually increased the population of Oregon to 4.27 million people by mid-2024, with many residents drawn to its natural beauty and recreational opportunities – which is highlighted on the America 250 Oregon website launched last February with online photographic exhibitions titled “The Power of Place” and “The Pursuit of Happiness.”

But the consequences for the Indigenous tribes was severe, with forced displacement from their traditional lands by settlers, the military, and urban development over the years. In the end, the federal government only recognized the nine tribes that are represented on the America 250 Oregon subcommittee: the Burns Paiute Tribe of Harney County; the Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians; the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde; the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians; the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation; the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs; the Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians; and the Coquille Indian Tribe.

During the first meeting of the America 250 Oregon Commission on Aug. 6, 2025, national America 250 Chair Rosie Rios participated remotely and said she understands that Indigenous voices are critical to the state’s commemoration of the founding of the country.

“All voices should be heard, including Indians and tribal voices. I know how important that is in Oregon,” said Rios, a Latina graduate of Harvard University who served as the 43rd Treasurer of the United States during the Obama Administration.

Grant funds available for participating nonprofit organizations

The 2024 Oregon Legislature allocated $250,000 to the Oregon Historical Society to support the America 250 Oregon Commission, along with an unconditional $10,000 from the federal commission. Its website includes a calendar of related events. Some are art-related. They include the “Master Penworks of Tom Stefopoulos: The Hellenic Artist of the Lovejoy Columns” exhibit that opens at the State Capitol in Salem on June 4, 2026. The current list can be found at oregon250.org/calendar.

The 2025 Oregon Legislature gave the commission an additional $100,000 for grants of up to $3,000 to nonprofit organizations, local governments, public schools, universities, colleges, and federally recognized tribes in Oregon for related activities. Half of that money has already been distributed. Applications for the rest will be accepted from Jan. 5 to March 1, 2026, provided they meet the commission’s guideposts:

• To inspire Oregonians to participate in the work of forming a more perfect union.

• To highlight the importance of civics and history education in building a better future.

• To highlight the work of Oregon’s many history and heritage organizations.

• To encourage a robust, thorough, and honest examination of our collective history.

• To celebrate the unique traditions, arts, and cultures of communities throughout Oregon.

• To honor the service and sacrifice made by Oregon’s veterans.

• To celebrate the power of place through Oregon’s remarkable landscapes and scenic beauty.

“The first guidepost about forming a more perfect union is the most important. The best way to celebrate democracy is to participate in it,” Tymchuk said.

Additional information about the America 250 Oregon Commission, anniversary activities, and the upcoming grants can be found at oregon250.org.

Additional information about the Oregon Historical Society and its current The Yasui Family: An American Story exhibit can be found at www.ohs.org.

Additional information about the Museum of the Oregon Territory and its upcoming “Oregon City’s Chinese Exclusion” lecture can be found at clackamashistory.org.

Members of the America 250 Oregon Commission

• Alisha Babbstein | Director of Collections and Exhibitions, Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education

• Mary Lang Bishop | Community Volunteer

• Todd Braje | Executive Director, University of Oregon Museum of Natural and Cultural History

• Gary Burke | Ceremonial Chief of the Umatillas, and Chairman of the Board of Trustees, for the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation; Representative, Commission on Indian Services

• Katya Butler | Oregon Commission on Hispanic Affairs

• Senator Wlnsvey Campos (D) | District 18 – Aloha

• Sophorn Cheang | Director, Business Oregon

• Ian Johnson | Deputy State Historic Preservation Officer

• Dr. Nakeia Daniels | Director, Oregon Department of Veterans Affairs

• Mickie Derting | Oregon Commission on Asian and Pacific Islander Affairs

• Subashini Ganesan-Forbes | Oregon Arts Commission

• Natasha Haunsperger | Oregon Commission for Women

• Katie Henry | Oregon Heritage Commission Coordinator

• Lisa Itel | Director of Industry Relations, Travel Oregon

• George Kramer | Trust for Cultural Development

• First Lady Aimee Kotek Wilson

• Shana McConville Radford, Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation | Tribal Affairs Director, Office of Governor Tina Kotek

• Brad Parker | K–12 Social Science Specialist, Multnomah Education Service District

• Tobias Read | Oregon Secretary of State

• Elizabeth Steiner | Oregon State Treasurer

• Zachary Stocks | Executive Director, Oregon Black Pioneers

• Kerry Tymchuk | Boyle Family Executive Director, Oregon Historical Society

• Rep. Jules Walters (D) | District 37 — Tualatin, West Linn

• Tenneal Wetherell | Assistant Superintendent, Office of Enhancing Student Opportunities, Oregon Department of Education

• Hanako Wakatsuki-Chong | Executive Director, Japanese American Museum of Oregon

• Rep. Boomer Wright (R) | District 09 — Coos Bay