As the United States of America marks 250 years of independence in 2026, join us in examining this anniversary through the transformative power of words at Longfellow House-Washington's Headquarters National Historic Site.
Words – put to a page or spoken – have shaped the United States of America from its very beginning.
We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness
These words, from the Preamble of the Declaration of Independence, presented a vision for a better life and compelled English colonists to risk their own lives for the promise of freedom in a new nation.
Later, the freedoms to express ideas through speech and the press were so integral to the young nation that they are the first rights protected by the U.S. Constitution, under the Bill of Rights.
And words have been central to 105 Brattle Street, now Longfellow House-Washington’s Headquarters National Historic Site, for more than 250 years too. It is both a place where history was made and where history was written:
On July 4, 1775, General George Washington aimed to inspire a new national unity in his first General Orders issued from Cambridge: “They are now the Troops of the UNITED PROVINCES of North America; and it is hoped that all Distinctions of Colonies will be laid aside; so that one and the same Spirit may animate the whole.”
The name of the emerging country, the United States of America, was first put to paper at 105 Brattle Street on January 2, 1776, by Stephen Moylan.
Tony Vassall, whose wife and children were enslaved at 105 Brattle Street through 1774, recognized the power of his words, when he petitioned Massachusetts in 1781 for reparations for his family’s enslavement: “...though dwelling in a land of freedom, both himself and his wife have spent almost sixty years of their lives in slavery…. [One hopes] that they shall not be denied the sweets of freedom the remainder of their days by being reduced to the painful necessity of begging for bread.”
Historian Jared Sparks, a boarder at 105 Brattle Street, edited the first collection of George Washington’s letters in 1834-37, reshaping Washington’s words and the public’s understanding of him as a founding figure.
Poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow shaped the United States of America’s national identity through his own words, creating foundation myths and memorializing Paul Revere (1860), Hiawatha (1855), Evangeline (1847), Miles Standish (1858), the village blacksmith (1839), and many others.
Alice Longfellow, the poet’s eldest daughter, was instrumental in preserving her family home in Cambridge, as well as George Washington’s Virginia home, Mount Vernon, of which she wrote in 1917, “The spirit of the Past asserts itself strongly over the present. … Everything that is false and trivial seems to drop away from people, and they see new visions... Think what all this means to a country like America, with its constant change and stress of life—its many countries in one—its divergent views and opinions.”
Today, as the newest citizens of the United States of America take the Naturalization Oath of Allegiance at 105 Brattle Street, the power of their words imparts a new national identity: American.
Words inspire, motivate, and create profound connections. Words build bridges and erect barriers. Words are vehicles for expressing ideas, sharing experiences, and transmitting knowledge across generations. Words are not just tools of communication; they are instruments of influence that can leave an indelible mark on people and the course of human history.
Now, it’s your turn: as the United States of America marks 250 years of independence in 2026, how will your words leave their mark?
