SALEM, OREGONAMERICA 250
A TRIBUTE TO AN EXTRAORDINARY NATION
1776 2026A Celebration of Liberty, Courage
& the American Story
From the courage of the founders in 1776 to the generations who followed, the American story is one of remarkable ideals, extraordinary sacrifice, perseverance, and possibility. Join us in celebrating 250 years of American independence.
Explore Our HistoryA Tribute to America, Presented by Dallwig Brothers
AN INTERACTIVE AMERICAN EXHIBITION
A nation is more than its milestones. It is the courage to begin, the resolve to endure, and the determination to bring its promises closer to reality.
Explore the moments, documents and traditions that connect 1776 to 2026. Open a story. Examine a symbol. Discover something new.
FOLLOW THE THREAD OF HISTORY
Five chapters. Overlapping eras. One unfolding story.
Choose a chapter above or follow the illuminated line.
CHAPTER I · 1776–1791
A declaration. A hard-won independence. A new framework for self-government.
Congress approves independence through the Lee Resolution. The decisive vote comes two days before the Declaration’s adoption.
The delegates voted on independence first, then completed the public explanation. July 2 and July 4 mark different moments in the same extraordinary decision.
Historical source
Congress adopts the Declaration, announcing independence and setting out an enduring argument for liberty.
Its claims about equality and rights became a standard against which Americans would judge their institutions. The ideals were far from fully realized in a society that permitted slavery.
Historical sourceMost delegates sign the engrossed parchment copy. Other signatures follow.
Adoption on July 4 was not a single ceremony at which all delegates signed. The parchment preserved today records a signing process that began in August.
Historical source
Sultan Mohammed III opens Moroccan ports to American vessels—an important early acknowledgment of independence.
The 1786 Treaty of Peace and Friendship formalized the relationship. The State Department’s Office of the Historian dates formal recognition to that treaty. Its earlier port-opening policy remains a landmark in the young nation’s international story.
Historical sourceThe Treaty of Paris formally ends the Revolutionary War between Britain and the United States.
British recognition secured a diplomatic foundation for the new republic. Peace followed years of military service, civilian hardship and the contribution of foreign allies.
Historical source
Delegates in Philadelphia sign a proposed framework for a new federal government.
Signing did not complete the process: the Constitution still needed state ratification. Its creation brought a system of separated powers, while also embedding compromises over slavery.
Historical source
Ten constitutional amendments are ratified, protecting essential liberties and limiting federal power.
Congress had proposed twelve amendments. Ten reached ratification in 1791, including protections for religion, speech, press, assembly and due process.
Historical sourceCHAPTER II · 1814–1954
A flag over a harbor. A poem set to music. Words carried across generations.
After a night of bombardment, Francis Scott Key sees the flag still flying over Fort McHenry. The sight inspires a poem.
Key’s words became the song known as “The Star-Spangled Banner.” The surviving flag was made by Mary Pickersgill and her team; it has fifteen stars and fifteen stripes.
Historical source
Francis Bellamy’s original Pledge of Allegiance is published in The Youth’s Companion.
Written for a nationwide school celebration, the short pledge became a familiar civic ritual. Its wording changed over time; the interactive exhibit below distinguishes its first printing from later standard versions.
Historical source
A federal law makes “The Star-Spangled Banner” the national anthem.
More than a century separates Key’s 1814 poem and the 1931 designation. The song had already become closely associated with public ceremonies and national life.
Historical sourceCongress adds “under God” to the Pledge of Allegiance on Flag Day.
The amendment placed the phrase after “one Nation.” Its adoption came during the Cold War; the exhibit below presents the earlier wording alongside the version used today.
Historical sourceCHAPTER III · 1863–1965
The founding promise endured because generations worked to make it more fully their own.
The Emancipation Proclamation declares enslaved people free in designated areas in rebellion.
It did not abolish slavery nationwide. Issued during the Civil War, it transformed the conflict’s meaning and helped open the way for Black military service in the Union cause.
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Ratification abolishes slavery and involuntary servitude, except as punishment for a crime after conviction.
Unlike the wartime proclamation, the amendment established a nationwide constitutional prohibition. The exception remains part of its text; emancipation did not end the struggle for equal citizenship.
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The Nineteenth Amendment is ratified, prohibiting denial of voting rights on the basis of sex.
The milestone followed decades of organizing. Certification came on August 26. Racial discrimination and other barriers still prevented many women from exercising the vote.
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The Civil Rights Act becomes law, confronting discrimination in public accommodations, employment and other areas.
Civil rights organizing, legal challenges and public protest helped move the country toward the founding promise of equality. The statute did not finish that work, but it changed the national framework.
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The Voting Rights Act becomes law, targeting racial discrimination in voting.
The law addressed barriers that persisted despite constitutional protections. It stands among the central legislative achievements of the civil rights movement.
Historical sourceCHAPTER IV · 1918–1969
In sacrifice and discovery, Americans helped shape the world—and reach beyond it.
The armistice takes effect at the eleventh hour, halting fighting on the Western Front.
Peace treaties came later. Remembering the armistice means remembering those who served, those who never returned and the families whose lives were changed by the First World War.
Historical source
Allied forces land in Normandy, opening a major front in the liberation of Western Europe.
Americans served alongside Allied partners in an enormous undertaking by sea and air. The landings began a campaign that demanded extraordinary courage and carried a profound human cost.
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V-E Day marks the end of the war in Europe after Germany’s unconditional surrender.
Celebration was joined by grief for millions of lives lost. The Second World War continued in the Pacific; May 8 did not mark the end of the entire war.
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Apollo 11 lands at Tranquility Base. Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin become the first people to walk on the Moon.
Michael Collins remained in lunar orbit. Armstrong’s first step occurred on July 20 in U.S. time zones and July 21 at 02:56 UTC—a reminder that a shared moment can carry two calendar dates.
Historical sourceCHAPTER V · 2026
A moment to remember, reflect and carry the story forward.
The United States marks the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
The anniversary invites celebration and reflection: on extraordinary achievements, on the distance between principle and practice, and on the people who continue the work of building communities.
Historical sourceThe original engrossed parchment · National Archives · Public domain
THE WORDS THAT CHANGED HISTORY
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal…”
Ideas written in 1776 continue to ask something of every generation. Select a passage to explore its meaning.
READ BETWEEN THE LINES
The equality claim became an enduring basis for arguments against slavery and exclusion. Many people in 1776 were denied the very freedom it proclaimed.
READ BETWEEN THE LINES
The Declaration describes rights as inherent, naming life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. It presents government as a means of securing them.
READ BETWEEN THE LINES
Legitimate government, the text argues, depends on the governed. In practice, political participation in the founding era remained sharply restricted.
READ BETWEEN THE LINES
The Declaration defended separation from Britain when government became destructive of its stated purposes. Its grievances belonged to that specific historical conflict.
A SYMBOL, STILL UNFOLDING
Thirteen stripes remember the founding states. A field of stars records a growing union. Select a year and watch the design change.
Congress’s June 14, 1777 resolution called for thirteen stripes and thirteen stars. It did not prescribe a single star arrangement. This circular arrangement is traditional; it is not proof that Betsy Ross made the first flag.
13 STARS · 13 STRIPESThe 1794 Flag Act took effect May 1, 1795, adding stars and stripes for Vermont and Kentucky. A fifteen-star, fifteen-stripe flag flew over Fort McHenry in 1814. Early star arrangements varied.
15 STARS · 15 STRIPES
The 1818 law restored thirteen stripes and established a star for each state, with new stars added on the following July 4. Twenty stars were in use from July 4, 1818.
20 STARS · 13 STRIPESA 1912 executive order standardized the arrangement in six rows of eight stars. The forty-eight-star flag served through both world wars.
48 STARS · 13 STRIPES
The current fifty-star flag entered use on July 4, 1960, following Hawaii’s admission in 1959. Its nine rows alternate six and five stars.
50 STARS · 13 STRIPESThese are modern schematic illustrations, not archival flag photographs. Before standardization, star arrangements varied. The 1777 circle is a traditional arrangement, not a uniquely mandated design.
A CEREMONY OF RESPECT
For many families, the folded flag is a quiet expression of remembrance. Explore one traditional ceremonial script—and the physical care behind the fold.
The thirteen meanings below are traditional interpretations, not meanings assigned by federal law or the U.S. Flag Code. Other scripts exist; no religious interpretation is mandatory or universally used.
IN HONOR OF SERVICE & SACRIFICE
TRADITIONAL CEREMONIAL THEME
The first theme honors life.
TRADITIONAL CEREMONIAL THEME
The second expresses belief in eternal life.
TRADITIONAL CEREMONIAL THEME
The third remembers veterans and their service.
TRADITIONAL CEREMONIAL THEME
The fourth reflects on human weakness and trust in God.
TRADITIONAL CEREMONIAL THEME
The fifth honors the nation.
TRADITIONAL CEREMONIAL THEME
The sixth recalls allegiance and the country’s ideals.
TRADITIONAL CEREMONIAL THEME
The seventh recognizes those who serve in the Armed Forces.
TRADITIONAL CEREMONIAL THEME
The eighth honors mothers and their sacrifices.
TRADITIONAL CEREMONIAL THEME
The ninth recognizes women and their contributions.
TRADITIONAL CEREMONIAL THEME
The tenth honors fathers and their sacrifices.
TRADITIONAL CEREMONIAL THEME
The eleventh carries Jewish religious symbolism in this script.
TRADITIONAL CEREMONIAL THEME
The twelfth carries Christian religious symbolism in this script.
TRADITIONAL CEREMONIAL THEME
The thirteenth invokes faith and the national motto, “In God We Trust.”
Thirteen symbolic themes—not thirteen different mechanical diagrams.
The VA guide shows five physical stages, with the triangular action repeated toward the blue field. Explore the verified illustrations independently of the ceremonial themes above.
Fold the lower striped half over the blue field.
Bring the folded edge to the open edge.
Start at the striped end, bringing the corner toward the open edge.
Turn the outer point inward to form the next triangle.
Continue the triangles along the remaining length until only blue is visible.
The completed fold · VA illustrationWORDS CARRIED ACROSS GENERATIONS
Select a year to read the wording and understand the change. Gold highlights identify the words associated with each revision.
I pledge allegiance to my Flag and the Republic for which it stands; one Nation indivisible, with Liberty and Justice for all.
The first printing, September 8, 1892, has no second “to” before “the Republic.” Later retrospective versions often include it.
Historical sourceI pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
The flag reference became “the flag of the United States.” Presented as the historical standard wording; punctuation varies among reproductions.
Historical sourceI pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
“Of America” was added after “United States.” The phrase identified the nation more fully.
Historical sourceI pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
Congress gave the Pledge its official statutory designation on December 28, 1945. Its first federal inclusion was in the Flag Code on June 22, 1942. The 1945 action did not add new words.
Historical sourceI pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
The June 14, 1954 amendment inserted “under God” after “one Nation.” This is the wording used today.
Historical source
REMEMBER THE PAST. CARRY THE PROMISE FORWARD.
Two hundred and fifty years ago, a remarkable experiment in liberty began. Through generations of courage, struggle, sacrifice, innovation, and perseverance, that experiment became the nation we know today.
America’s story is not simply a collection of dates. It is the story of people—those who founded the nation, defended its freedoms, challenged its shortcomings, built its communities, and carried its ideals forward.
As we celebrate 250 years of American independence, we honor the past, appreciate the present, and look toward the future with gratitude and hope.
1776 2026FROM OUR FAMILY TO YOURS
Dallwig Brothers proudly celebrates the 250th anniversary of American independence. As an American family-owned business serving Oregon, we’re grateful for the freedoms, opportunities, and generations of hard work that have helped shape this country.
We honor those who came before us, those who have served and sacrificed, and the Americans who continue building our nation’s future.
God bless America.
THE EXHIBITION LIBRARY
History rewards a closer look. Each timeline story links to a historical reference; the collections below invite you to continue exploring.
National Archives: Declaration, Constitution and Bill of Rights.
State Department: Morocco and the 1786 treaty.
Library of Congress: the poem, song and 1931 designation.
National Archives: emancipation, suffrage and civil rights.
NASA: the landing and first lunar steps.
VA: physical folding illustrations.
National Flag Foundation: one traditional thirteen-fold script.
1945 statute; 1954 statute linked in the exhibit.
This independent community tribute is presented by Dallwig Brothers. Source institutions do not endorse this page. Historical artwork, original documents, modern diagrams and contemporary photography are identified separately.
Historical review: October 2026. Morocco’s 1777 port opening is distinguished from the 1786 treaty. The July 4 adoption of the Declaration is distinguished from its August signing. The thirteen-fold script is a commemorative tradition, not a legal prescription.